This is the story of the elite japanese army air force jaaf aces that flew the kawasaki ki61 hien swallow, and the ki100 goshikisen in the pacific theatre of world war 2. The p 39 was used with great success by the soviet air force, which scored the highest number of individual kills attributed to any u. Im looking up at the ruined fuselage of a bell p39q airacobra. The plans presented here are for a sport scale model of the bell p 39 airacobra, one of the more successful fighter aircraft during ww2, flown by the united states army air forces as well as by the.
Other major users of the type included the free french, the royal air. Lendlease aces of world war 2, osprey books, aerokobrui had kubanyu, footnote. Initially, the ijnaf fought australian kittyhawks, but by may 1942 they had fought. For a brief history of this subject, check out our firstlook of the hasegawa 148 p39qn airacobra kit here. The aircraft had a good cockpit granted the side door was a tad suicidal.
Although the prototype with a super turbocharged engine performed well in tests, bell company could not secure super turbocharged engines in production due to wartime priorities and the resulting mass produced. P39 airacobra aces of world war 2 by john stanaway goodreads. P39 airacobra history, photos, specification of the p39. Bellp39 airacobra wwii open source pdf edit with links attack airplane downloadable cardmodel. The airacobra was one of the first production fighters to be conceived as a weapons system. P 39 airacobra raf tricolor camouflage color profile and paint guide click on the image above to see a larger view. The first american fighter fitted with a tricyle undercarriage and midmounted engine, the p39 proved less than successful in the hands of its launch customer, the. The p 39 is probably the heaviest armed singleseater in production for uncle sam. This book is another excellent work of research by author john stanaway. Americas worst world war ii fighter was the star of the. The p 39 was designed 9 years before that rocket speed machine catapulted yeager in the history books at the bells buffalo factory in new york. Also located in the nose are four machine guns synchronized to fire through the whirling propeller blades.
Most of the aircraft markings can be seen in the ospreys book, p39 airacobra aces of world war 2. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. 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 reconnaissance and attacking japanese troops and shipping on guadalcanal with the 347th fighter group, 68th fighter squadron, piloted by usaaf captain william sever who later fought on in korea and. The book p40 warhawk aces of the cbi goes into great deal with the avg american volunteer group early battles with the japanese fighters and bombers in early 1941 through to 1944. P39 airacobra aces of world war 2 has 1 available editions to buy at half price books marketplace same low prices, bigger selection, more fun. A more general history can be found in the osprey publication p 39 aces of world war 2. It covers the west coast of java, the north coast of java eastwards to tanjung bendoh, south and east coasts of sumatra, selat sunda, selat bangka, selat gelasa, south and west coasts of kalimantan from tanjung puting to pulau.
P39q airacobra n6968 miss connie, operated by the commemorative air force. The kit is well engineered and should require little in the way of sanding or filing. After the huge advances made in the early months of the pacific war, it was in remote new guinea where the advance of imperial japanese naval air force ijnaf a6m zerosen fighters was first halted due to a series of offensive and defensive aerial battles ranging from treetop height up to 30,000 ft. The complete story of bell aircraft corporations p 39 pursuit fighter plane. R ussian pilots flew the p 39 airacobra as air superiority fighters, and at the low to medium altitudes of air combat on the eastern front, they did so with considerable success, against german fw 190s and bf 109s. P39 airacobra aces of ww2 pdf p 39 airacobra aces of world war 2 osprey aircraft of the aces no 36 john stanaway, george mellinger, mark styling on. A more general history can be found in the osprey publication p 39 aces. The bell p 39 airacobra was manufactured for only four short years, 19401944, but has an interesting and storied history.
Then the hobby world became excited when amtech had announced the p 39 series in 2 scale a little over 10 years ago. Us air force museum wwii bell p 39 airacobra bill maloney 1202007 01 p 39 airacobra diorama. Bill fiedler was the only american pilot to become an ace in a p39, many later u. The bell p39 airacobra was one of the principal american fighter aircraft in service when the. Kitty hawk models 2 p39qn airacobra kit first look. The osprey aircraft of the aces book series by multiple authors includes books mustang aces of the eighth air force aircraft of the aces, bf 109 aces of north africa and the mediterranean aircraft of the aces, wildcat aces of world war 2 aircraft of the aces, and several more. Flying the p39 airacobra in the pacific posed challenges.
