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Airacobra
Manufacturer : Bell
In early 1937, Bell Aircraft presented a revolutionary fighter design to the USAAC, the P-39 Airacobra. Incorporating machine guns and the most powerful cannon available, the new design by Robert Woods, utilized many revolutionary design features. The all-metal, low wing, monoplane design utilized a centrally located engine in the fuselage, a feature which enhanced maneuverability. A nine foot shaft ran through the cockpit to drive the propeller. Woods design was the first fighter to incorporate a forward tricycle landing gear, which gave the P-39 pilot great visibility while on the ground. The first prototype flew in 1938. Equipped with a supercharged Allison water-cooled V-12 rated at 1,150-HP, the prototype performed admirably. It exhibited a top speed of 390-MPH, and an amazingly quick rate of climb. Unfortunately for the Airacobra, the USAAC decided to eliminate the supercharged engine from the project, a move which would relegate the Airacobra to the distinction of being Americas forgotten fighter of WW II. |
Airacobra
Airacobra Artwork Collection |
  Clipped Signature - Ben Davis. |  P-39 Airacobra Aces of World War Two. |   The Forgotten Fighter by Stan Stokes. |
| Top Aces for : Airacobra | ||
| A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking the pilots name. | ||
| Name | Victories | Info |
| Thomas B McGuire Jr | 38.00 | |
| Charles E Yeager | 11.50 | The signature of Charles E Yeager features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Airacobra Squadron details |
357th Fighter Group Country : US | 357th Fighter Group Yoxford Boys |
| Airacobra Pilot and aircrew signature details |
Lt Colonel Roger J Ames Our estimated value of this signature : £60 Died : 2000 | Lt Colonel Roger J Ames Roger Ames joined the USAAF for pilot training on 24th April 1941 and was assigned to the 12th Fighter Squadron. He first saw combat in December of the following year, and logged a total of 67 hours of combat flying in P39s and P38s. Selected for the Yamamoto mission, he flew in Mitchells top cover group, sweeping the sky above Bougainville at 18000 feet. He served in the South Pacific, Solomons, and Canal Zone during WWII. He died in 2000. |
Major Julius Jack Jacobson Our estimated value of this signature : £55 Died : 2005 | Major Julius Jack Jacobson Jack Jacobson joined the Service in March 1941, and flew his first combat missions in October 1942. Jack Jacobson was John Mitchells regular wingman, and flew in that position on the Yamamoto Mission. Flying P39s and later P38s he saw action at Guadalcanal and in the Solomons, flying a total of 111 combat missions. After leaving the Service in 1946 he rejoined to serve two years in the Korean conflict. Cracking the Japanese naval code, U.S. intelligence discovered the travel plans of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, architect of the Pearl Harbor attack. On April 18, 1943, sixteen Army Air Force P-38 fighters took off to intercept his aircraft. Flying at altitudes of 50 feet or less over 400 miles of open ocean while maintaining radio silence, they arrived at precisely the right moment - a phenomenal feat of navigation. Sixty-two years later, exactly which pilot shot down Yamamoto's aircraft in the ensuing turmoil of aerial combat remains a controversy. 'Jack' Jacobson, flew as wingman to mission leader Major John W. Mitchell. Jack Jacobson passed away on 8th April 2005. |
 Jay Robbins Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2001 | Jay Robbins Lt. General Jay Robbins who flew with the Fifth Air Force in the Southwest Pacific, rose to command the 8th Fighter Group and finished the war as a quadruple P-38 Ace with 22 air victories. Robbins graduated from Coolidge High School in 1936. He attended Texas A&M University, graduating in 1940 with a BS degree and a commission as second lieutenant through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. He entered active USAAC duty at Randolph Field, Texas, in July 1941. He began flying training at Corsicana Air Field, at Randolph Field, and at Foster Field, Texas. He received his pilot's wings in July 1942, and began fighter-aircraft training in the 55th Fighter Squadron, 20th Pursuit Group, at Morris Field, NC and Drew Army Airfield in Florida. In September 1942, Robbins was assigned to 80th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group of the Fifth Air Force in the Southwest Pacific area. By September 1943, he had been credited with three aerial victories in two aerial combats. On 4th September 1943 he downed another four Japanese