Actually that was a misconception. US never supplied the Soviets AP shells for P-39, only HE shells. The Soviets only provide air cover for ground forces and destroying soft targets, but never on tank busting role.
They also love it to kill planes as well. Also another thing, the Soviets love this plane, the Yanks and Brits hate it.
Over Europe and in the Pacific they needed dogfigthers and long range escorts that could dogfight. Over Russia, were German air cover was not nearly so good as say France or German, the Airacobra is more than adequate. The Airacobra is good, but outclassed by Zeros (as was just about everything in 1942).
Over Europe and in the Pacific they needed dogfigthers and long range escorts that could dogfight. Over Russia, were German air cover was not nearly so good as say France or German, the Airacobra is more than adequate. The Airacobra is good, but outclassed by Zeros (as was just about everything in 1942).
Actually the Airacobra shits all over the zero when flown correctly, it's performance was overall superior to the P-40 which also shit all over it when used correctly.
The problem was the only version really used in the Pacific and only early on was a somewhat gimped model called the P-400 that was originally meant for foreign sale and was missing some features of later models. The P-39 was at it's best at low to medium altitude in a tactical campaign so it was indeed not suited for the high altitude bomber focused Western European campaign and to the often very long ranges needed in the Pacific, but for the tactically focused Eastern Front where it could base not far behind the lines with short transits to it's operation area it was in it's element. The improved N and Q marks would have been quite viable, if a bit short legged, in the Pacific as well if these models had been provided, but the P-400 had soured its reputation such that with other aircraft often with longer range at hand the US was happy to just give basically the entire run to the Russian who used it almost purely as a tactical fighter in which role it performed well being a solid match for any model of 109 up to the later marks of the G. (If you wanted to fight those then you'd need the P-63 Kingcobra which frankly really only existed because of Soviet demand.)
Also I'm not sure what planet you live on but from the start of Barbarossa to nearly the finish the best German units and the majority of their air force fought on the Eastern Front. Soviet pilots didn't get to be the highest scoring allied aces because of a lack of opposition and the Germans that fought their didn't end up with the highest totals in history for lack of targets either.
That said when one looks at the actual record even the P-400 cobra still came out about even, and that while fighting in a period when the Japanese often had numbers and had not been bled of their best pilots yet. The K, N, and Q models with uprated engines and larger props to use them would have performed better to be sure with a clear margin of superiority over common Japanese types.
Actually the Airacobra shits all over the zero when flown correctly, it's performance was overall superior to the P-40 which also shit all over it when used correctly.
The problem was the only version really used in the Pacific and only early on was a somewhat gimped model called the P-400 that was originally meant for foreign sale and was missing some features of later models. The P-39 was at it's best at low to medium altitude in a tactical campaign so it was indeed not suited for the high altitude bomber focused Western European campaign and to the often very long ranges needed in the Pacific, but for the tactically focused Eastern Front where it could base not far behind the lines with short transits to it's operation area it was in it's element. The improved N and Q marks would have been quite viable, if a bit short legged, in the Pacific as well if these models had been provided, but the P-400 had soured its reputation such that with other aircraft often with longer range at hand the US was happy to just give basically the entire run to the Russian who used it almost purely as a tactical fighter in which role it performed well being a solid match for any model of 109 up to the later marks of the G. (If you wanted to fight those then you'd need the P-63 Kingcobra which frankly really only existed because of Soviet demand.)
Also I'm not sure what planet you live on but from the start of Barbarossa to nearly the finish the best German units and the majority of their air force fought on the Eastern Front. Soviet pilots didn't get to be the highest scoring allied aces because of a lack of opposition and the Germans that fought their didn't end up with the highest totals in history for lack of targets either.
That said when one looks at the actual record even the P-400 cobra still came out about even, and that while fighting in a period when the Japanese often had numbers and had not been bled of their best pilots yet. The K, N, and Q models with uprated engines and larger props to use them would have performed better to be sure with a clear margin of superiority over common Japanese types.
...so that's why it's called "A P-40 with a Zero behind it"?
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