Aerocobra ma luna o New Guinea

Aerocobra ma luna o New Guinea. ʻO kekahi o nā P-400 o ka 80th squadron o ka 80th fg. ʻIke maopopo ʻia kahi pahu wahie 75 galani hou ma lalo o ka fuselage.

ʻO Bell P-39 Airacobra nā pailaka hoʻokele ikaika loa i ka wā o ka hoʻouka kaua ʻo New Guinea, ʻoi aku hoʻi i ka makahiki 1942 i ka wā o ka pale ʻana iā Port Moresby, ka laina Allied hope loa ma mua o Australia. No ka hakakā ʻana no kēlā ʻano kūlana kiʻekiʻe, ua hoʻolei nā ʻAmelika i nā mea hakakā, i manaʻo ʻia ʻoi aku ka ʻino loa o nā mea a pau i lawelawe ma ka US Air Force i ke Kaua Honua II. ʻOi aku ka maikaʻi o nā mea i hoʻokō ʻia e kā lākou mau pailaka, ka mea, e lele ana ma luna o ia mau mea hakakā, i hui pū me nā elite mokulele o ka Imperial Japanese Navy.

ʻO ka R-39 Airacobra fighter he mea kānalua ʻole he hoʻolālā hou. ʻO ka mea i ʻokoʻa loa mai ka poʻe hakakā o ia au ʻo ia ka ʻenekini i kau ʻia ma waena o ka fuselage, ma hope o ka cockpit. Hāʻawi kēia hoʻonohonoho ʻana o ka mana mana i ka nui o nā wahi kaʻawale i ke kakaka, e ʻae iā ʻoe e hoʻokomo i nā mea kaua ikaika ma luna o ka moku a me kahi chassis huila mua, i hāʻawi i ka ʻike maikaʻi loa mai ke kaʻa i ka wā e hoʻokele ai.

I ka hoʻomaʻamaʻa, akā naʻe, ua hoʻohuli ʻia kahi ʻōnaehana me kahi ʻenekini i hoʻopili ʻia i kahi propeller e kahi pahu cardan lōʻihi i paʻakikī i ka hoʻolālā ʻana o ka mokulele, kahi i paʻakikī ai ka mālama ʻana i ka hana ʻenehana ma ke kahua. ʻO ka ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi, ʻoi aku ka maʻalahi o kēia hoʻonohonoho ʻana o ka ʻenekini i ka puhi ʻana mai hope, ʻoiai ʻaʻole ia i pale ʻia e kahi pā kaua. Eia kekahi, ua noho ia ma kahi maʻamau i mālama ʻia no ka pahu wahie nui, ʻo ia hoʻi, he pōkole iki ka P-39. ʻO ka mea i ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi, ua ʻike ʻia ka pū 37mm e paʻa. Eia naʻe, inā i ka wā o ke kaua, ua hoʻohana ka mea hoʻokele i ka ukana o nā pūkuniahi a me nā pū mīkini kaumaha 12,7-mm i ka ihu o ka mokulele, ua neʻe weliweli ke kikowaena o ka umekaumaha i ka ʻenekini, kahi i hāʻule ai ka R-39 i loko. ʻo kahi huelo palahalaha i ka wā o nā hana ʻoi e hoʻopuka ai i waho he mea hiki ʻole. ʻOiai ʻo ka pae pae ʻana me ka huila mua i hōʻike ʻia he pilikia, ʻoiai ma nā kahua mokulele o New Guinea, ua haki pinepine ke kākoʻo lōʻihi i ka pae ʻana a i ka wā e kaʻa ʻana. Eia naʻe, ʻo ka hewa nui loa ʻo ia ka haʻalele ʻana mai nā manaʻo hoʻolālā o ka turbocharger, ʻo ia ka hopena o ka lele ʻana o ka R-39 i hāʻule ma luna o 5500 m.

Malia paha, inā ʻaʻole i hoʻomaka ke kaua, ua poina koke ka R-39. ʻO ka poʻe Pelekāne, ka mea i kauoha aku i nā haneli he nui, ua hoʻohilahila iā ia a aneane pau lākou i ka hāʻawi ʻia i nā Lūkini. Ua hoʻolako pū nā ʻAmelika i kā lākou mau pūʻali koa i hoʻonohonoho ʻia ma mua o ke kaua ma ka Pākīpika me nā ʻano mea kaua ʻē aʻe - Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. ʻO ke koena o ke kauoha Pelekane ʻo ia ka R-39 me kahi pūkuniahi 20mm (ma kahi o ka 37mm). Ma hope o ka hoʻouka kaua ʻana iā Pearl Harbor, ua kāʻili ka US Air Force i nā kope āpau, a lawe ʻia ma lalo o ka inoa P-400. Ua hiki koke mai lākou - i ka manawa i lilo ai nā ʻAmelika i nā Warhawks i nā kaua no Hawaii, Philippines a me Java, ua loaʻa iā lākou nā Aircobras e pale aku iā Port Moresby.

I nā mahina mua o ka makahiki 1942, ʻaʻole ʻo New Guinea wale nō ka manaʻo o nā Allied i ka Pākīpika. Mahope iho o ka noho ana o na Kepani ia Iava a me Timor, ua hiki aku na kulanakauhale ma ke kapakai akau o Auseteralia i ko lakou mau mokulele, a i ka malama o Feberuari, ua hoomaka mai na hoouka kaua ia Darwin. No kēia kumu, ua kāpae ʻia nā mea kaua mua ʻAmelika (P-40Es) i hoʻouna ʻia mai ʻAmelika i ke kahua kaua ma Australia, e waiho ana i ka pale o New Guinea i hoʻokahi Kittyhawk Squadron (75 Squadron RAAF).

ʻOiai ka poʻe Australia i hakakā hoʻokahi i ka hoʻouka kaua ʻana ma Port Moresby, i ka lā 25 o Pepeluali, ua hōʻea nā limahana o ka 35th PG (Pursuit Group) i Brisbane ma ke kai, nona nā pūʻali koa ʻekolu - 39th, 40th a me 41st - i lako me ka P-39 i loko. koho D. a me F. Ma hope koke iho, ma ka lā 5 o Malaki, ua hōʻea mai ka 8th PG, he ʻekolu pūʻali koa (35th, 36th a me 80th PS), i Australia a loaʻa iā ia nā P-400 Pelekane e hiki mai ana. Ua lawe ʻia nā ʻāpana ʻelua i nā pule he nui a hiki i ka mākaukau hakakā piha, akā ʻaʻole i loaʻa i nā Allies kēlā manawa nui.

I ka hoʻomaka ʻana o Malaki 1942, pae ka poʻe Kepani ma ke kahakai hikina hikina o New Guinea, kokoke i Lae a me Salamaua, kahi i kūkulu koke ai lākou i nā mokulele, e hōʻemi ana i ka mamao mai Port Moresby a i lalo o 300 km. ʻOiai ʻo ka hapa nui o nā pūʻali ea Kepani ma ka Pākīpika Hema e noho mau ana ma Rabaul, ua neʻe ka elite Tainan Kokutai i Lae, ka pūʻali koa A6M2 Zero kahi i puka mai ai kekahi o nā aces kiʻekiʻe o Iapana e like me Hiroyoshi Nishizawa a me Saburo Sakai.