It was designed around a 37mm t9 cannon which, in order to maximize the airplanes forward firepower, was. Osprey publishing p 39 aircobra aces of wwii military history book. The p 39 was used by the soviet air force, and enabled individual soviet pilots to collect the highest number of kills attributed to any u. Around a dozen aaf aces scored five kills with the p39, although this total was far outstripped by the soviet red air force, whose pilots rated the airacobra as one of the best lendlease fighters of the war. Bell p39 airacobra images gallery military factory. Initially, the ijnaf fought australian kittyhawks, but by may 1942 they had fought themselves into oblivion, and were relieved by usaaf p39 and p400 airacobras. Chuck yeager is perhaps the airacobra s most renowned enthusiast. The first american fighter fitted with a tricyle undercarriage and midmounted engine, the p 39 proved less than successful in the hands of its launch customer, the us army air force aaf. The bell p 39 airacobra may have been the leastloved american fighter of world war ii. Embraced by the soviet union, shunned by the western allies and hounded by myths and falsehoods that distort historys judgement. Bell p39 airacobra raf tricolor camouflage color profile.
P 39 airacobra in action softcover this is the p 39 airacobra in action book by squadronsignal publications. Monograms p 39 is a 1983 rerelease of the original 1969 kit, new box art, but no new tooling. Bell p39 airacobra kingcobra blueprints and manuals. Bell p 39 airacobra images gallery detailing the singleseat, singleengine fighter fighterbomber aircraft below are images of the bell p 39 airacobra singleseat, singleengine fighter fighterbomber aircraft.
It was at this time that the unit converted to the p39 airacobra which, when all had arrived, transformed the unit into a 3squadron regiment. Jan 26, 2012 soviet p 39 aces russian pilots who flew the bell airacobra. That means the soviet could be still flying their p39s after 4 months of action while the bf109s would be looking at another engine rebuild. Osprey aircraft of the aces book series thriftbooks. The first american fighter fitted with a tricyle undercarriage and midmounted engine, the p39 proved less than successful in the hands of its. The tricycle landing gear on the p 39 was the first ever used on a production fighter.
Other major users of the type included the free french, the. P39 airacobra aces of world war 2 osprey publishing. Monograms p39 is a 1983 rerelease of the original 1969 kit, new box art, but no new tooling. Hampered by unreliabilty and poor engine performance at high altitude, the p 39 nevertheless served alongside the p40 and p38 in the bitter struggle to capture guadalcanal in 194243, as well as seeing. The books listed here are new books but you can also buy used books, out of print books and rare books through many of these links. P39 airacobra history, photos, specification of the p. P 39 airacobra aces of world war 2 osprey aircraft of the aces no 36 john stanaway, george mellinger, mark styling on. Buy a cheap copy of p39 airacobra aces of world war 2. Hi everyone, i have a bell p39d1 airacobra that fought in the battle of the bismark sea and served at milne bay and lae in new guinea in the pacific with the 35th fs in ww2, it has a good story, one confirmed air to air kill, several ground kills, two barges sunk, kill and barges visible on the side, bell aircraft made a magazine ad about this plane a pilot in the war, it is an extensive. P39 airacobra aces of world war 2 book by john stanaway. P 39 airacobra raf tricolor camouflage color profile and paint guide.
Esm p39 aircobra 80ws imaa legal arf nib flyinggiants. The men the author chronicles in the first part of the book, americans who flew and scored aerial victories in the airacobra, are certainly great pilots to have. Published july 25th 2001 by osprey publishing first published july 2001. P 39 armament armament included one 37 mm nose cannon, two. The p 39 airacobra made by bell aircraft corporation was produced from 1939 until 1944. A recent release from zotz decals is this sheet for the p39 airacobra. P39p400 airacobra vs a6m23 zerosen osprey publishing.
Squadron p39 airacobra in action softcover authentic. Click through the available thumbnails to enlarge the. The former, codenamed tony by the allies, was a technically excellent aircraft, possessing power, stability and a good rate of climb differing radically from the. Poking out of the ships bulletshaped nose is a 37 millimeter cannon which fires one pound shells. This twopart film from 1942 provides instruction on how to fly the airacobra n, a lowwing tricycle gear hot rod that was designed as a mount for a 37mm cannon. In this title, p 39 airacobra aces of world war 2 osprey aircraft of the aces no 36, the author introduces the reader to the men who achieved ace status flying the p 39 airacobra.
