Subdeacon Joe Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duffield, SASS #23454 Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 It was a wonderful ground attack aircraft, which it was designed to do. It was not designed for air to air combat, and when forced into that role it did not do so well. Duffield Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 (edited) Mostly didn't do so well at altitude because the Army decided to leave the superchargers off the production models. Fella in the office has a large painting of a P-39 on his office wall ~ one that his Dad flew in the Pacific. Cool picture, a depiction of him about to shoot down a Zero... which he actually did! As the story went, he popped out of a cloud and there he was. Never knew what hit 'im. The future Lt Col Frame was a dairyman at heart... and his plane's tail bore a depiction of Elsie the Cow. Bill - the fella at work - still drives one of his Dad's vehicles, complete with a bumper sticker proclaiming the owner as a "P-39 Jock" A couple of portions of the painting... I'll try to get a complete one when I get back to work. Edited November 28, 2016 by Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Whiskers Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 (edited) The Russians loved them. They were great for ground attack as mentioned, but they learned how to fight air to air with them and had pretty good success. The air base here was a prep base for the lend lease program. They'd get all types of aircraft in, prep and re-paint them with all but the Red Star then they'd be ferried to Alaska where the Russian pilots would take them across the straight. They really liked the King Cobra. Edited November 28, 2016 by Charlie Whiskers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795 Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 I believe that they brought back a Lend-Lease 39 and are restoring it in the original factory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrider #896 Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 Army Air Forces used the export version, the P-400, on Guadalcanal in support of the Marines. They had no equipment to recharge their oxygen equipment, so were pretty much restricted to close air support, at which they did a great job. The engine was mounted behind the pilot, and they had a 20mm (I think) cannon mounted in the nose, firing through the propeller spinner. Replaced later by the P-38's that got Yamamoto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 It was the reason my dad joined the Air Force. But he never got to fly one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duffield, SASS #23454 Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 The officer commanding the fighters on Guadalcanal said that the P-39/P-400 was such easy meat for the Japanese Zero that it should not be in the air when Zeros were around. The air corps didn't put a supercharger on it because ground attack airplanes don't get high enough to need one, and the same for oxygen equipment replenishment. It was available when the USAAC went into combat in the South Pacific, so it was used, but one of the pilots from (I believe) the 39th Fighter Squadron referred to the P-400 as a "Lumbering old cow." The aircraft was extremely fast at low level, which saved many of them - they simply outran the zeros - but they were never a great air to air combat aircraft. Nor were they intended to be. Duffield Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoss Carpenter Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 I had an uncle who flew them a short time in WW2, he hated them as did most of his pilot Buds; the "Door" was a beast to open if you had to bail out. He was fortunate to get into a Jug (P-47) unit in Europe. Cheers Hoss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 (edited) The mid engine design made them a bit tricky to land I reckon. The cannon was a good thing but subsequent aircraft relied mostly on 50 cals, until the P61. Edited November 29, 2016 by Utah Bob #35998 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seldom Seen #16162 Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 The "Iron Dog" was a good performer against German fighters at the lower altitudes air battles were fought in Europe and Russia. The air battles in Russia were around 15,000 feet so a supercharger was not needed. The P-38 was such a poor performer without a supercharger the British cancelled their orders for them. Once a supercharger was added it became a excellent high altitude long range fighter. Pilots loved having two engines to get them home. The P-38 can take a lot of damage and limp home on one engine. The ocean is a big, lonely place and the Japanese were well known to torture and kill any pilots they captured. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoss Carpenter Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 the P-38 also had a hell of a lot of firepower in the nose: six Browning 50 Cals. It made it very easy to aim and they were devastating on enemy fighters. Our top Ace, Maj Dick Bong got 40 Japs with the P-38. Cheers, Hoss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 Finally managed to snap a picture of Col. Frame's painting, done by a fella named Skip Rains. The story was that his wingman had spotted the Japanese plane and transmitted the sighting, then Frame popped out of a cloud behind 'im. "Got the drop on 'im!" Not too many Zeroes nailed by P-39's! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blarney Kid Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 Hoss, the P-38 had 4 .50 cals and a 20mm cannon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 Hoss, the P-38 had 4 .50 cals and a 20mm cannon. http://acepilots.com/planes/p38_lightning.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 Mostly didn't do so well at altitude because the Army decided to leave the superchargers off the production models. Fella in the office has a large painting of a P-39 on his office wall ~ one that his Dad flew in the Pacific. Cool picture, a depiction of him about to shoot down a Zero... which he actually did! As the story went, he popped out of a cloud and there he was. Never knew what hit 'im. The future Lt Col Frame was a dairyman at heart... and his plane's tail bore a depiction of Elsie the Cow. Bill - the fella at work - still drives one of his Dad's vehicles, complete with a bumper sticker proclaiming the owner as a "P-39 Jock" A couple of portions of the painting... I'll try to get a complete one when I get back to work. Great stuff Hardpan! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 (edited) Eat more chikn! Edited December 14, 2016 by Utah Bob #35998 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 Eat more chikn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrider #896 Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 "Oh! Don't give me a P-39, The engine is mounted behind. She'll tumble and spin, And auger you in! Don't give me a P-39!" - With kudos to the late Oscar Brand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoss Carpenter Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 I stand corrected on the armament of the P-38. It was all in the nose and your did not need to "Harmonize" the guns as you did with a P-40, P-47, P-51, etc. It was a great Fighter plane! Hoss C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Flimshaw Sass# 73310 Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 Looks pretty effective to me! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ifDIkjx68hk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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