Bell P-39F Airacobra

Designed by the Bell Aircraft Corporation, the unusual, mid-engined P-39 Airacobra holds the record for the highest number of enemy aircraft victories attributed to any US-built fighter in history. The lack of an efficient turbo-supercharger for its engine meant that the airplane did not perform well at high altitude. However, in the hands of Soviet pilots at low altitude over the Eastern Front, the P-39 made a massive contribution to the war effort.

The Museum’s P-39F entered service with the United States Army Air Forces as serial number 41-7215. One of just a handful of these unusual airplanes still flying, our Airacobra was recovered from a wreck site on the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. It force-landed at this location during an aborted ferry flight to Port Moresby, New Guinea on May 1, 1942. Its pilot, Lt. Walter Harvey, survived the incident and walked for two days along the coast of North Australia before being found and rescued. He went on to fly 131 successful combat missions during the war.

Bell Aircraft built the museum’s P-39 as construction number 15-554 at their factory in Wheatfield, New York. Following its completion and acceptance flights, the airplane was shipped by sea to Australia, where it was reassembled and assigned to the 36th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group based at Anthill Plains Aerodrome in Townsville, Queensland. From Townsville, our P-39, along with five others set out for Port Moresby, New Guinea as part of the U.S. effort to slow the Japanese advance in the region.

The six Airacobras of D flight encountered a severe storm near Horn Island, one of their scheduled fuel stops. Inexperienced at instrument flying and running out of fuel, Lt. Charles Falletta led the group towards the mainland in search of a landing area. His P-39, as well as ours, crashed about 8 miles inland, where their wrecks remained until recovered in 1972.

Our P-39’s relatively intact airframe meant that Pioneer Aero Ltd. had an advantage during their restoration effort, as it allowed them to reuse much of the original structure.

Remembering the ALSIB Route: Our aircraft wears the markings of P-39Q 42-20341, an Airacobra supplied to the Soviet Union. The U.S. provided more than 4,700 Bell P-39s to the Soviets for use as a low-to-mid altitude fighter. Delivery of these airplanes took place via one of the most unusual airborne resupply routes of the war, across the sea from Alaska to Siberia.

Single-seat aircraft like the P-39 or its younger sibling, the P-63, flew in groups alongside B-25s or A-20s, which provided navigational support, and a safety watch over their “little friends” as they traversed the vast, barren seascape to Russia. To begin this journey, P-39s would fly from Bell Aircraft’s factory in Wheatfield, New York to Great Falls, Montana. Female aviators from the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) often performed this role. Male American pilots would pick up the next leg of the journey, flying from Great Falls to either Fairbanks or Nome in Alaska, where they would then turn the Airacobras over to their Soviet peers. Following inspection, the Soviet pilots would fly the aircraft on to Krasnoyarsk, some 3,498 miles away.

Did You know?

The P-39 was equipped with an impressive 37mm, nose-mounted cannon! Although powerful, it was not typically used by the Russians for tank busting, as is sometimes thought. The latter misunderstanding stems from a poor translation of Russian wartime documents.