Captured P-39 Airacobra - MTO area

[Faenor]

Hi all,

have somebody more infor about this plane? Probably lost during transfer to Africa ?

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Foto-2-notgel...QAAOSwZetXOuAl

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Foto-1-notgel...8AAOSwVcFXOuDO

Thanks Faenor

[brewerjerry]

Hi
Sorryi have no info, but thanks for posting,
I have previously only seen photos of a captured russian P-39, being transported and at rechlin
http://www.luftwaffe-experten.org/american/Rechlin.jpg
cheers
jerry

[kaki3152]

Thanks for posting these pictures. It could have been captured in North Africa, although it doesn't have any squadron markings. Also, I couldn't see any serial numbers

[Faenor]

Originally Posted by kaki3152

Thanks for posting these pictures. It could have been captured in North Africa, although it doesn't have any squadron markings. Also, I couldn't see any serial numbers

Hi, from my point of view, landscape and suits of technicians doesn´t looks like from North Africa - my opinion is, that this P-39 crashlanded in France during transfer to North Africe (not in Portugal) and luftwaffe technician are trying to get out the airplane from crash site.

Have somebody list of P-39 lost during transfer to MTO?

Thanks Faenor

[Kaiyan]

Believe that this was the same aircraft pic came from a very very old e-bay sale. the trees would seem to make this N.Europe at least...

[Leendert]

It appears that the Luftwaffe had a P-39 coded GE + DV in 1943, but original serial or where captured?

Regards,

Leendert

[rpeck350]

It looks like a P-400. It has the 12 exhaust pipes and long 20mm gun barrel in the spinner.

Rick

[Buckeye30]

Rick think you are right about the P-400; I think you can just make out the camouflage pattern on the nose and around the exhausts (the D-1 also had the long 20mm cannon but 6 exhausts per side and a large air cooler on the nose guns).
It has a straight colour division under the tail instead of being swept-up to the tailplane, so the RAF serial covered. They were Direct-Purchase so no USAAF serials on the tails.
A couple of Airacobras came down in France in transit but they were P-39Ds, 1 350FG and one either 68thOG or 81stFG ex-Eighth AF , they would have had the yellow border to the insignias as per the Oct. 1942 directive.
Nick

[Leendert]

Nick,

The P-39D of the 350th FG came down on 5 Feb 1943 in the Bay of Biscay.
Pilot Henry M. Nelson MIA (345th FS).

Regards,

Leendert

[Buckeye30]

Oops! thanks Lee, for some reason I thought he came down in France.
Cheers
Nick