There are other books out there on the airacobra, for example, attack of the. Bell p39 airacobra, built around an oldsmobile aircraft. Many women worked in the plant building p39s and p63s during the war. The p39 airacobra may be the least loved american fighter plane of world war ii, deemed inadequate by military planners at the outset of hostilities and written off as nearly useless by many historians. Bell p39 airacobra simple english wikipedia, the free. The bell p39 airacobra is yet another in the long line aircraft studies. Bell p39 airacobra images gallery military factory. Designed as an interceptor, when the bell p39 airacobra appeared in 1. Bell p39 airacobra on bell aircraft corporationin valmistama yksipaikkainen ja. The modellers guide to the bell p39 airacobra by gary. The bell p39 airacobra was one of the principal american fighter aircraft in service when the united states entered world war ii. The airacuda was marked by bold design advances and considerable flaws that eventually grounded the aircraft.
His squadronmate aleksandr pokryshkin had 59 victories, of which 47 were with airacobra. The bell p39 airacobra was the least well regarded fighter aircraft to serve in large numbers with the usaaf during the second world war, but despite this it did perform some useful services on new guinea and guadalcanal early in the war in the pacific, as well as serving as a training aircraft used by the majority of american fighter pilots. Basically, my impression of the p39 from this book is it was not a bad aircraft but the. Americas worst world war ii fighter was the star of the russian air. Ministry of defense ussr, the soviet air force in world war ii, translated by l. Media in category bell p39 airacobra the following 33 files are in this category, out of 33 total. All p39 models from the d forward were really quite similar. A common western misconception is that the bell fighters were used as ground attack aircraft. The bell yfm1 airacuda was an american heavy fighter aircraft, developed by the bell aircraft corporation during the mid1930s. Other known aircraft p39 piloted by dannacher force landed july 14, 1943 at wau airfield p39 pilot glazier mia december 14, 1942, 1 missing. It was manufactured as a result of a proposed purchase order for a fighter aircraft. Designed as an interceptor, when the bell p39 airacobra.
It was the first military aircraft produced by bell. Bell p39 airacobra images gallery detailing the singleseat, singleengine fighter fighterbomber aircraft below are images of the bell p39 airacobra singleseat, singleengine fighter fighterbomber aircraft. The bell p39 airacobra was one of the principal american fighter aircraft in service when the. Soviet air force lend lease aircraft q model p39q 442485 pilot carpenter force landed december 6, 1943 p39q 442911 aka miss lend lease recovered 2004, displayed niagra aerospace museum. The bell aircraft corporation always searched for the ways of improving aircraft characteristics based on feedback from the pilots who flew various modifications of the p39 airacobra. Initially introduced as the p45 airacobra, the type was soon redesignated p39c. I made balsawood models of those machines without ever suspecting how bad some of them were. In 1938 bell aircraft produced the airacobra singleseat fighter featuring a tricycle landing gear, a single allison engine located behind and below the pilot and driving the propeller by means of an extension shaft, and a cannon firing through the hollow propeller shaft in addition to. The p39 was used by the soviet air force, and enabled individual soviet pilots to collect the highest number of kills attributed to any u. The p39 was dismissed as hardly suitable for combat both by the us and. They got separated and made forced landings in various locations. Bell p39q10be airacobra archives this day in aviation. Click through the available thumbnails to enlarge the. The p39 airacobra made by bell aircraft corporation was produced from 1939 until 1944.
Lets look at what was right, and what was wrong with the little bell. Image used to illustrate the details of the bell airacobra singleseat, singleengine fighter fighterbomber aircraft side rear left view of a bell airacobra at rest. Bell p39 airacobra singleseat, singleengine fighter. In comparison to the best fighters of the day such as the p51, p38, p47, bf 109, spitfire and zero, it got a bad rap because of its poor showing in the early european theater. Small, sleek and fast, with a midmounted engine and tricycle gear, the airacobra, designed in 1937, was ahead of its time, but it was hampered by too little wingspan and the lack of a proper. The p39n series was an attempt to lighten the airframe by reducing fuel capacity or partially demounting armor. P39 airacobra one of the rarest ww2 warbirds youtube. Small, sleek and fast, with a midmounted engine and tricycle gear, the airacobra, designed in 1937, was ahead of its time, but it was hampered by too little wingspan and the lack of a. The very stylish, but underachieving airacobra was the second most numerous american fighter at the start of the war. Most of the warbirds on view around the country today never made it into combat. When the airacobra type was rejected by the raf, ah574 was transferred to the royal navy for test work. The p39 airacobra soldiered on in us service into 1943, long after it was obvious it wasnt the best fighter for most jobs. The bell aircraft corporation was an aircraft manufacturer of the united states, a builder of several types of fighter aircraft for world war ii but most famous for the bell x1, the first supersonic aircraft, and for the development and production of many important civilian and military helicopters.
This aircraft was based at caroline island through much of 1943. On 17th of june 1944 a group of four airacobras got lost in bad weather on karelian isthmus. Bell p39 airacobra in american service military history. Bell airacobra i in british service military history. Americas worst world war ii fighter was the star of the russian air force. The initial twenty aircraft were built without armor or selfsealing fuel tanks.
