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0 In 1940, Richard Butler and his younger brother Heber enlisted in the US Army Air Corps. In North Africa in 1943 the Butler brothers were assigned to fly the P-38 Lightning, the "fork-tail devil" feared for its speed, maneuverability and heavy armament. Over southern Italy on Richard's fiftieth and final combat mission, one of his "kills' disintegrated during a head-on dog fight. Part of the wreckage disabled Richard’s left engine, which soon burst into flame, forcing him to bail out. He was ta
"The single dominant impression is this thing is smooth and effortless to fly....