Japanese Commanders Laughed At The P 38 Lightning Until It Shot Yamamoto From The Sky Discover how Japanese commanders' mockery of the P-38 Lightning turned to shock when this "ungainly" twin-engine fighter killed Admiral Yamamoto on April 18, 1943, in history's most precise long-range fighter interception. This documentary reveals the complete transformation of Japanese naval aviation's perception of American airpower, from dismissing the P-38 as an "overcomplicated monstrosity" in November 194