INTRODUCTION
This campaign attempts to provide a cross-section of the missions that were flown by P-39 pilots in Papua New Guinea from April 30, 1942 through April 12, 1943. I wanted to chronicle the experiences of a particular fighter squadron, but there was much turn-over due to harsh environmental and battle conditions. The missions are historically accurate based on readily available information. However, in many cases, details such as the number and type of aircraft were not fully known and were assumed based on best judgment. In addition, the number of aircraft used in large air battles was reduced due to the limitations of my relatively ancient computer (PII 300 mhz). To maintain acceptable frame rates and reduce the number of add-ons needed to run the campaign, stock aircraft (mostly B-25) were substituted in non-critical applications (mostly bombers, B-26, A-20 Havoc, A-28 Hudson).
The Campaign expands upon and continues "In Defence of Australia", with a focus on the 5th USAAF. It uses much of the same scenery (Port Moresby and Dobodura airfields) and aircraft (Kittyhawk and Nell) as DoA, but additional airfields (Milne Bay, Wau) and aircraft (1% P-39D2, Ki-21) are needed to provide some historical accuracy.
The Papua Campaign begins with the first mission of the USAAF 8th Fighter Group (35th and 36th Fighter Squadrons [FS]) from Port Moresby on April 30 and ends with the conversion to P-38s in April 1943. Other FS's represented include the 80th, 39th and 40th. P-40E's (7th & 8th FS) arriving later (September 1942) also participate in some of the missions. The primary use of the P-39 during this period was to defend Port Moresby against air strikes from Lae and Rabaul, strafe and bomb Japanese troops along the Kokoda Trail and escort bombers.
BACKGROUND
The primary Japanese objectives in the southwest Pacific were to gain control of Papua New Guinea (NG) and take the Solomon Islands to cut-off the supply line from the U.S. to Australia. The Japanese Navy attempted to invade Papua NG during the first week of May 1942, but were stopped during the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4-8, 1942). Following this defeat, the Japanese invaded Papua NG from the north by landing 4,400 troops near Buna on July 21 and 22, 1942. By August 13, 11,000 troops had landed, mostly from barges used transport men across the fringing coral reefs that extend miles out to sea.
Japanese troops fought there way across steep gorges and razor-backed ridges of the Owen-Stanley Mountains towards Port Moresby, and descended the southern slopes to within 32 miles of the Port. Here, Australian resistance stiffened and on September 14, 1942, the advance was stopped at the Imita Range. American troops were brought in to assist the Australians in pushing the Japanese back to Buna and out of Papua NG. The 126th and 128th Infantry of the U.S. 32nd Division arrived on September 28, 1942. Due to great difficulty in making progress over the Owen-Stanley Mountains, a major troop transport operation was conducted in October, using C-47s to transport troops to Wanigela and other areas just southeast of Buna. The P-39 and other aircraft of the 5th USAAF were important in stopping the Japanese advance by relentless strafing and bombing of supply lines running over the mountains to Buna, Sananada and Gona.
The environment of Papua NG was very hard on the troops and pilots. Extreme humidity and rainfall (about 15 inches per month) coupled with malaria and dengue fever made it difficult to fight. At all times, a large percentage of units were hospitalized for fever. Daily doses of quinine or atabrine were compulsory, but only suppressed the symptoms. Pilots were also prone to fever and many flew while sick. The high temperatures and humidity was also hard on planes, requiring frequent maintenance. Even rubber tires had a limited life due to corrosion.
P-39 pilots were faced with poor living conditions, and a more experienced enemy with superior aircraft. Therefore, most P-39 FS's only lasted a few months at a time in Papua NG and were rotated to Australia for "easier" duty.
P-39
In early 1935, the Bell Aircraft Corporation witnessed a demonstration of the American Armament Corporation's T9 37 mm cannon. Impressed by the demonstration, Bell initiated the development of a fighter that would utilize the T9 cannon firing through the propeller hub. Bell won an order from the U.S. Army Air Corps for a single prototype (XP-39), which was first flown on April 6, 1938. The XP-39 reached 390 mph on April 6, on later flights it reached 398 mph, and 20,000 feet in 5 minutes. These specifications meant it was the fastest fighter around.
One year later, 12 XP-39s and one XP-39A (without a turbocharger) were ordered by the Army for additional service trials. Development appeared to focus on the XP-39A, with the Advisory Committee for Aeronautics recommending drag-reducing changes to improve performance in the absence of a turbocharger, including fairing doors for the landing gear, lower-profile canopy, and re-locating the engine air and coolant radiator intakes. Based on improved performance of the XP-39A, the turbocharger was deleted from all future aircraft. This decision was regretted by most P-39 pilots, since the turbocharger pressurizes the intake air, and without it, performance at high altitude is highly degraded. In addition, performance was further degraded by the weight of armor and self-sealing fuel tanks installed on production models.
The P-39D and the P-400 were the first to see combat. The first large order, for 369 P-39Ds was placed in September 1940. England ordered 675 P-39s to their specifications, which included replacing the 37 mm cannon with a faster-firing 20 mm, and replacing the 0.30 caliber wing guns with 0.303 caliber guns. This production model was called Airacobra I by the British, but was more commonly known as the P-400 when returned to the U.S. Army.
The British traded their Hurricanes for the new P-400 in September 1941, and were disappointed in the performance of the aircraft, which was much less than promised. In addition, the operating range and high altitude performance was inadequate to intercept German bombers. Therefore, most of these planes were returned to the U.S. (unassembled), and many were shipped to Australia.
The P-39 was seen as a poor tool for new pilots to take on a highly experienced enemy, and many negative statements were made about its performance. The following is a summary of negative attributes and reactions by pilots and air force officials:
* The weight of the engine over the wings made it tricky to fly, and initiated directional changes with very little input;
* Lack of performance at altitude and lack of maneuverability made it "meat on the table" for Axis pilots;
* If the pilot sneezed it would go into a spin;
* "It'll tumble and spin, and soon auger in" (drinking song of the 363rd FS);
* Flash from the nose guns was blinding at night;
* Firing of the nose guns caused a dangerous buildup of carbon monoxide in the cockpit;
* The compass was too close to the nose guns, and when fired changed the compass alignment from 7 to 165 degrees;
* The 37 mm cannon jammed after only a few rounds and was nearly impossible to clear in flight;
* The forward gearbox behind the propeller leaked oil, affecting gun performance;
* "Could have done better in a truck. It's more maneuverable and will go higher!"
* "Klunker"; and
* "Iron dog".
However, many of the negative aspects and comments must be tempered with the following positive attributes of the Airacobra I/P-400 found during in flight testing by the no. 601 Squadron RAF:
* During a turn, the P-39 would give ample warning of a stall;
* The Bf 109 could not compete with a P-39 in a turn;
* The P-39 was faster than the Spitfire V below 15,000 feet; and
* The P-39 was faster than the Bf 109 below 20,000 feet.
The famous test pilot Chuck Yeager stated in this biography; "I had about 500 hours in the P-39, and thought it was about the best airplane I ever flew". Perhaps the most relevant comments on the performance of the P-39 was given by Lt. Col. Wagner of the 35th FS stationed in Papua NG:
* The Zero outperformed the P-39 very markedly in maneuverability and climb;
* The Zero was able to keep up with a P-39 until 290 mph, when the P-39 pulled away slowly;
* The Zero accelerated better, from a cruising start the Zero would pull ahead for a few seconds until the P-39 started to slowly catch up.
Charles King of the 39th FS in Papua NG admitted that he "bad-mouthed" the P-39, but stated that wartime records indicate that pilots flying the P-39 generally fought the Japanese to a draw (equal numbers of losses) although enemy pilots were more experienced in the early part of the war. He also stated that the P-39 did not tumble, but was easy to stall on its back which would lead to an easily recoverable flat spin. Since the engine was behind the pilot and took most of the gunfire, the pilot generally survived to fight again. On 25 sorties flown by Charles King, nine P-39s were shot down and all nine pilots survived.
The Russians loved the P-39 and used it in its originally intended role of ground support. However, there were dozens of Russian aces in the P-39, having shot down hundreds of Bf-109's and some FW-190's. Overall, as claimed by Chuck Yeager, the quality of the pilot may be more important than the aircraft.
CFS2 AIRCRAFT
In selecting an aircraft to use in the Campaign, I only found three unique P-39/P-400 aircraft:
1. Stock P-39D, modified to be player flyable;
2. P-400 by Iron Dog
3. 1% P-39D-2 from "avhistory.org"
The stock P-39D flies like a Wildcat, much too maneuverable to be realistic. The P-400 incorporates some difficult spin characteristics that seemed realistic, but it seemed generally unstable and difficult to conduct ground attacks, a role it was famous for. I am not a big fan of 1% aircraft because AI have a difficult time flying them. However, the P-39D-2 is better than most 1% aircraft in this regard, but AI still have trouble landing. An interesting benefit of the 1% aircraft is they require trimming as fuel is used, which was probably a big concern for P-39 pilots since the aircraft was generally nose-light due the mid-engine placement.
MISSIONS
The purpose of the Papua Campaign is to provide insight into the missions flown by these young pilots under difficult conditions, in a less than desirable aircraft.
The missions were designed to be flown in a "fun" mode, using warping, tactical display and aircraft labels. However, as with all 1% aircraft, the flight model setting should be "hard". Using this setting will also make landings more difficult, which is more realistic, due to the long nose gear and mostly crude dirt fields used in the Campaign.
The Missions are as historically accurate as possible given the available information, limitations of my computer and CFS2 programming. I did not do extensive historical research, such that some of the finer details of the missions may be incorrect. However, when known and feasible, the approximate speed, course, number and altitude of aircraft is accurate. Details may have been changed to make the mission more playable, such as adding intercepting aircraft not noted on historical records.
Overall, the missions are not extremely difficult, but I have tried to convey both the positive and negative attributes of the P-39. At the end of the Papua Campaign, you may not want to give up your P-39 for a "flying bedstead", an initial comment on the P-38!
