P-39S Sea Cobra

[comrade harps]

Neutral Republican Spain's acquisition of a large number of P-39s resulted in CASA producing a unique variant. To meet a demand for fighter protection of Spain's naval and merchant fleets, CASA converted 14 P-9Ns into a seaplane configuration during 1943-44. Operated from coastal bases and ships, they served in two plane detachments from Spains' east and west coasts, from islands and the nation's North African territories.



On the morning of Spain's declarion of war against Germany on 21 August 1944, this Sea Cobra and another were used to escort an SAR Catalina during a Douglas A-20G attack on the German occupied French port of Port-Vendres. When a flak damaged A-20G ditched off the coast, the P-39S pilots engaged a German boat with gun fire and protected the Catalina's rescue attempts. This is believed to have been the only time the P-39S fired its weapons in combat.

Slow, short on range, poorly armed and inadequately protected (wing guns and armour had been removed to save weight), the Sea Cobra was withdrawn from service in 1947.


Notes on the markings:

- This was the Sea Cobra's first mission with hi-viz purple and yellow invasion stripes
- The pre-Civil War national roundels were been re-instated in June 1940 in order to make the neutral Republican aircraft look more conservative.
- Follwoing the June 1941 German invasion of the Socialist Union, the red portion of the tricolour on the tail was lowered to de-emphasise the Republican's Red political tendancies

[tigercat2]

Excellent story and a great-looking model!!

Wes W.

[Taiidantomcat]

Wonderful colors! 

[Cliffy B]

SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!! 

[NARSES2]

Nice scheme. What are the floats from ?

[oliv30330]

very nice   

[sideshowbob9]

Nice one! 

[comrade harps]

The kit's the 1/72 Academy P-39N/Q and the floats and ventral fin come from the PM Spitfire floatplane.

I'd started the P-39 and popped out to get some paints and saw the floaty Spit, thought about it for a few minutes and decided then and there to add them to the Airacobra, got the kit, went home and started kitbashing. It was all quite spontanious

Thanks for the nice comments.

[kitnut617]

Yes, that is very nice.  It looks just right.   

[beowulf]

i like that....nice one 

[sequoiaranger]

A Fine job!

You might know that the Spanish Navy had a seaplane carrier in the late 1930's, the "Dedalo", but it was sunk in the Spanish Civil War.

http://www.combinedfleet.com/furashita/dedalo_f.htm

In my whiff-world, the Dedalo was equipped with He-112 floatplane fighters and He-119 floatplane bombers. No reason they couldn't have switched to "Allied" aircraft when they declared war on their former Axis suppliers!

[Tophe]

Elegant! It should have been, and it is "real", thanks to you, not in dreams only

[GTX]

Wicked!

Regards,

Greg

[ChernayaAkula]

Beautiful!  Love the scheme and markings!

[sotoolslinger]

ME TOO