If you are looking for photos of a specific aircraft type, use this menu.Please note that, due to space constraints, this menu includes only some of the more requested aircraft in our database. Throughout their years in service, the P-40s were famed for producing over 200 aces from seven different Allied nations. Schultz, Duane. The Soviet Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (VVS; "Military Air Forces") and Morskaya Aviatsiya (MA; "Naval Air Service") also referred to P-40s as "Tomahawks" and "Kittyhawks". Selecting a decade range will show all photos matching your other search criteria from the selected decade.The 'All Years' selection is the default selection for this option. On 11 May 2012, the remains of a crashed P-40 Kittyhawk (ET574) that had run out of fuel was found in the Egyptian Sahara desert. The design continuation helped reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational service. [14] Kelsey was interested in the Allison engine because it was sturdy and dependable, and it had a smooth, predictable power curve. For the various services using the Tomahawk around the world, this type performed well at the time, although it was quickly declassified as a front-line fighter.
Beginning with the P-40D model, the Warhawk was enough of a contender to be taken very seriously. The radio was also good. This new liquid-cooled engine fighter had a radiator mounted under the rear fuselage The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational service. Pearl Harbor survivor, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Curtiss_P-40_Warhawk&oldid=1140819342, A restored P-40M Warhawk landing at Season Premier Airshow, in, Operational Squadrons of the Home War Establishment (HWE) (Based in Canada), Revised versions of the P-40 soon followed: the, Retrospective designation for a single prototype. 2023 Defense Media Network. And it paid off. However, during the Second World War, the P-40s were crucial in the North African, Southwest Pacific, and Chinese theaters. The P-40 Tomahawk, a modified version of the older P-36 Hawk, flew for the first time in 1938. At the time, Lentz didn't realize how long it would take to fulfill that dream. The U.S. Army's initial order for the Warhawk was 524 aircraft, of which 199 were P-40s designated as the Hawk 81A export variant. In 1933, after the Curtiss Model 66 lost to the Boeing P-26 during a USAAC fly-off, Curtiss was determined to retain its dominance as an Army Air Corps contractor and hired Donovan R. Berlin as Curtiss' new chief engineer. The P-40s greatest fame, though, came with the American Volunteer Group in China. However, Lt (SG) Smirnov noted that the P-40 armament was sufficient for strafing enemy lines but rather ineffective in aerial combat. [22] The P-40 had one of the fastest maximum dive speeds of any fighter of the early war period, and good high-speed handling. 120 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF, Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of military aircraft of the United States. In all, 18 RAAF pilots became aces while flying P-40s. I have no idea why the Truman Committee picked on it and the SB2C. 120 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron, Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force, No. In April 1939, the U.S. Army Air Corps, having witnessed the new, sleek, high-speed, in-line-engined fighters of the European air forces, placed the largest fighter order it had ever made for 524 P-40s. Most P-40Fs had a slightly lengthened fuselage, which improved directional stability. Photographers must have 100 or more photos in the database before their name is included in this selection menu..The 'All Photographers' selection is the default selection for this option. Conventional bombs carried under the wings. A total of 13 Royal Canadian Air Force units operated the P-40 in the North West European or Alaskan theaters. In January 1943, a further Article XV unit, 430 Squadron was formed at RAF Hartford Bridge, England and trained on obsolete Tomahawk IIA. [27][28] The first units to convert were Hawker Hurricane squadrons of the Desert Air Force (DAF), in early 1941. [via]. It was only superseded in numbers by the P-51 Mustang and the P-47 Thunderbolt. Collect, curate and comment on your files. 133 Squadron RCAF, operating the P-40N out of RCAF Patricia Bay, (Victoria, British Columbia), intercepted and destroyed two Japanese balloon-bombs,[83] which were designed to cause wildfires on the North American mainland. Additional Images Aircraft Specs Wingspan 37 feet 4 inches Length 33 feet 4 inches Height 12 feet 4 inches Empty Weight 5,812 pounds Max. The bulk of the fighter operations by the USAAF in 194243 were borne by the P-40 and the P-39. The first official victory occurred on 8 June, when Hamlyn and Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Tom Paxton destroyed a CANT Z.1007 from 211a Squadriglia of the Regia Aeronautica, over Alexandria.
