Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

Good evening Gentlemen,

The P-400's of the USAAF claimed 45 kills, all in the Pacific.
Who was the top-scorer of that subtype ?

Cheers,

Michael

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

Frank Olynyk, in his book Stars and Bar, a tribute to the American Ace 1920-73, notes that only one US fighter pilot, William Frederick Fiedler Jr, became an ace while flying the P-400/P-39, while serving with the 347 FG in the Solomons. A short bio is in the book by Frank Olynyk.

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

Yes, but did Fiedler score in a P-400 ?

Michael

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

Michael

If Olynyk's ace lists are correct (and I have no reason to believe anything else) Fiedler claimed all his victories in various P-39s and not in any P-400

Cheers
Stig

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

A quick check of the Squadron-Signal “Aces of the SW Pacific” and cross-reference with Frank Olynyk’s Stars & Bars, indicated the following aces with victories while flying P-400s.

Frank E. Adkins (35 F.S.) - (Total dest/prob/dam 5/0/0)
26.05.1942 1x Zero Mt Lawson, NG

Francis E. Dubisher (41 F.S.) – (Total 5/0/0)
6.02.1943 1x Zero NE of Wau
Also in P-39N
15.08.1943 3x Sally Tsili Tsili

Curran L. Jones (35 F.S.) – (Total 5/2/0)
9.06.1942 1x Zero Morobe, NG

Thomas J. Lynch (35 F.S.) – (Total 20/1/6)
20.05.1942 2x Zero Waigani
26.05.1942 Zero SW of Mt Lawson, NG

Jay T. Robbins (80 F.S.) – (Total 22/6/4)
17.01.1943 2x Sally (dam) nr. Fergerson Island

Daniel T. Roberts (80 F.S.) – (Total 14/1/1)
26.08.1942 2x Zero / 1x Zero (dam) Buna A/S

Richard C. Suehr (39 F.S.) – (Total 5/1/1)
9.06.1942 1x Zero Morobe, NG

Charles P. Sullivan (39 F.S.) – (Total 5/1/2)
17.06.1942 1x bomber NE of Pt Moresby

William L. Turner (41 F.S.) – (Total 8/0/2)
27.08.1942 1x Zero / 1x Zero (dam) Buna A/S

Eugene Wahl (35 F.S.) - (Total ???)*
26.05.1942 Zero SW of Mt Lawson, NG
(same flight as Lynch - above)

Regards,
...geoff

* additional data from P-39 Airacobra Aces of WW2

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

Good morning Geoff,

this is very helpful.
Thanks a lot !

Michael :-)

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

My pleasure. The old Cobra is a favourite of mine.

...geoff

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

As near as I can tell the top scorers in the P-400 are Tommy Lynch and 1st Lt Donald J Green of the 39th FS, with three victories.

Wahl has only one victory.

Enjoy!

Frank.

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

Hi guys

I made a comparaison between the claims and the supposes losses adverse (1942).
Just to get an idea of the US overestimate.

26/05/42
Frank E.Adkins=1 Zeke
Thomas J.Lynch=1 Zeke
Eugene Wahl=1 Zeke
Against Tainan Kokutai:NO Losses

20/05/42
Thomas J.Lynch=2 Zeke
Against Tainan Kokutai:NO Losses

09/06/42
Curran L.Jones=1 Zeke
Richard C.Suehr=1 Zeke
Donald J.Green=1 Zeke
Robert McMahon=1 Zeke
John Price=1 Zeke
Against Tainan Kokutai:TWO Losses(WO Yoshino Satoshi,FPO1 Kikuchi Sakyo)

17/06/42
Charles P.Sullivan=1 Bomber(Betty)
Against Genzan Kokutai:NO Known Losses

26/08/42
Daniel T.Roberts=2 Zeke
George Helveston=2 Zeke
Gerald Rogers=1 Zeke
William Brown=1 Zeke
Gerald Roberts=1 Zeke
Against 2° Kokutai and Tainan Kokutai
2° Kokutai:Two Losses(FPO1 Iwase Ki'ichi,FPO3 Ihara Daizo) by W.Brown and D.Roberts.
Tainan Kokutai:THREE Losses(FPO3 Nakano Kiyoshi,WO Tsunoda Kazuo,FPO2 Yamazaki Ichorobei).

