On 5 April 1943, 26 P-38Fs of the 82nd claimed 31 enemy aircraft destroyed, helping to establish air superiority in the area and earning it the German nickname ""der Gabelschwanz Teufel"" – the Fork-Tailed Devil. The P-38 remained active in the Mediterranean for the rest of the war, continuing to deliver and receive damage in combat. On 25 August 1943, 13 P-38s were shot down in a single sortie by JG 53 Bf 109s. On 2 September, 10 P-38s were shot down, in return for losing one German pilot: 67-victory ace Franz Schieß who had been the leading "Lightning" killer in the Luftwaffe with 17 destroyed.