Page 113
BUILT
P-39N-1, 42-18378, 10° Gruppo, 4° Stormo, ACI, Lecce-Galatina, Italy, 1944
The Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana (ACI) was
the air force of the Southern Italian monarchist
government of Pietro Badoglio, formed in
October 1943 after the armistice concluded
between Italy and the Allies at Cassibile. The
ACI then used aircraft supplied by the USA and
Great Britain in addition to Italian types. At the
time of handover to ACI, this Airacobra had
been operated approximately a year and a half
by the 345th FS/350th FG USAAF in Africa and
the Mediterranean. These worn out Airacobras
were mainly used by the Italians to train pilots
on the new equipment. The aircraft with the Jig-
Jig insignia on the nose was photographed with
other decommissioned P-39s from the 350th
FG at an Italian airfield and was probably one of
the first to receive Italian cockades, as the other
aircraft in the picture are still in USAAF markings.
The Italian cockades were applied directly to the
original American markings at four positions, and
two were added to the upper right and bottom
left wing halves. At the same time, the yellow
stripes marking the aircraft operating within the
12th AF USAAF were retained. The aircraft has not
undergone any other changes and can therefore
be built in its spring 1943 form, when it was still
part of the 345th Fighter Squadron, thanks to the
alternative US markings offered in the decal.
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INFO Eduard
113
February 2024