Airacobras in Tunisia

[Jim Oxley]

Originally Posted by Christer Bergström

Anyway, to return to the Airacobra, I don't think that there is any other WW II fighter plane which has been so critisised by its pilots as the Airacobra. Is there any other WW II fighter plane which is so broadly rejected by the men who had to fly it?

There is one aircraft that perhaps would rival Bell's P-39 in universal dislike stakes by it's pilots.

And that would be Brewsters F2A Buffalo.

It was detested by both the USMC pilots who were unfortunate enough to be equipped with it in the defence of Midway Island in 1942 and the RAF/RAAF/RNZAF pilots who sadly had to face the Japanese over Malaya.

Surprisingly the Finn's found it to be quite an adequate fighter - but then they had the earlier B-239 version.