[bearoutwest]

Let’s not get caught up with the myth about the Airacobra being USED as a great ground attack aircraft – it wasn’t, though it may have had some potential.

In reality, the Russians used it as a fighter for interception, for fighter sweeps, etc at low to medium altitudes. Any ground attack role was purely incidental based on short term requirements for battlefield use, not as an intended full-time role. The 37mm cannon was not designed with anti-tank armour piercing ammunition in mind. The Russians found it marvellous as much for it’s relatively advanced (for them in 1942-43) radio gear as much as any firepower or flight-characteristics. It’s a big advantage to send your fighters off on an intercept mission, and then be able to redirect them mid-flight.

The USAAF in North Africa and Italy used them as tactical reconnaissance due to their relatively high low-level speed. The French and Italian Co-Belligerent Air Forces were given hand-me-downs and were used predominantly ground attack role in Italy due partly to the reduced level of air opposition, and because these now tired and run-down P-39s were probably not the best aircraft to take on Bf109s and Fw190s in air combat.

The RAF flew 4 (or was it 6) sorties in their Airacobras before “retiring” them. These were low-level intruder (Rhubarb) missions, which were fighter sweeps against targets of opportunity, not necessarily ground attack. However, 6 sorties is not really enough to make a judgement on any possible future use.

The USAAF in the Pacific used the P-39/P-400s for whatever use was required on the day – intercept, recce, troop support, bomber escort, strategic bombing. In the early days of the Pacific war, there was basically insufficient resources to designate any fighter capable aeroplane to a specific role. So the Airacobra was no more a ground support aircraft than was a USN/USMC Wildcat. In late 1943-1944, the P-39 squadrons retired their aircraft and replaced them directly with P-38s, P-47s, P-51, etc. There was no planned widescale redesignation of P-39 squadrons for the ground attack role.

Historically, the P-39/P-400/Airacobra was a fighter primarily and used as such where-ever deployed in large numbers. Any ground pounding was a secondary task.

This is not to say that it did not have some potential as a tactical support/assault aircraft. It’s load carrying capacity was reasonable, and it was reasonably fast down low. The 37mm cannon would have made mince-meat out of soft-skinned targets. It would have been easier to retrofit armour in the nose cavity without an engine to get in the way, but the centre of gravity shift with this modification may have effected flight characteristics. Fore-aft CG balance was always an issue under certain loadings. A weak point may have been the fuel tankage in the wings.

...geoff