Warbird Information Exchange

Interesting reading in the link below.

https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/artic ... air-force/





P-400 “Hells Bells”, 347th FS/67th FG, Guadalcanal 1942. The planes were still in British colors of medium green and brown over a light blue-gray.

Bell’s P-39 was developed as a high performance interceptor whose performance was hamstrung by the deletion of its turbocharger. The lack of a turbocharger meant that the P-39 was limited to low level ops. The P-39 was best employed as a fighter/bomber and in support of ground troops.

The P-400 was originally built for the British with the nose mounted 37mm Oldsmobile cannon replaced by a 20mm Oerlikon cannon. Due to the United States’ entrance into WWII, the P-400s were redirected to the USAAC in the Pacific. There they saw much use in the island campaigns that typified the Pacific theater.

In the book "Flying American Combat Aircraft of WWII", one of the two chapters devoted to the P-39 is the memoir of one of those Cactus Air Force pilots. He is quite candid about the aircraft's strengths and weaknesses... a fascinating story.
Once again, I can't recommend that book highly enough for anyone on this forum.

What a shame they didn't build them with the turbo. Might have been an outstanding plane.

Note the remaining red center on the fuselage insignia in August of 1942, months after ordered to be removed in May.