P-39 Airacobra Aces of World War 2

By John Stanaway and George Mellinger

Book Overview

The first American fighter fitted with a tricyle undercarriage and mid-mounted engine, the P-39 proved less than successful in the hands of its launch customer, the US Army Air Force (AAF). Hampered by unreliabilty and poor engine performance at high altitude, the P-39 nevertheless served alongside the P-40 and P-38 in the bitter struggle to capture Guadalcanal in 1942/43, as well as seeing much action over the jungles of New Guinea. Around a dozen AAF aces scored five kills with the P-39, although this total was far outstripped by the Soviet Red Air Force, whose pilots rated the Airacobra as one of the best lend-lease fighters of the war.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1841762040
• ISBN13: 9781841762043
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (UK)
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.3" x 9.8"