P-39 Airacobra in Action - Aircraft No. 43 de McDowell, Ernest R. and Don Greer - 1980

Squadron/Signal Publications. New. 1980. First Edition. Paperback. 0897471024 . This specific book is in new condition with a cover that has sharp edges and corners. The pages are clean, crisp, unmarked and uncreased. We package all books in custom cardboard book boxes for shipment and ship daily with tracking numbers.; "Although the Bell P-39 is often thought of as a premier fighter in the hands of Soviet pilots, it is also well remembered as an airplane that was almost a great fighter. So great was the Soviet success with the P-39, some forget that the aircraft also served well for the British, Free French, and US. Created in response to the US Army Air Corps Circular Proposal X-609, issued in February 1937, Bell Aircraft's P-39 boasted an innovative layout. The engine was positioned behind the pilot with a long shaft connecting it to the propeller. Lack of a turbo-supercharger and limited room for on-board fuel tanks made the aircraft ill-suited to high-altitude combat, and as a result many of the P-39s were shipped to the Soviet Union, where relatively low speeds and low altitudes were characteristic of air combat. Soviet pilots appreciated the P-39's armament, particularly its 37mm nose cannon. Despite its high-altitude limitations, US combat forces made good use of the P-39 in the Mediterranean and Pacific theaters, where in lower-altitude engagements, the aircraft held its own against Zeros and other enemy planes."; 8.4 X 5.9 X 0.7 inches; 50 pages .