P-39 Airacobra Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 36)

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. unit (No 601 Sqn) flew any operational sorties with the type, and the judgement of the British pilots was largely negative. Most of the aircraft in the batch that was scheduled for the RAF were sent to Australia, where they were used in combat under the designation P-400.