Army Air Corps P-400 Airacobras
A line of Aircobras await the call to action at one of Guadalcanal's airfields. For more P-400 info and a color illustration of one of the above aircraft, see the section on The Aircraft.
Army Air Corps P-400 Airacobras
A line of Aircobras await the call to action at one of
Guadalcanal's airfields. For more P-400 info and a color illustration of one of the
above aircraft, see the section on The Aircraft.
Airacobra run-up
Well-worn Bell P-39s and P-400s (the export version
turned down by the RAF) served the USAAF well in the ground attack role on Guadalcanal,
but faired poorly in air combat.
Logo of the 67th Fighter squadron
(part of the 347th Fighter Group)
(Source: "Guadalcanal - The Island of
Fire" by Robert Lawrence Ferguson)
Painted door
September 1942. Captain John A. Thompson in a P-39/P-400
Airacobra prepares to take off on an intercept sortie. The Airacobra was unusual in that
entry to the cockpit was made through a door in the fuselage, rather than a sliding
canopy.
(Source: "Guadalcanal - The Island of
Fire" by Robert Lawrence Ferguson)
Belly landing
On October 1, 1942, while on a dive bombing and strafing
sortie, ground fire knocked out the electrical system of Lt. A.B. Farquharson's P-39.
Complications led to landing gear failure and he skidded in on a belly landing.
(Source: "Guadalcanal - The Island of
Fire" by Robert Lawrence Ferguson)
Dangers of a muddy runway
On September 8, 1942, Lt. V.L. Head, flying in support
of Col. Merritt Edson's Raiders at Tasimboko, crashed on takeoff from the muddy Henderson
Field runway. Lt. Head survived by unbuckling and running through the flames. He was
burned, but recovered and was soon back on duty.
(Source: "Guadalcanal - The Island of
Fire" by Robert Lawrence Ferguson)
Giving her the once-over
2nd Lt. Barclay Dillon tends to his P-400. The name of
the aircraft is "Impatient Virgin", written in white letters just above the
engine exhaust stacks (behind the cockpit).
(Source: this photo was sent to me by John Cunningham)
Necessary paperwork
Crew chief Sgt. L.F. Wendt signs off his Airacobra's
logs in between flights from a Cactus Air Force field.
(Source:Air Classics magazine, August 1993)
Airacobra scramble
A P-400 rolls past a B-17 as it prepares to take to the
air. Members of the 6th Seebees pause momentarily in their work to watch the takeoff.
(Source: Stan Jersey)
Almost airborne
The P-400 is about to have its tricycle landing gear leave the
Marston matting at Henderson Field.
(Source: Stan Jersey)
Line of Kittyhawks
A line of four P-40 Kittyhawks sits near the edge of the
treeline at Henderson Field. This photo was most likely taken in 1943 after the island had
been secured.
(Source: Stan Jersey)
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