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Airacobra
Manufacturer : Bell
In early 1937, Bell Aircraft presented a revolutionary fighter design to the USAAC, the P-39 Airacobra. Incorporating machine guns and the most powerful cannon available, the new design by Robert Woods, utilized many revolutionary design features. The all-metal, low wing, monoplane design utilized a centrally located engine in the fuselage, a feature which enhanced maneuverability. A nine foot shaft ran through the cockpit to drive the propeller. Woods design was the first fighter to incorporate a forward tricycle landing gear, which gave the P-39 pilot great visibility while on the ground. The first prototype flew in 1938. Equipped with a supercharged Allison water-cooled V-12 rated at 1,150-HP, the prototype performed admirably. It exhibited a top speed of 390-MPH, and an amazingly quick rate of climb. Unfortunately for the Airacobra, the USAAC decided to eliminate the supercharged engine from the project, a move which would relegate the Airacobra to the distinction of being Americas forgotten fighter of WW II. |
Airacobra
Airacobra Artwork Collection |
Clipped Signature - Ben Davis. | P-39 Airacobra Aces of World War Two. | The Forgotten Fighter by Stan Stokes. |
Top Aces for : Airacobra | ||
A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking the pilots name. | ||
Name | Victories | Info |
Thomas B McGuire Jr | 38.00 | |
Charles E Yeager | 11.50 | The signature of Charles E Yeager features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
Squadrons for : Airacobra | ||
A list of all squadrons from known to have used this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name. | ||
Squadron | Info | |
Country : US Yoxford Boys Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of 357th Fighter Group | 357th Fighter Group Full profile not yet available. | |
Country : US Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of 54th Fighter Group | 54th Fighter Group Full profile not yet available. | |
Country : UK Founded : 14th October 1925 Fate : Disbanded 10th March 1957 County of London (Auxiliary) Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.601 Sqn RAF | No.601 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. |
Signatures for : Airacobra | |||
A list of all signatures from our database who are associated with this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | |||
Name | Info | ||
Lt Colonel Roger J Ames Click the name above to see prints signed by Lt Colonel Roger J Ames | Lt Colonel Roger J Ames Roger Ames joined the USAAF for pilot training on 24th April 1941 and was assigned to the 12th Fighter Squadron. He first saw combat in December of the following year, and logged a total of 67 hours of combat flying in P39s and P38s. Selected for the Yamamoto mission, he flew in Mitchells top cover group, sweeping the sky above Bougainville at 18000 feet. He served in the South Pacific, Solomons, and Canal Zone during WWII. | ||
General Ben Davis Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by General Ben Davis
| General Ben Davis Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr was born in Washington, D.C. on December 18, 1912. A Westpointer, Ben Davis completed over 60 missions with both the 12th and 15th Air Forces. He flew P-40s, P-39s, P-47s and P-51s, all in combat. Davis himself led dozens of missions in P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs. He received the Silver Star for a strafing run into Austria and the Distinguished Flying Cross for a bomber-escort mission to Munich on June 9th, 1944. He saw action in North Africa and later in Sicily. After a brief spell commanding 332nd Fighter Group back in the U.S. he returned to the action to fly combat in Italy, remaining with the 15th Air Force until the end of the war. Davis served at the Pentagon and in overseas posts over the next two decades. He again saw combat in 1953 when he assumed command of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing (51 FIW) and flew an F-86 Sabre in Korea. He retired, highly decorated, a Lt. General. Davis was the first African-American general in the United States Air Force. Davis, was later advanced to four-star general, on December 9, 1998, by the President. Sadly General Ben Davis passed away on the 4th of July, 2002. | ||
Major Julius Jack Jacobson Click the name above to see prints signed by Major Julius Jack Jacobson
| Major Julius Jack Jacobson Jack Jacobson joined the Service in March 1941, and flew his first combat missions in October 1942. Jack Jacobson was John Mitchells regular wingman, and flew in that position on the Yamamoto Mission. Flying P39s and later P38s he saw action at Guadalcanal and in the Solomons, flying a total of 111 combat missions. After leaving the Service in 1946 he rejoined to serve two years in the Korean conflict. Cracking the Japanese naval code, U.S. intelligence discovered the travel plans of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, architect of the Pearl Harbor attack. On April 18, 1943, sixteen Army Air Force P-38 fighters took off to intercept his aircraft. Flying at altitudes of 50 feet or less over 400 miles of open ocean while maintaining radio silence, they arrived at precisely the right moment"a phenomenal feat of navigation. Sixty-two years later, exactly which pilot shot down Yamamoto’s aircraft in the ensuing turmoil of aerial combat remains a controversy. “Jack” Jacobson, one of only three living Yamamoto Mission pilots, flew as wingman to mission leader Major John W. Mitchell. Jack Jacobson passed away on 8th April 2005. | ||
Brigadier General Charles E Yeager Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Brigadier General Charles E Yeager
| Brigadier General Charles E Yeager Charles Yeager. Born February 13th 1923. He enlisted as a private in the United States Army. Chalres Yaeger became a aircraft mechanic at George Air Force Base in California. Yaeger showed a talent as a pilot and became a Flight Officer on March 10th 1943 and joined the 357th Fighter Group. He trained on the P-39 Airocobras and in November 1943 went to Britain with his Squadron. He was stationed at RAF Leiston and flew P 51 Mustangs, his aircraft being Glamoras Glen. His first air victory was on March 5th 1944 but he was shot down over France. With the help of the French Resistance he escaped through Spain and back to the UK. Chalres Yaeger was the first pilot in his group to become an ace in a day, by shooting down a total of 5 enemy aircraft in a single mission. In his total of 11.5 victories was one of the first Me262 jet fighter kills, claimed on 6th November 1944. After the war In 1947 at the age of only 24 Charles Yaeger became the first Pilot to travel faster than sound in level flight in the experimental Bell X-1 at 45,000 feet. In his career Yaeger commanded fighter squadrons in Germany and during the Vietnam war, being promoted to the rank of Bragadier General in 1969. |
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