It was later sold to The Fighter Collection at Duxford in the U.K. Photo by Tony Hisgett. These aircraft were mostly diverted from RAF Lend-Lease orders for service in Canada. RCAF Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks in formation over the West Coast, 11 Nov 1942. "History: The Flying Tigers - American Volunteer Group - Chinese Air Force". It existed only until July 6, 1942, when it was absorbed in the Army Air Forces and became the 23rd Fighter Group, but in that short period of time, using tactics appropriate to the P-40, it overcame the perception of Japanese invincibility. adopted the name for all models, making it the official name in the U.S. for all P-40s. P-40 is a plane represented decently on the large scale market. }).on("mouseleave", function (e) {
0-966076-7-4 .
See amazing 3-D panorama images inside the P-40 from i-ota.net. It was powerful, reliable, but only on HF (high frequency). if ($('.pre-header > .pre-nav > .prev-nav-links .CMSEditableRegionEdit').length != 0) {
[33] Caldwell, who scored victories against them in his P-40, felt that the Folgore was superior to the P-40 and the Bf 109 except that its armament of only two or four machine guns was inadequate. The photograph P-40 Tomahawk #49 flown by Tom Hayward of the Third Pursuit Squadron - Hell's Angels - of the American Volunteer Group was probably taken from aircraft #47 on May 28, 1942 near the Salween River Gorge on the China-Burma border. Photo courtesy of Texas A&M University Press. Intentional ramming attacks against enemy aircraft were occasionally recorded as victories by the Desert Air Force and Soviet Air Forces. The gradual replacement of Hurricanes by the Tomahawks and Kittyhawks led to the Luftwaffe accelerating retirement of the Bf 109E and introducing the newer Bf 109F; these were to be flown by the veteran pilots of elite Luftwaffe units, such as Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG27), in North Africa. First overseas orders for the type came . The Japanese appear to have had as many as 10 flyable P-40Es. Out of the 99 P-40s based in Hawaii during the event, only 25 survived. Weight 7,549 pounds Powerplant 1 Allison V-1710-33 1040 hp Armament 4x Wings Mounted .30 Cal Machine Guns The Japanese Army captured some P-40s and later operated a number in Burma. Spitfire production was being absorbed by the war in Europe; P-38s were trialled, but were difficult to obtain; Mustangs had not yet reached squadrons anywhere, and Australia's tiny and inexperienced aircraft industry was geared towards larger aircraft. The U.S. Army had plenty of P-40B and C models when the United States entered the war. Tomahawks and Kittyhawks bore the brunt of Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica fighter attacks during the North African campaign. This was the default powerplant for about 90 percent of the 13,378 P-40s built, but it lacked a powerful supercharger for high-altitude fighting. A team of warm-hearted creatives with cold-blooded efficiency. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. }).on("mouseleave", function (e) {
Home / Curtiss P 40E Warhawk (Kittyhawk IA) 12 Images 1939 United States of America CRAFT-Aircraft Curtiss Aircraft Company Single engine, single seat, fighter aircraft. It was equipped with a new fuel supplying system and much more advanced radio equipment. The Warhawk was used by most Allied powers during World War II, and remained in frontline service until the end of the war. The most numerically important types were P-40B/C, P-40E and P-40K/M. I-16 and Hurricane". At least five reached "double ace" status: Clive Caldwell, Nicky Barr, John Waddy, Bob Whittle (11 kills each) and Bobby Gibbes (10 kills) in the Middle East, North African and/or New Guinea campaigns. Seeing little gain, Kelsey ordered the aircraft to be evaluated in a NACA wind tunnel to identify solutions for better aerodynamic qualities. No. Tomahawk I History. Berlin developed the series of radial-engined fighters known in U.S. service as P-36s (they, too, fought at Pearl Harbor) and in 1938 won a U.S. Army contract to adapt the design to use an Allison liquid-cooled in-line engine. The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The 23rd Fighter Group achieved similar victories to the AVG. This aircraft survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, as it was in a maintenance hangar undergoing repair. Later models had a dorsal fin as well, but reverted to the Allison engine, in part because the much-in-demand Merlin engines were going into a newer fighter, the P-51B Mustang. One of the first models I ever built was the Monogram P-40. AVG leader Claire Chennault trained his pilots to use the P-40's particular performance advantages. And I'd done a little bit of boxing I beat much better opponents simply by going for [them]. RNZAF P-40 squadrons were successful in air combat against the Japanese between 1942 and 1944. This is a 1/48 Plastic P-40C Tomahawk Model Kit from Academy Plastics. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites . Each came equipped with a radio, six .50-caliber machine guns, and auxiliary bomb racks that could hold 35-lb fragmentation bombs. Tomahawk Pictures. featuring the Jacques M. Littlefield Collection explores major conflicts $('.searchbox').on('keydown', function (e) {
