[Six Nifty .50s]

Originally Posted by fsbofk

I believe many, if not most, Allied fighters included cockpit heating. Among this group, the P-38 Lightning's heating was notoriously poor, such that pilots on long escort missions in the ETO suffered from the effects of the cold. Warren Bodie's The Lockheed P-38 Lightning includes a list entitled "15 Bad Points of the Lockheed P-38" - the fourth item "Insufficient cockpit heat" follows three of the P-38's major problems concerning the engines, wing intercooler, and compressibility.

The cockpit heat and canopy frost in the P-38 wasn't any worse than the Spitfire. Pilots who flew long-range PR XI Spitfires can attest to that.

The majority of single-engine fighters did not carry enough fuel to fly at 30,000 feet for long periods (i.e. 4-7 hours). The lack of heat and frostbite was less a problem in short-range fighters because the pilot was exposed to freezing temperatures for a shorter period.