aircraft in one flight, becoming an ace. In January 1944, Robbins became commander of the squadron and in September 1944 became deputy commander of the group. He flew 607 hours on 181 combat missions in P-39 and then P-38 aircraft. He scored 22 aerial victories against Japanese fighter aircraft, the fourth highest number of enemy aircraft destroyed by an Army Air Corps pilot in the Pacific Theater of Operations. He twice destroyed four enemy fighters during single missions and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for each of these missions. After the war ended, Robbins remained in the Air Force. He commanded the 434th Army Air Forces Base Unit at Santa Rosa Field, California, from February to November 1945. He next served as squadron operations officer with the 412th Fighter Group (later redesignated the 1st Fighter Group), at March Field, California, the first organization in the Air Force to be equipped with the F-80 jet fighter, and later held several operational staff positions. In June 1947, he was assigned to Headquarters Tactical Air Command (TAC), Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, in plans and operations. In 1949, he was posted to Headquarters Twelfth Air Force, Brooks Air Force Base, Texas. He attended the Air Command and Staff School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, in early 1950 and, after graduation in June, returned to the Twelfth Air Force. In August 1950, he was assigned as assistant chief, Tactical Air Operations Branch, Headquarters Continental Air Command, Mitchel Air Force Base, New York, and in January 1951, joined the operational staff of the newly established Air Defense Command at Ent Air Force Base, Colorado. From June 1953 to September 1955, General Robbins served as plans and programs officer of the War Plans Division, Directorate of Plans, at Headquarters U.S. Air Force. He then became a member of the Joint Strategic Plans Group of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. While in this position, he represented the Joint Chiefs of Staff on a special continental defense subcommittee of the National Security Council. General Robbins was deputy commander and later commander of the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing in England from July 1957 to August 1961. In 1960, he led the U.S. Air Force European Gunnery Champions to the 'William Tell' weaponry meet in Nevada, flying F-100s aircraft across the Atlantic to participate. In July 1962, he graduated from the National War College and was named director of USAF flight safety. In January 1963, he became the director of aerospace safety at Norton Air Force Base. General Robbins became commander of the 313th Air Division in July 1965. In March 1967, he was named chief of staff, Pacific Air Forces, with headquarters at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. From July 1968 to February 1970, General Robbins was the commander of the Twelfth Air Force at Bergstrom Air Force Base. In February 1970, he was named vice commander, Tactical Air Command at Langley Air Force Base. In August 1972, he became vice commander of Military Airlift Command (MAC). He retired from the Air Force in 1974. Robbins died on 3rd March 2001 at the age of 81. |
  Brigadier General Charles E Yeager Our estimated value of this signature : £80 Died : 2020 | Brigadier General Charles E Yeager Born February 13th 1923. He enlisted as a private in the United States Army. Chalres Yaeger became a aircraft mechanic at George Air Force Base in California. Yaeger showed a talent as a pilot and became a Flight Officer on March 10th 1943 and joined the 357th Fighter Group. He trained on the P-39 Airocobras and in November 1943 went to Britain with his Squadron. He was stationed at RAF Leiston and flew P 51 Mustangs, his aircraft being Glamoras Glen. His first air victory was on March 5th 1944 but he was shot down over France. With the help of the French Resistance he escaped through Spain and back to the UK. Chalres Yaeger was the first pilot in his group to become an ace in a day, by shooting down a total of 5 enemy aircraft in a single mission. In his total of 11.5 victories was one of the first Me262 jet fighter kills, claimed on 6th November 1944. After the war In 1947 at the age of only 24 Charles Yaeger became the first Pilot to travel faster than sound in level flight in the experimental Bell X-1 at 45,000 feet. In his career Yaeger commanded fighter squadrons in Germany and during the Vietnam war, being promoted to the rank of Bragadier General in 1969. He died on 7th December 2020. |
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