The P-39 was one of America's first-line pursuit planes in December 1941. It made its initial flight in April 1939 at Wright Field and by the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, nearly 600 had been built. Its unique engine location behind the cockpit caused some pilot concern, but this proved to be no more of a hazard in a crash landing than with an engine located forward of the cockpit. However, the P-39's spin characteristics could be quite a problem if recovery techniques were ignored.

The Airacobra saw combat throughout the world, particularly in the Southwest Pacific, Mediterranean and Russian theaters. Because its engine was not equipped with a supercharger, the P-39 performed best below 17,000 feet altitude, and it often was used at lower altitudes for such missions as ground strafing. When P-39 production ended in August 1944, Bell had built 9,584 Airacobras, of which 4,773 had been allotted to the Soviet Union. Russian pilots, in particular, liked the cannon-armed P-39 for its ground attack capability. Other P-39s served with French and British forces.

Pictured here is a 1:32 scale replica of a USAAF Bell P-39Q Airacobra fighter, nicknamed "Devastating Devil", which was attached to the 46th Fighter Squadron, 15th Fighter Group, then deployed to Makin Island, during August 1943. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 13-inches
Length: 11-1/2-inches

Release Date: August 2008

Historical Account: "The Makin Raid" - The Makin ("muggin") Raid occurred on August 17th-18th, 1942, and was an armed raid by the United States Marine Corps on Japanese military forces on Makin Island (now known as Butaritari Island) in the Pacific Ocean. The purpose was to destroy Japanese installations, take prisoners, gain intelligence on the Gilbert Islands area, and divert Japanese attention and reinforcements from the Allied landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi. Marines landed from two submarines (USS Nautilus and USS Argonaut), wiped out Japanese defenders on the island, and were evacuated from the island by the same two submarines.

Nine U.S. Marines were mistakenly left behind during the evacuation and were subsequently captured and executed by Japanese forces at Kwajalein.

Although the Marine Raiders succeeded in killing the entire Japanese garrison on the island, the raid failed to meet its other objectives. No Japanese prisoners were taken, and no meaningful intelligence was collected. Also, no significant Japanese forces were diverted from the Solomon Islands area. In fact, because of the vulnerabilities to their garrisons in the Gilbert Islands highlighted by the raid, Japanese forces strengthened their fortifications and defensive preparations on the islands in the central Pacific, which may have caused heavier losses for U.S. forces during the battles of the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaigns