The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a revolutionary fighter for the time with its tricycle landing gear, twin boom and turbo-superchargers. The first models were accepted by the Army Air Force in October 1941 and, by the end of the war, nearly 10,000 had rolled from the production lines. From introduction until 1945, many modifications were made in the original design to comply with the needs of the air services. On April 18, 1943, a flight of P-38’s downed Japan’s great naval strategist, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, while he was flying on an inspection tour of the Solomon Islands. Due to its unusual configuration, the Lightning was dubbed the “fork-tailed Devil” by the Luftwaffe and “two airplanes with one pilot” by the Japanese-grudging respect earned by its formidable appearance and reputation.