The Bell P-39 Airacobra originally flew with excellent performance but by the time the aircraft reached the front lines the Army Air Corp had changed so many features that the plane was far from what Bell had originally designed. They added weight, removed the supercharger from the Allison engine that didn’t have the power it claimed. What could have been and should have been one of the best aircraft of WWII turned out to be much less. Even with all its flaws they still produced 9,584 P-39s.

The Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force was formed in October 1943 after the Italian armistice a month earlier. The Italian pilots now flew for the Allies and in June and July 1944 received 75 former USAAF 332nd Fighter Group P-39Qs. These aircraft equipped the Gruppi 9° and 10° of 4° Stormo and the name J. Baracca was to honor an Italian Ace from WWI. The black prancing horse was used because it was Baracca’s aircraft emblem. This horse emblem would go on to become the famous Ferrari emblem.

Bell P-39Q Airacobra

Designed as a single-engine high-altitude interceptor aircraft, the P-39 was first flown on April 6th, 1938. The main purpose of the engine configuration—placed behind the cockpit—was to free up space for the heavy main armament, a 37 mm cannon firing through the center of the propeller hub for optimum accuracy and stability. Unfortunately the Airacobra was vulnerable to any enemy fighter with decent high altitude performance, but its rear-mounted engine made it ideal for ground attack since return fire was less likely to hit the engine. The Airacobra saw combat throughout the world, particularly in the Pacific, Mediterranean and Russian theaters.