Top Curtiss P-40 Warhawk Facts!

A Kittyhawk Mk III of No. 112 Squadron RAF, taxiing at Medenine, Tunisia, in 1943. A ground crewman on the wing is directing the pilot, whose view ahead is hindered by the aircraft's nose.
A Kittyhawk Mk III of No. 112 Squadron RAF, taxiing at Medenine, Tunisia, in 1943. A ground crewman on the wing is directing the pilot, whose view ahead is hindered by the aircraft's nose.

A single-engine American aircraft, the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an all-metal single-seat ground attack aircraft and fighter that first took to the skies in 1938.

Most Allied powers used the plane during World War II where it remained on the frontline until the war’s end. The third most mass produced American fighter, 13,738 had been built when production ceased in November 1944.

The only two American fighter planes that were produced more were the P-51 and the P-47.

4838999028_749aa9a781_o
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.

The Soviet air forces and British Commonwealth referred to models equal to the P-40B and P-40C as Tomahawk and the P-40D and later variants as Kittyhawk.

The P-40 was originally created as a pursuit aircraft that was agile at lower to mid altitudes but suffered a lack of power when climbing to higher altitudes.

4838386623_abe190578f_o
The photograph P-40 Tomahawk #47 flown by R.T. Smith of the Third Pursuit Squadron — Hell’s Angels — of the American Volunteer Group was probably taken on May 28, 1942 near the Salween River Gorge on the China-Burma border.

The engines that were used, Allison V-1710, produced about 1,040-hp at sea level and 14,000 feet, which was not at all powerful according to the standards of the time.

The early P-40s top speeds were just average, so the single-speed supercharger prevented the plane from competing with more contemporary designs as a plane for higher altitudes.

4838999316_444f0c0195_o
R.T. Smith in the cockpit of P-40 Tomahawk #40 in Kunming, China on May 23, 1942.

While the P-40Cs were armed with two .50 Browning AN/M2 dorsal-nosed mount machine guns that were synchronized and two .303 Browning machine guns in each wing, the P-40D didn’t have the synchronized gun mounts and just had two .50 in guns located in each wing.

The P-40s first entered combat with the British Commonwealth Desert Air Force squadrons during the North African and Middle Eastern campaigns during June of 1941.

From 1941-1944, the P-40 played an active and critical role with the Allied forces in China, Southwest Pacific, and North Africa.

4838386863_e9476cb74b_o
AVG Third Squadron P-40 Tomahawks #75, #96, #47, #22 and #35 parked at Kunming in May 1942.

The No. 112 Squadron Royal Air Force was one of the first to fly Tomahawks in the North African theater. It was the first Allied military unit to have the logo featuring the shark mouth.

These planes held the majority of Regia Aeronautica and Luftwaffe fighter attacks during that campaign of the war.

The P-40 was generally considered equal to or even superior to the Bf 109 when flying at a low altitude, but it wasn’t as capable at higher altitudes.

North Africa, c. 1943. A P-40 "Kittybomber" of No. 450 Squadron RAAF, loaded with six 250 lb (110 kg) bombs
North Africa, c. 1943. A P-40 “Kittybomber” of No. 450 Squadron RAAF, loaded with six 250 lb (110 kg) bombs

Known officially as the 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG), the Flying Tigers comprised a Chinese Air Force unit that was recruited from U.S. aviators.

They used the P-40B from late 1941 where they divided them into three pursuit squadrons. The first major battles in the Philippines and at Pearl Harbor resulted in USAAF squadrons of P-40s suffering crippling losses in the air and on the ground to Japanese fighter planes such as the A6M Zero and Ki-43 Oscar.

A handful of P-40s shot down several Japanese planes during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Only 28 P-40s remain airworthy out of the 13,378 that were built. Three of them have been converted to dual controls and dual seat configurations.

About 13 of the planes are on display, and another 36 airframes are being restored for flight or display.

A U.S. Army Air Force Curtiss P-40E Warhawk of the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio (USA).
A U.S. Army Air Force Curtiss P-40E Warhawk of the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio (USA).

 

By mid-1943, the USAAF was phasing out the P-40F (pictured); the two nearest aircraft, "White 116" and "White 111" were flown by the aces 1Lt Henry E. Matson and 1Lt Jack Bade, 44th FS, at the time part of AirSols, on Guadalcanal.
By mid-1943, the USAAF was phasing out the P-40F (pictured); the two nearest aircraft, “White 116” and “White 111” were flown by the aces 1Lt Henry E. Matson and 1Lt Jack Bade, 44th FS, at the time part of AirSols, on Guadalcanal.

 

_BEL7407 P-40N NL85104 A6M-3 Model 22 Zero NX712Z left side in flight l
Image source: http://www.air-and-space.com/

Video

Watch and listen to this P-40 Warhawk test fire its .50 cal machine guns, with blanks of course!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qmln5aChX0s

Joris Nieuwint

Joris Nieuwint is a battlefield guide for the Operation Market Garden area. His primary focus is on the Allied operations from September 17th, 1944 onwards. Having lived in the Market Garden area for 25 years, he has been studying the events for nearly as long. He has a deep understanding of the history and a passion for sharing the stories of the men who are no longer with us.

@joris1944 facebook.com/joris.nieuwint