Jack woolams, chief test pilot for bell aircraft corporation, experimental test pilot tex johnston, and bell s chief engineer, robert morris stanley, had determined that a properly prepared bell p39 airacobra could outrun and outfly a north american aviation p51 mustang in the thompson race. A significant number of the p39 airacobra were supplied to the u. The bell p39 airacobra production line at wheatfield, near niagara falls, new york. This is a bell p39q20be fighter aircraft from the second world war, this aircraft was delivered to the us army air forces in the pacific in 1942 and was mainly used for combat patrols, armed for sale. Air force, or the department of defense, of the external website, or the information. Designed as an interceptor, when the bell p39 airacobra appeared in 1941 it was acclaimed as one of the most advanced combat planes of the time. This article is within the scope of the military history wikiproject. After a troubled development cycle and rough career start, the p39 gained a stigma thats lasted for nearly 70 years. Bell was rescued by the largest military contract, involving supply of airacobra for the red army air force. Bell aircraft p39 airacobra specifications technical. One of the principal american planes in service the united states air force from 19421944.
The p39 airacobra featured a tricycle landing gear which was the first such. Although the bell p39 is often thought of as a premier fighter in the hands of. Elegantly designed and innovatively engineered it featured the engine mid aircraft like a racing car, it experienced mixed operational fortunes but was especially successful in the soviet air force. Bell p39q airacobra in the world war ii gallery at the national museum of the u. Bell p39 airacobra singleseat, singleengine fighter fighter. If there is an american combat airplane that has achieved an illdeserved reputation, no doubt it would be the muchmaligned bell p39 airacobra. The bell xfl airabonita was a us experimental shipboard interceptor developed for the us navy in 1939. Soviet aces, american p39s, and the air war against. Most readers will probably know this type better under its more common designator, p39. A detailed looked at the development and service history of this controversial american fighter aircraft. One of the enduring myths regarding the p39p63 in soviet use is that because of its armament, in particular the 37mm nose cannon, it excelled as a groundattack aircraft, even a tank buster. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the project and see a list of open tasks. The p39 had a poor reputation amongst british and american pilots, and dorr examines the reasons why, as well as looking at why the same aircraft was so much more popular in soviet service.
In the west, the airacobra is usually tagged as one of the worst fighters of the. This decision proved fatal to the airacobra s prospects as a frontline fighter, as aircraft without the turbochargers handled like a brick above altitudes over 15,000 feet. Pilots, in this two part historical spotlight, were going to take a look at one of the most maligned and misunderstood aircraft of the second world war. The p39 was different from most aircraft in world war ii. Bell p39 airacobra restoration that pioneer is on the verge of completing for jerry yagens warbirds aviation museum in virginia beach usa.
The complete story of bell aircraft corporations p39 pursuit fighter plane paperback one of the unsung workhorses of the second world war was bell s p39 airacobra, and the disasterous experiences of this aircraft in british service could be the main reason for this, for very few of this aircraft served in the prestigious european theatre of. Bell p39 airacobra fighter planescourtesy of americas lendlease program. A bell airacobra in russian colors from the great patriot war. The p39 airacobra may be the least loved american fighter plane of world war ii. Im looking up at the ruined fuselage of a bell p39q airacobra. The p39 was dismissed as hardly suitable for combat both by the us and england, who turned it over in large numbers to the ussr. The system had all the looks of a top performer, armament that could go headtohead with any contemporary and a design philosophy that could have brought about a whole new era is aircraft engineering.
In september 1940, the british direct purchase commission ordered 675 of the aircraft under the name bell model 14 caribou. This added weight further hampered the aircraft s performance. The bell p39 airacobra is yet another in the long line aircraft studies stemming from world war 2 in the whatmighthave been category. Embraced by the soviet union, shunned by the western allies and hounded by myths and falsehoods that distort historys judgement. Founded in 1935, the bell aircraft corporation was known for. If there is an american combat airplane that has achieved an illdeserved reputation, no doubt it would be the muchmaligned bell p39 airacobra, a tricycle landing gear singleengine fighter. We are aware of 10 similar reference publications related to bell p39 airacobra. As world war ii had begun in europe, the usaac began to assess combat conditions and realized that these were needed to ensure survivability. As a result, the remaining 60 aircraft of the order, designated p39d, were built with armor, selfsealing tanks, and enhanced armament.
Under the lendlease agreement with the us during wwii, the soviet union received large quantities of war materiel, including many aircraft. It was similar to and a parallel development of the landbased p39 airacobra, differing mainly in the use of a tailwheel undercarriage in place of the p39s tricycle gear. The pilot who scored the most aerial victories was grigori rechkalov of the soviet air force. Lease agreement with the us during wwii, the soviet union received large quantities of war materiel, including many aircraft. Ah574 was initially ordered in 1940 for the royal air force raf as part of the airacobra i serial number block ah570 ah739 no. Bell engineers continued improving the airplane and the xp39e was. Originally designated the bell model 1, the airacuda first flew on 1 september 1937. Though modellers might probably prefer the osprey p39 airacobra aces of world war 2. The bell p39 airacobra was the most unusual and controversial yet successful fighter of world war ii. The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the national museum of the usaf, the u. To use this banner, please see the full instructions c. All aircraft models are designed to have flight characteristics and some elements of artistic design realistically replicating world war ii era aircraft.
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