Top Aces by plane

[Bullockracing]

The majority of the battles on the Eastern front were fought at the P-39's operationing altitude as well. A P-39 wouldn't even be able to breathe at altitudes normally used on the Western Front...

<joke> By the way, what's a P-400?

[FLYBOYJ]

Originally Posted by Bullockracing

The majority of the battles on the Eastern front were fought at the P-39's operationing altitude as well. A P-39 wouldn't even be able to breathe at altitudes normally used on the Western Front...

<joke> By the way, what's a P-400?

It's an export version of the P-39. Instead of a 37mm cannon in the nose it had a 20mm...

[Bullockracing]

Nah, it's a P-40 with a Zero on it's tail, lol

[loomaluftwaffe]

lame joke

russians fought at low altitude, where the V-1710 can breathe it isn't the planes they were against cause the British (who had the P-400) were facing the same kind of plane on their own front, and they even had a more reliable cannon

[the lancaster kicks ass]

that joke's been going round for years, that being said it's still about as funny as they come

[R988]

If anyone has read Roald Dahls book going Solo, he was actually in the same Squadron in Greece as Pat Pattle, a bit of a forgotten campaign, the BEF was really outnumbered and outclassed in that one, quite an interesting campaign as well.

On the P-39, there are some other points to consider, most covered in the articles below.

There is a very interesting, often amusing (but rather long!) interview with a soviet pilot who flew many types here, which probably explains most of it, I'll add some quotes below.
http://lend-lease.airforce.ru/englis...ikov/part1.htm

and some more articles on Soviet aviation lend lease aircraft here
http://lend-lease.airforce.ru/englis...cles/index.htm

Returning to the Airacobra, it must be noted that the British somewhat underrated it. Soviet pilots preferred the Cobra despite its many shortcomings to any other aircraft received from the Allies, including the Spitifire VB, which the British deigned to give us only in 1943.

While completing the account of the Airacobra I in Soviet aviation, the following conclusions can be drawn. Despite a number of design deficiencies of this first model of the air frame (undercarriage weakness, engine seizures, inadequate rate of climb, tendency to flat spin), it was a threatening weapon in the hands of skilled aerial warriors. As was written in the summary of the commander of 153d (28th Guards) IAP regarding the combat work in the Voronezh and West Fronts in July-August 1942, "The Airacobra aircraft is considered by the Germans to be the most dangerous enemy and should be engaged in combat only when they [the Germans] have numerical superiority and the advantage in altitude and surprise." Therefore, the decision by the VVS command regarding preliminary serious study of the aircraft and its testing and subsequent delivery to units that had combat experience turned out to be correct. Combat tested and experienced pilots were able to master the correct tactical employment of the airplane in a minimal period of time. They learned to compensate inadequate vertical maneuver with good formation flying, echeloned by altitude (pair above pair with 100-200 meter interval). Mutual fire support also made possible minimal losses and maximum damage to the enemy. The most clear example of this was in the 19th Guards IAP, where group kills were almost three times greater than individual kills. A year later A. I. Pokryshkin, the creator of the celebrated "Kuban' bookshelf", arrived at this same "group" tactic independently and in more complete form. The conclusion regarding whom the Airacobra engaged-slow-moving transports and aging bombers, or Messerschmitts and Focke-Wulfs of the latest models, can be drawn from the statistics presented above.

and from other articles

Russians doggedly supported their Army with massive air support.
Flying the lower altitudes gave the higher flying German aircraft a distinct advantage
and used well tested Boom and Zoom to pummel the lower flying planes.

Yet the vast majority of German Aircraft were shot down a lower altitudes.
The Russians played a bait game to attract the Germans to attack and
used B&Z tactics to force them into energy waisting turns compromising excape.
The P39 could climb with the German 109 with the deletion of the 4-30 cal up to 18K.

Regardless of the tactics the Russians lost 2 to 1 over the whole course of the war.
But Russia could sustain the losses better with new manufactured aircraft
and their factories were never attacked by the Germans to slow production.