Five for Seven:Good ratio

27/08/42
William L.Turner=1 Zeke
Francis Riggin=1 Zeke
Jack Wilson=1 Zeke
Edwin Jackson=1 Zeke
Jean Jackson=1 Zeke
Against Tainan Kokutai:ONE Losse(FPO3 Matsuda Takeo)

Conclusion:EIGHT real for 23 claims

Michel

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

Good morning Gentlemen,

thanks for the interesting additional info.
Is it justified to say that every P-39 had a 37-mm-cannon, whereas every P-400 had a 20-mm-cannon ?

Michael

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

All P-400s had the Hispano-Suiza 20 mm cannon but not all the P-39s had the Oldsmobile 37 mm cannon. For example, the D-1 variant (almost identical to the P-400, only the caliber of the wing MGs change slightly) had the 20 mm cannon. And also there was field modification in Russia but maybe by the Americans too as the Hispano was more reliable and less prone to jam than the Oldsmobile.

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

Hello Frank.

Donald Green - 39 FS - unfortunately doesn't appear in the Aces-bio section or the 4-victory appendix section of your book Stars & Bars. I presume because he only scored/claimed 3 victories.

I don't supposed you'd like to tease us with some more details of his P-400 claims? :D

Regards,
...geoff

PS. If you ever make a searchable pdf version of your book available ....there will be a lot of forumites in factophile heaven.

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

1/Lt Donald Green 39FS

9 June 1942, 10.40H, Zero over Morobe, New Guinea in a P-400
18 June 1942, 11.57H, Zero x 2 over Rorona, Port Moresby in a P-400

Courtesy Frank Olynyk's Victory list No 3

Cheers
Stig

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

Thanks Stig.
You are as fast as your namesake on that motoring show.

...geoff

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

He, he, he Geoff

Just wondered when anyone would notice :D
Not much for motor shows, but those three guys were just great!

Cheers
Stig

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

Good afternoon Gentlemen,

I suppose the RAF didn't shoot anything down in the three days of Airacobra service ?

Cheers,

Michael

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

6 RAF operational Airacobra sorties by 601 Sqn over the space of 3-4 days, together with 3 Hurricane sorties by another flight of 601 Sqn. All were ground attack "rhubarbs". No aircraft claims but a number of barges and trawlers were shot up.

You can do a preview of Phil Listemann's bookazine "Forgotten Fighters" via google-books. If you're lucky you get part of the Airacobra chapter to read.

...geoff

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

Good afternoon Geoff,

according to Jon Guttman, the RAF Airacobras flew missions on three consecutive days only: 9th, 10th and 11th October 1941.
As a mothertongue-speaker, can you tell me the story behind the second "a" within the word "Airacobra" ? Wouldn't "Aircobra" be a more straightforward word ?

Michael

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

Hello Michael,
I read through my references on the RAF operations quickly, so you are most likely correct that it was only over 3 days.

As for the name Air-a-cobra....I've never given it much thought. There is never any necessity to apply too much logic to names which are meant to rhyme or are a fun twist on another name. I had a quick look at the Air Vectors website - they seem to say that the previous Bell designed aircraft was named Airacuda which was itself a play on words of Barracuda. In the 1920s and 1930s, there was a great deal of popularity with word alliterations and other plays on words. Hence the popularity of British aircraft names Gloster Grebe/Gamecock/Gauntlet/Gladiator, the Hawker Harts/Hinds/Henley/Hurricane, Bristol Blenheim/Beaufort/Beaufighter, etc. On the other side of the Atlantic, it seemed less popular in aircraft names, but Bell was supposed to have named the Airacobra to rhyme with the sing-song style of the Airacuda name. Didn't seem as popular in the 1940s with the P-63 being known as the Kingcobra not the King-a-cobra.

Food for thought anyway.
...geoff

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

Good afternoon Geoff,

thanks for your elaborate post which answers my linguistic question completely :-)
I wish you a good start into a delightful new week,

Michael

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

Good morning Gentlemen,

is an Airacobra with a 37-mm-cannon per definition a P-39 and an Airacobra with a 20-mm-cannon a P-400 ?

Cheers,

Michael

Re: Top USAAF P-400 pilot ?
 

Were there any Soviet P-400 aces (P-39 aces excluded) ?