Nobody Survived This "Death Trap" Fighter — Then One Pilot Killed 30 Germans in 15 Minutes

Описание: Why one Soviet pilot chose the fighter that American pilots refused to fly — and destroyed 15 German aircraft in a single 15-minute engagement. This World War 2 story reveals how a rejected American fighter became one of the deadliest weapons on the Eastern Front.

July 6, 1943. Lieutenant Aleksandr Klubov stood on the muddy runway at Krasnodar airfield watching mechanics prepare his Bell P-39 Airacobra for combat. The Americans had rejected it. The British had returned it. American training bases reported one crash for every 100 flight hours. Pilots called it the Iron Dog. The Death Trap. The Flying Coffin. The engine mounted behind the pilot created flat spins that killed more Americans than enemy fighters.
Everyone said it was suicide to fly it.

They were all wrong.
What the Soviets discovered wasn't about the aircraft's limitations. It was about altitude and tactics in a way that contradicted everything the Americans believed. The P-39 lost power above 15000 feet. But the Eastern Front air war was fought below 15000 feet. The center of gravity that caused fatal spins at high altitude provided exceptional maneuverability at low altitude. The 37mm cannon that Americans considered inadequate could destroy any aircraft with a single round.

The results were devastating. Klubov spotted 48 German aircraft approaching Soviet positions. Eighteen Ju-87 Stukas. Thirty Bf-109 and Fw-190 fighters. He had 30 rounds of 37mm ammunition. Fifteen minutes later he had 15 kills. Eight Stukas destroyed. Four Fw-190s destroyed. Three Bf-109s destroyed. He fired 23 rounds. Hit rate 65 percent.



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