P-39D flown by Cpt. Paul Bechtel, commander of the 12th Fighter Squadron. Guadalcanal, December 1942.This unit was outfitted with early P-39D's with 37mm cannons. Some of these planes also had unusual factory paint work with the underside gray coming high up on the nose and rear fuselage. Also, the serial numbers were not yet being painted on the tails. Photo reference for "Beth" is unclear on the matter of the camouflage due to the photos being underexposed, but I elected to use the high gray scheme for its uniqueness. The squadron emblem of demon's hand clutching a bloody knife were painted on the doors.
The 12th Fighter Squadron arrived at Guadalcanal in November or December 1942 (sources differ) and mostly conducted ground attack missions. But combat air patrols and escort missions were also made. Paul Bechtel scored the first kills for the squadron on December 24th, downing 2 Zeros while escorting SBD's on an attack of the Japanese air base at Munda. But air victories were few and far between for the 12th while they flew Airacobras, only downing 18 Japanese aircraft before transitioning to the P-38 Lightning.