This was a war of attrition. Who had more war materiale and men(women) was going to win.
Especially with the Allies on the Western fronts eating away at German resources.
The attrition developed excellent Russian pilots.

[Twitch]

It all ends up like any aircraft- it was exploited for its strengths by savvy pilots who learned how to avoid its weaknesses and get the most out of it. The relatively few superior Red AF pilots that excelled with it would have excelled with any similar crate since having the right touch, intuitiveness and aggressiveness to win put them above their comrades. For the relative few that stood out with the P-39 staggering amounts of less skilled pilots met their death in it.

Both the Germans and ther Reds were doggedly tied to the old school command idea that air power was some sort of extension of artillery to be used at the whim of army commanders instead of independently. Many was the time that they were bounced while droning around waiting for army orders forbidden to stray from a central point. This spelled annihilation when they couldn't defend themselves adequately by employing normal air combat patrol techniques.

The epitaph of the P-39 and other inadequate aircraft was more in the archaic chain of command and control by the Red Army than by anything else.

[Pisis]

I'd only correct the table of Czechoslovak aces.

In the first list, there's that Karel Kuttelwascher scored 18 air victories, but the correct number is 20 (15 night kills on NF Hurricane). He is oficially concerned as a top scoring Czechoslovak ace.
http://cshq-czechs.wz.cz/eng_bio%20kut.html

In the 2nd, Les' list, there's mentioned Sgt. Josef František with 28 air victories. He is oficially credited with 17 RAF victories (in amazing 3 weeks!, also on Hurricane (Mk.I)). But his Battle of France campaign is covered in unclear fog. All the official documents were lost, and maybe, he even didn't serve under his real name, to avoid oppression by Gestapo against his family in Czechoslovakia. Eye witnesses (Czech Jozef Balejka and Pole Witold Lokuciewski) say he really had another 11 victories (9 airborne, 2 ground (Stukas)). Also in only three weeks!
Sgt. Josef František was - probably - Czechoslovak top scoring pilot.

[plan_D]

The success of the P-39 on the Eastern Front is simply because of the operating altitudes. It was a adequete machine in combat if kept below 15,000 feet , and most combat on the Eastern Front was anywhere from there to tree-top height. While the combat in the West was amongst the bomber formations at anywhere up to 35,000 feet.

[Twitch]

Pisis- yeah I saw that too. Everybody has a different list with varying kill amounts. Bizarre.

[lesofprimus]

Actually, the # I posted for Frantisek is the correct #, with 95% of reliable sources counting his final as total being 28.... The only country that is truly undecided is Japan, and the # I have posted for Nishizawa, 147, is the # he told his family members, from his personal logbook, which is pretty much regarded as the most accurate total for him...

Marmaduke Pattle on the otherhand, his total is alittle harder to guess, but his plane captain and best freind has pretty much put a solid # up for him, according to his relativly recent logbook revealing, pretty much making his total of 62 about as accurate as can be figured out....

[Bullockracing]

Anyone know of an ace flying the Boomerang?

[Wildcat]

An ace or two probably flew the Boomerang, but I'm 99% sure no one became an ace flying a Boomer. If you didn't know the Boomerang wasn't a particulary successful fighter, had good manouverbility but was under powered. Although it lacked as a fighter, it made its mark darting in and around mountains supporting the soldiers on the ground in New Guinea. Was particuly good in flushing out hidden Jap gun emplacements which it would then mark with smoke for other aircraft, notably RNZAF Corsairs, to pound the crap out of.

[Aggie08]

I haven't heard much of the New Zealand AF. Where were they involved and for how long? The Pacific theater, of course, but which engagements?

[Wildcat]

Well I can't tell you much, but apart from the many men that fought in Europe, The RNZAF also saw action at Singapore and Malaya, The Solomons and Bougainville that I know of. The RNZAF shot down a total of 103 Japanese aircraft in the Pacific. Some aircraft the RNZAF was equipped with include P-40's, Corsairs, Avengers, Ventura's, Dauntless's, Hudson's and PBY's (That's off the top of my head, I'm sure there are others).