P-39Q Airacobra
Comments
Kevin BThank you all! This was a "just for fun" build after a tougher less enjoyable build previous to this and it turned out to be quite a lot of fun!
Album info
46 FS, 15 FG, 7 AF, Kanton atoll, Phoenix archipelago, August 1943
46 FS (originally 46 PS) was formed on Hawaiian Islands on December 1 , 1940, as a part of 15 Pursuit Group equipped, at that time, with
th Curtiss P-36 Hawk fighters. It opened its combat score right on the first day of the War in Pacific, December 7 , 1941, defending the Pearl
Harbor naval base against the Japanese attack. In 1942 the squadron was re-equipped with Airacobras and in the spring of 1943 deployed
to Kanton atoll in the Phoenix archipelago. Due to the conditions on the island, almost completely lacking the vegetation, new Airacobras were
repainted in the combination of the sand color on the upper and side surfaces while the lower surfaces of the fighters were sprayed in light blue
colors. Camouflage change was an idea of Lt. Benjamin C. Warren, a pilot and unit’s technical officer, who also supervised its application.
th In December 1943 46 FS left Kanton and after the over-water flight to atoll Makin carried on with the operations until mid December 1944.
At that time its Airacobras carried the Olive Drab coat on the upper surfaces again.
