Can someone ID these P-39s?

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

http://www.ww2incolor.com/gallery/U-S-Air-Force/P_39_color_3_inflight

http://www.ww2incolor.com/gallery/U-S-Air-Force/P_39_color_2_inflight

I want to build one of these a/c, but I don’t know what version they are. can someone tell me what version and also what squadron /theater these aircraft served in? and help would be appreciated.

2

I’m not really sure, but with the big numbers on the nose I would guess they’re from a training squadron

3

I agree- most likely trainers for advanced fighter training. There was an advanced training base in the town my family was from, and I heard older members of my family talking about the P-39s there. And almost every pic of advanced trainers I’ve seen were with those big numbers.

As to the model- based on the tail number and this resource, those are D-1 models.

4

I have a couple shots of P-40Ls with similar markings on them. They were at Luke Field in 1944 as Advanced Fighter Trainers, so I’m assuming (probably a bad idea) that these P-39s are of similar ilk (as has been said already). Cool stuff!

Jon

5

I’ve found a few other pics in some books that are P-39’s of the same type, and in the same production series, that are identified as trainers for pilots preparing to deploy to Europe. All of them have the same marking style- large numbers on the forward part of the AC.

6

Yeah, I considered thetraining possibility, but after examining the pictures, it appears that there are other smaller numbers underneath the large ones, and the large ones look morecrudely applied, and they look consistent in size/style with pictures of a/c with the large temporary white ferry numbers applied.

7

I agree they look like markings typically used on stateside aircraft. I am not an expert but is it possible they are actually P-63 kingcobras? I am not at home right now I have an excelent book on the P-39 through the P-63 on the bookself. I will check it out when I get home tommorow.

Soulcrusher

8

Soul,

Nope, those are -39Ds. The -63’s tail was completely different.

As for the numbers under the larger ones, those could be a number of different things, including manufacturer’s airframe numbers (I’ve got pics of Dick Bong’s P-38F that show the construction numbers on the nose) or another form of buzz number.

Its kinda interesting, here we are sixty years later and we’re still using the same style buzz numbers! The AH-64s I fly every day have big white numbers on the side too!

Jon

9

I’ll see what I have on this pix in terms if a unit was mentioned. Interesting enough, the lead 39 was lost back in Oct 25th of 42, flown by Everett Cavell in Townsend FL.

At the time of the accident, she was based out of Dale Mabry AAF, FL

Flaps up,

Mike

10

I looked in USAAF fighters of WWII and the caption for the picture in the book which is quite similar to your pictures says they were stateside training command planes

Barry

11

Alrighty, That’s all I needed. Thanks guys!