We personally assess every books quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. Ldm, if you are flying 90180s now you will have no problem transitioning to flight with the 1514 scale stuff at all. The battles unfolded over mountainous terrain with treacherous tropical weather. This book focuses on the soviet aces who scored all, or most of their victories in the yak, drawing. P39 airacobra aces of world war 2 osprey aircraft of the. Flying the p39 airacobra in the pacific posed challenges defense. Fiedler went into the history books as the only american air ace to rack up five. Alexander ivanovich pokryshkin was one of the highestscoring soviet aces, and earned the. The bell p 39 airacobra was one of the principal american fighter aircraft in service when the united states entered world war ii.
Buy a cheap copy of p 39 airacobra in action aircraft no book by ernest r. P39 airacobra in action aircraft no book by ernest. Bell p39 airacobra wikipedias bell p39 airacobra as. The p 39 was also flown by italian and french pilots during the war. The 39 is a single seat semimonocoque aircraft but it does differ from other pursuits of the same vintage in that the allison 1710 v12 engine is positioned behind the pilot and a 37mm cannon up. P39 airacobra aces of world war 2 osprey aircraft of the aces no. The p39 was designed 9 years before that rocket speed machine catapulted yeager in the history books at the bells buffalo factory in new york. It made its initial flight in april 1939 at wright field and by december. The p 39 airacobra was one of americas firstline pursuit planes at the time of the pearl harbor attack.
P 39 airacobra one of many prewar innovations explored by the bell aircraft company, the airacobra appeared to be fast and heavily armed when it was first produced. Most of the warbirds on view around the country today never made it into combat. A handful flew the p 39 in combat in north africa, the aleutians and the south pacific. A history of the p39 airacobra during world war ii. The colour plates of the p40s are well detailed adn the archival photos and uniforms also bring the book to life.
Many years ago, the only option for a 2 scale p 39 was a vacuformed kit. Nov 15, 2019 the bell p 39 airacobra was one of the principal american fighter aircraft in service when the united states entered world war ii. The p 39 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. I np 36 in the british admiralty sailing directions series. P 39 airacobra achievements the p 39 was the first instance where the aircraft was built around a gun. Squadron p 39 airacobra in action softcover ssp10234 p 39 airacobra in action softcover this is the p 39 airacobra in action book by squadronsignal publications. The p 39 was an allmetal, lowwing, singleengine fighter, with a tricycle undercarriage and an allison v1710 liquidcooled v12 engine mounted in the central fuselage, directly behind the cockpit. Its engine, buried in fuselage behind the pilots seat, was fitted with an extension shaft to the propeller running under the cockpit.
Osprey will be working from home from tuesday 17th march. Paint guide courtesy of eduards guadalcanal cobras kit. Most americans piloted the p 39 only during training and were almost universally unimpressed. P39 airacobra in action squadronsignal publications 1043. Would improved p39 airacobra make a good carrier fighter. Chuck yeager is perhaps the airacobras most renowned enthusiast. A revolutionary design, the airacobra had its engine located behind the pilot and was one of the worlds first singleseat fighters to feature a tricycle landing gear. Squadron p39 airacobra in action softcover authentic scale. Sep 28, 2017 in this title, p 39 airacobra aces of world war 2 osprey aircraft of the aces no 36, the author introduces the reader to the men who achieved ace status flying the p 39 airacobra. Bell p39 airacobra kingcobra blueprints and manualsdigital.
P 39 airacobra aces of world war 2 osprey aircraft of the aces no 36 john stanaway. But due to the pace of fighter development in the early 1940s the p 39. The first american fighter fitted with a tricyle underc. The bell aircraft p 39 airacobra has a wingspan of 34 feet a wing area of 2 sq. We deliver the joy of reading in 100% recyclable packaging with free. The p 39 singleseat fighter was, in all respects, a radical design for its day, and proved the adage, form follows function. Click through the available thumbnails to enlarge the images. The p 39 was used by the soviet air force, which scored the highest number of individual kills attributed to any u. This american fighter was fated to be rejected by the us and royal air forces, but was instead adopted by the soviet air force. The kit is well engineered and should require little in. P 39 airacobra aces of world war 2 by john stanaway, raf fighters of world war 2 by alan w. Designed by bell aircraft, it had an innovative layout, with the engine installed in the center.