Details regarding P-38 "Droop Snoot" missions

[Martin Giles]

Mighty Eighth War Manual (R. Freeman)

Seven Droop Snoots converted/made for 8th AF by Lockheed at Langford Lodge. Trials carried out on 42-68184. First use on 10.04.44 leading formations of 20th and 44th FGs, subsequently used by all four P-38 Groups in the 8th, plus the 56th FG, on formation bombing ops.
New nose, no armament, just bombsight. Jul 44 Droop Snoots transfered from 8th AF, three remained on hand 42-104075 (Operational Engineering), 43-28490 (Aphrodite project), another for Dilly project.

Four Droop Snoots joined detachment on 192 Sqn RAF for Elint sorties (43-28479, 44-23156, 44-23501 and 44-23515).

Also planned production of 12 P-38Ls with H2X and operator in nose. Only have details of 44-23880 used by 25th Group.

5.4 Base RAF got a Droop Snoot which went on 5 Group raids

Droop Snoots were also converted by BADA for 9th AF (unknown number)

If you are finding 0.5 in cartridges then it is not a Droop Snoot

Lockheed also made a two-seat night fighter version of the P-38 with a cockpit for the radar op behind the pilot; these are sometimes wrongly described as Droop Snoots, but I do not have the books at hand to say if or where they were used.

Martin