Check out this post at RetroMechanix.com reproducing a February 1943 manual showing the specialized parts and equipment used in maintaining a Bell P-39 Airacobra in the field:
It features 21 high resolution photos of the equipment kits and where they were installed on the aircraft. Modelers interested in doing a diorama of a P-39 under repair will find plenty of valuable reference images; historians and general enthusiasts of the P-39 may also find them of interest.
-Jared
By: Sky High - 20th June 2011 at 13:01
As I read it they did trial it and did form a squadron of them with the smaller 20mm canon, which was required to standardise the canon in use. The squadron never settled with it – there were serviceability problems and with new Spitfires becoming more available I presume the big disadvantage of its high altitude performance was not matched by its ground attack potential.
Didn’t the later model P40s serve in the role you suggested for the P39 in the desert?
By: J Boyle - 20th June 2011 at 12:40
I agree and good cover in the current Fly Past. Very interesting – it was rejected by the RAF and I had no idea how significant it became for the Russians.
What I learned from the FlyPast piece was how little chance the RAF gave it (rather like the later Flying Fortress variants and P-38s).
Granted they were busy and had “bigger fish to fry”, but you’d think they would have found the cannon useful somewhere.
I knew about it’s extensive Russian use but found the comparison with the cannon-armed tank-busting Ju-87 interesting. Here was an aircraft that could do the same job but didn’t need as much, if any, fighter top-cover.
You would have thought it might have been useful in North Africa or in SEA.
By: Sky High - 20th June 2011 at 12:06
I wonder if anyone has tried…..
By: Oxcart - 20th June 2011 at 10:29
Quite a few remains in Russia, but know-one (with LOTS of money!) seems interested-or maybe not so easy to get them out these days!
By: Sky High - 20th June 2011 at 07:59
I agree and good cover in the current Fly Past. Very interesting – it was rejected by the RAF and I had no idea how significant it became for the Russians.
By: PhantomII - 20th June 2011 at 07:42
Pretty airplane in my opinion.
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June 20, 2011 at 7:17 am