You the unknown girl formerly known as Spitfire,
Are hereby upgraded!
I didn't tell either namesake that i really prefer a woman with better weapons and more horsepower in her fuselage.
The Spitfire was a great fighter, but that's all it could do.
Lightly armored with a short range and without heavy machine guns, it was a vital and beautiful interceptor.
But the P-38 Lightning was the WWII winner we didn't use effectively. Heavily armored, mounting the most devastating guns of any fighter, nimble yet having two engines, it hauled ass and kicked it. It could carry two 2000 pound bombs or fourteen 5 inch rockets or a torpedo or fly with drop tanks all the way to Berlin faster and higher than any plane before jets.
With a few modifications from the historical version.
Swap out the underpowered Allison engines for two Rolls Royce Merlin 130s and with a De Havelland Mosquito inspired all wooden airframe, and Norden bombsight, I the aeronautical engineer have created an unstoppable weapon of war out of the historical skies.
We should have built 10,000 of those by 1943. Not needing heavy bombers, we could have sent swarms of "Fork-tailed Devils" all over Axis territory.
The fascists, wouldn't have been able, to step outside.
*****
So in honor of the plane that is because I'm in charge,
You who I know will be more than just a one role wonder,
Who won't be afraid to get dirty in public, or cower from tomboy tasks,
Who loves the great outdoors above everything,
Are hereby and forever,
"Lightning"!