When it comes to the P-26 Peashooter, you can’t judge its prowess by looks alone.

As one proverb goes, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” If one were to metaphorically apply that truism to combat aircraft, you could also add “You can’t judge a book by its title.” The 1930s vintage Boeing P-26 Peashooter fighter plane is proof of both of these sayings.

When I first learned about the P-26 as a mere five-year-old lad via the 1958 book Fighter Planes That Made History, I thought the plane looked “cute,” which is kind of the polar opposite of the goal of intimidation value in warfare. There’s also that decidedly unflattering moniker of “Peashooter”; firearms enthusiasts ofttimes used the term “peashooter” synonymously with “mouse gun” to describe smaller caliber handguns that are considered less than optimal for self-defense, e.g., the .25 ACP, the .32 ACP, the .380 ACP, etc.

Yet the unintimidating name and appearance aside, this Peashooter proved to be quite deadly in actual aerial combat.

Boeing P-26 Peashooter Initial History and Specifications

Making its maiden flight on March 20, 1932, and entering into official service with the U.S. Army Air Corps (USAAC) in December 1933, the P-26 proved to be Boeing’s last operational prop-driven fighter plane before that company truly gained fame as a manufacturer of heavy bombers and strategic bombers (the B-17 Flying Fortress, B-29 Superfortress, and B-52 Stratofortress, respectively) as well civilian airliners (such as the 747). Yes, Boeing also did make the prop-driven X8FB fighter for the U.S. Navy in 1944, but that one never made it past the experimental phase (only three were built).

As noted by the Rex’s Hangar channel on MSN titled “An Icon Of The US Army Air Corps | Boeing P-26 ‘Peashooter,’” the Peashooter was also historically significant as “America’s first all-metal fighter.”

Tech specs and vital stats of the warbird were as follows:

• Crew: One (pilot)
• Fuselage Length: 23 feet 7 inches
• Wingspan: 28 feet
• Height: 10 feet
• Empty Weight: 2,196 lbs.
• Gross Weight: 3,360 lbs.
• Max Takeoff Weight: 3,360 lbs.
• Powerplant: One Pratt & Whitney R-1340-27 Wasp 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, generating 600 hp (450 kW)
• Max Airspeed: 234 mph
• Cruise speed: 200 mph
• Service Ceiling: 27,400 feet
• Range: 635 miles (1,850 km, 1,000 nautical miles)
• Armament:
  • Guns: Two 30-caliber Browning M1919 machine guns
  • Bombs: Capacity for two 100-lb. (45.3 kg) bombs

A total of 151 Peashooters were built between 1933 and 1936. Though the USAAC was the plane’s biggest buyer, there was a fair share of foreign customers as well: one was sold to Republican Spain in 1935, and ten were delivered to the Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF). For good measure, twelve ended up in the Philippine Army Air Corps in 1941, and seven were sold to the Guatemalan Air Force in 1942

Operational History and Performance

To be sure, by the time World War II rolled around, the P-26 was outclassed by Axis fighters such as the sleek and nimble—not to mention 20mm cannon-wielding—Imperial Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero and Nazi German Messerschmitt Bf-109. And for good measure, by 1936, the P-26 was also rendered obsolescent by fellow Allied fighters such as the British Hawker Hurricane and American Curtiss P-36 Hawk, which had the benefits of enclosed cockpits, retractable landing gear, and cantilever wings.

But the Peashooter could, and did, still put up a fight. She was first “blooded” in combat during the Second Sino-Japanese War. As noted by Robert Guttman in an August 2017 article for HistoryNet:

“The Boeings were delivered to the 17th Squadron, commanded by Wong Pan-Yang, a Sino-American volunteer from Seattle, in time to be used against Japanese aircraft over Nanking in 1937. On August 15, eight of them attacked a flight of six Mitsubishi G3M bombers and shot down all six without loss. Wong Pan-Yang in Boeing No. 1701 downed one and shared in the destruction of a second, while Los Angeles born Wong Sun-Shui in plane No. 1703 accounted for a third. The rigors of combat and primitive operating conditions took a heavy toll on the Boeing fighters, though, and by the end of 1937 none of them remained operational. The 17th was re-equipped with Gloster Gladiator biplanes, in which Wong Pan-Yang would bring his total score to five. Wong Sun-Shui was credited with 8.5 victories before being mortally wounded in action on March 14, 1941.”

Moreover, according to Boeing’s official history page, “One of a group of P-26s, turned over to the Philippine Army late in 1941, was among the first Allied fighters to down a Japanese airplane in World War II.” More specifically, it downed one Mitsubishi G3M Rikko (Allied reporting name “Nell/Tina”) medium bomber and, believe it or not, at least two and possibly even three Zeroes. The “Nell” kill was attributed to Captain Jesus A. Villamor of the 6th Pursuit Squadron, while at least one of the Zero shootdowns was credited to Lieutenant Jose Kare.

Amazingly, the P-26 also saw action with the Guatemalan Air Force as late as 1954; indeed, the Fuerza Aérea Guatemalteca was the last military entity to retire the Peashooter, finally doing so in 1956.

Where Are They Now?

Only two bona fide P-26 airframes (not counting replicas) survive today. Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California, has an airworthy one, amazingly enough; this venerable plane bears Registration #N3378G and Serial #33123. Meanwhile, its sister ship, bearing Inventory #A19730273000 and Serial #33135 is on static display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. (I can personally vouch for the latter museum having toured it several times.)

About the Author: Christian D. Orr

Christian D. Orr was previously a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ) and 19FortyFive. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch, The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at the Old Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.

Image: betto rodrigues / Shutterstock.com

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