The aircraft on display is a Kittyhawk (the export version of the P-40E built for the RAF). Over Russia, the P-40 saw most front line use in 1942 and early 1943, particularly in the northern sectors. Today, about 20 P-40s of various models are airworthy and about 80 more are in museums or awaiting restoration. Curtiss P-40C Tomahawk ZK-TWK taxi out for take off at Classic Fighters 2011. American P-40s were engaged in their first combat in December 1941 in the Southwest Pacific. [106], Data from Curtiss Aircraft 19071947,[111] America's hundred thousand: the U.S. production fighter aircraft of World War II[112], Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era, "P-40" redirects here. Joris Nieuwint is a battlefield guide for the Operation Market Garden area. Login . If you are asked to think of World War II fighters you might very well imagine planes with sharp noses and sharks faces. Dpgsbody55 and KUROK 1 1 LSP_Members 1.7k Gender:Male Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Testing showed the aircraft did not have the performance needed for use in Northwest Europe at high-altitude, due to the service ceiling limitation. [58] They claimed 655 aerial victories. Thank you for verifying your email address! Following repairs it was returned to flight worthy status. Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk Specification BASICS Year: 1941 Status: Retired, Out-of-Service Crew: 1 MANUFACTURING [ 1,180 Units ]: Curtiss-Wright Corporation - USA ROLES - Fighter - Ground Attack DIMENSIONS Length: 31. The P-40 was well liked by its pilots and ground crew, despite its altitude restrictions. For example, an option of:- 2003 [55000].. indicates that there are 55,000 total photos taken in the year 2003 currently in the database. [103] No trace of the pilot has been found to date. The biggest problem the P-40 had was poor maintaince and parts issues as well as tactics When flown using tactics re-enforcing the P-40 strengths, she could more than hold her own against any fighter she came against. 1 x Allison V-1710-33 Liquid-Cooled Inline Piston Engine, 1,040 hp. These included at least 20 double aces,[10] mostly over North Africa, China, Burma and India, the South West Pacific and Eastern Europe. It had protective armor and externally-covered self-sealing tanks. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. USAAF P-40s and their pilots originally intended for the U.S. Far East Air Force in the Philippines, but diverted to Australia as a result of Japanese naval activity were the first suitable fighter aircraft to arrive in substantial numbers. 1st Lt. Boyd Buzz Wagner, based in the Philippines and flying a P-40, became the first American ace of the war when he downed his fifth Japanese aircraft on Dec. 16, 1941. [via], Chuck Older and R.T. Smith after being decorated with the Fifth Class Order of the Cloud and Banner and the Star-Wing Metal in front of a P-40 Tomahawk at Yunnanyi, China. On 14 August 1942, the first confirmed victory by a USAAF unit over a German aircraft in World War II was achieved by a P-40C pilot. The Warhawk was used by most Allied powers during World War II, and remained in frontline service until the end of the war. On Sept 2, 1942, In the skies near Kienow, China, Army Air Force pilots encountered a bullet-riddled P-40B Tomahawk, with the pilot slumped over dead. This aircraft was attached to an operational squadron HLeLv 32 of the Finnish Air Force, but lack of spares kept it on the ground, with the exception of a few evaluation flights. It was a real warhorse."[75]. The remaining RNZAF P-40s, excluding the 20 shot down and 154 written off, were mostly scrapped at Rukuhia in 1948. In the air war over Finland, several Soviet P-40s were shot down or had to crash-land due to other reasons. The most critical problem was the lack of spare parts; the only source was from damaged aircraft. An early order came from the French Arme de l'Air, which was already operating P-36s. [45] Caldwell, Drake, Edwards and Nicky Barr were among at least a dozen pilots who achieved ace status twice over while flying the P-40. The P-40 Warhawk was among the most widely seen and used fighters of World War II, yet its often overshadowed in modern-day literature by readily recognized names like Lightning, Thunderbolt and Mustang. They trained in Britishheld Burma and their mission was to fight for China, which had been invaded by Japan in 1937. This pulldown menu, in addition to each photographer available as a search limiter, also shows the number of photos currently in the database for each specific photographer, enclosed in brackets. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational service. . As the first American single-seat fighter to be mass-produced, it took the on full weight of air warfare in several theaters of battle. In 1945, the 71st Reconnaissance Group employed them as armed forward air controllers during ground operations in the Philippines, until it received delivery of P-51s. "[93] The biggest complaint of some Soviet airmen was its poor climb rate and problems with maintenance, especially with burning out the engines. Spitfires used in the theater operated at heights around 30,000ft (9,100m), while the P-40's Allison engine, with its single-stage, low altitude rated supercharger, worked best at 15,000ft (4,600m) or lower. France, who was a large operator of the P-36, was interested in this fighter and ordered 140 aircraft as Hawk 81A-1s. It gives a good perspective about what then-Sen. Harry S Truman was trying to accomplish. [9][45] In August 1941, Caldwell was attacked by two Bf 109s, one of them piloted by German ace Werner Schrer. The test report indicated that the Tomahawk was inferior to Soviet "M-105P-powered production fighters in speed and rate of climb. In spring 1943, Lt D.I. The No. The P-40 performed better than the Louk quote implies, and was ruggedly survivable, but it was usually outclassed by its adversaries, especially Japans vaunted Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero. I Janowicz, Wieliczko Kagero Monografie 36, Curtiss P-40 Long-nosed Tomahawks Carl Molesworth Osprey Air Vanguard 8, P-40 Warhawk vs Ki-43 Oscar: China 1944-45 Carl Molesworth Osprey Duel 8, Curtiss P-40 Snub-nosed Kittyhawks and Warhawks Carl Molesworth Osprey Air Vanguard 11, Curtiss P-40 Vlastimil Ehrman, Valerij Roman, MBI, P-40 Warhawk vs Bf 109 MTO 194244 Carl Molesworth, Osprey Duel 38, P-40 Warhawk in World War II Color Jeffrey L. Ethell, Motorbooks International 1994, P-40 Warhawk Aces of the MTO Carl Molesworth Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 43, The Curtiss P 36 and P 40 in USAAC/USAAF Service 1939-1945 H.C. Bridgwater, Scale Aircraft Modelling Combat Colours Number 3, Modelling the P-40: Hawk 81, Tomahawk, Warhawk, Kittyhawk Brett Green Osprey, Curtiss P-40 in Action Ernest R. McDowell, Squadron/Signal Publications Aircraft 26, P-40 Warhawk Aces of the CBI Carl Molesworth, Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 35, Curtiss P-40 cz. The aircraft equipped 14 Squadron, 15 Squadron, 16 Squadron, 17 Squadron, 18 Squadron, 19 Squadron and 20 Squadron. The P-40 was built at Curtiss-Wright plants at Buffalo, Colombus and St Louis, production eventually reaching 60 aircraft per day, the 15,000th fighter, a P-40N Warhawk, being completed on 22 November 1944. [40] The leading German expert in North Africa, Hans-Joachim Marseille, claimed as many as 101 P-40s during his career.[41]. At Pearl Harbor[59] and in the Philippines,[60] USAAF P-40 squadrons suffered crippling losses on the ground and in the air to Japanese fighters such as the A6M Zero and Ki-43 Hayabusa respectively. Unlike previous P-40 variants, the P-40F also has a two-staged supercharger which greatly increases this P-40's high altitude performance. 120 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron (a joint Australian-Dutch unit in the South West Pacific). Many RAAF pilots achieved high scores in the P-40. Visit the Official Black Horse P-40C Warhawk 2276mm . Sprankle was on a training flight on January 24, 1942, when the aircraft spun into the side of a mountain, killing him. This was not powerful compared with contemporary fighters, and the early P-40 variants' top speeds were only average. [24] Tires and batteries also failed. This airplane was manufactured in the U.S., was then purchased by the British, and nearly immediately given to the Soviet Union in 1941. [45], Nicky Barr, like many Australian pilots, considered the P-40 a reliable mount: "The Kittyhawk became, to me, a friend. Following a test flight of the X-P40 by Lt. Benjamin S. Kelsey in late 1938, it was decided that the performance of the X-P40 left much to be desired, thus there was need for improvements in the speed, and other relevant aerodynamic qualities of the aircraft, leading to the subsequent production of the P-40 Warhawk at the main Curtis factory in Buffalo, New York.