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Hawk 81A AVG 23FG3FS over China, May 1942 Wartime Color 01-02 Skins Compatibility: IL2 Sturmovik Forgotten Battles (FB), Ace Expansion Pack (AEP), Pacific Fighters (PF), 1946, Storm of War (SW).
MC Macwan This is a Great Skin ASISBIZ **** Asisbiz Free Virtual High Resolution Images for Screensavers and Wallpaper: If you have any additional historical information about the person or aircraft featured in our website please email us at info@asisbiz.com so we can add more details about the historic events featured here. Also any photos would be most welcome. If you're a graphic artist and can help with il2 game skins or Microsoft CFS skins we'd be delighted to host your material. AVG Flying Tigers sharks mouths 01 Type 2: These were identical to Type 1 mouths, with the exception of having Chinese Blue color lips. The only examples 1 have found are from the 2nd Pursuit Squadron. Color photos have confirmed this style. Type 3: The empty area of the Type 1 mouth is filled in with Aircraft Gray. Other features are the same as above. Type 4: The empty area of the Type I mouth is filled in with the Chinese Blue color. Other features are the same as above. Type 5: These are the most refined of all the mouth styles. They have the filled in upper mouth areas of either Aircraft Gray or Chinese Blue, as do Types 3 and 4. In addition, they feature very fine black pin-striping around the details of the tongue and teeth. Type 6: This style has been positively documented only on a few aircraft, one of which is shown in a color photo in this book. The tongue is painted in the same Dark Brown as the upper fuselage, but has a red cheat-line along the top edge. The color photo shows the upper portion of the mouth to be a very faded Chinese Blue, but other aircraft with this style may have had the same area painted Aircraft Gray instead. AVG Flying Tigers sharks mouths 02
FLYING TIGER INSIGNIA
STENCILS CAMOUFLAGE COLORS The upper surfaces were to be painted Dark Green and Dark Earth, and the DuPont paints used were fairly close to the specified RAF colors. In some cases the brown color used had a slightly more yellow hue to it that the RAF color, which became more evident when fading occurred in the field as shown in several color plates in this book. The DuPont paints used were 71-065 (Dark Brown), and 71-013 (Dark Green). Probably the most confusing and disputed area of research on the colors of these aircraft concerns the paint used on the undersurfaces. While the RAF used a greenish-blue color called Sky Type S for their fighters, there wasn’t any DuPont color that closely matched it. A cool gray color was used instead, and this was likely F.S. 16473 Aircraft Gray, which has a very slight blue-green hue to it. Some color film and photos seem to show a much bluer color on some aircraft. Whether this is a legitimate variation, or simply the effects of time deteoriating the film over the last fifty years is unknown. During the course of my interviews, most crew members clearly recall a neutral or slightly cool gray as having been used. The idea of blue undersurfaces may have originated with a color photo of a group of 3rd Pursuit Squadron aircraft dispersed on the ground. In some publications, the undersurfaces have reproduced as a very definite powder blue color. During my research, I obtained an early generation copy of this photo from an A.V.O. pilot. After scanning and digitally enhancing this photo, I believe it is more likely that the color had shifted during numerous copy generations and subsequent color separations for four-color printing, resulting in the incorrect blue-gray interpretations. The wheel hubs were painted in either Aircraft Gray, Dark Earth, or a scalloped design consisting of the three squadron colors. The propellers were black with yellow tips, and had data stencils applied in white near the propeller base. All aircraft were factory painted in subassemblies using large masking mats, which resulted in very hard-edged demarcation lines between the camouflage colors. Frequently the edges of these colors did not match up when the assemblies were finally mated together, resulting in a very patchwork appearance. Some researchers have mistakenly stated that the large round areas of Dark Earth on the wings and fuselage were the previously-applied RAF roundels that had been painted out. That is not correct. The masking mats had large circular cutouts where the RAF roundels were to have been applied, which resulted in large Dark Earth circles on the wings and fuselage. This was done to aid in aligning the decals of the RAF roundels when they were to be applied at a later date. Photos of Curtiss workers painting wing assemblies clearly show these round areas on the masking mats. In some cases, the mats were reversed, resulting in a mirror image of the camouflage pattern (aircraft #42 is a good example of this). Since the aircraft were to have been painted with RAF fin flashes, the vertical stabilizers had to be camouflaged once the decision had been made to divert the aircraft to China. The stabilizers were painted prior to the attachment of the rudders, resulting in the camouflage demarcations of the two not aligning when mated. The stabilizer camouflage consisted of the two upper surface colors being applied in equal amounts, usually divided by a horizontal or slightly angled demarcation line. Some were simply painted in a single solid coat of either color. A color unofficially known as Chinese Blue was used by the A.V.G. for various markings as outlined below. This color faded extremely rapidly, almost giving the impression that multiple blue colors were used on the aircraft. The fresh, unfaded color was a close match to FS-35095. After some fading, it began to resemble FS-35180 or FS-35183, and eventually lightened to a color that is similar to FS-35250, but much less saturated. The P-40Es that were later obtained by the A.V.G were painted in the standard USAAF scheme of Olive Drab 41 upper surfaces and Neutral Gray 43 lower surfaces. SQUADRON MARKINGS Each aircraft had its number applied to the fuselage in white, 20 inches tall. In the beginning, the aircraft also had the number repeated on the forward cowling just in front of the exhaust stacks in white, 5 to 6 inches tall. The serial number was applied in white on the vertical stabilizer. The First Pursuit Squadron, as described above, started out with aircraft numbers 1 through 33. The squadron color was white, used to identify 1st P.S. aircraft via a stripe on the aft fuselage. The 1st P.S. was known as the Adam and Eves. It adopted an insignia featuring a green apple with a man and woman, often depicted in stick figures, running across it. A black sash running across the lower half of the apple had 1st Pursuit written on it. As the badges were all hand-painted, numerous variations exist between individual aircraft. Most aircraft in this squadron had open style sharks mouths, in which only the tongue was painted in, leaving the camouflage color showing through the upper portion of the mouth area. The Second Pursuit Squadron initially had aircraft numbers 34 through 66. The squadron color was Chinese Blue, and as with the 1st P.S. above, this color was used to identify the aircraft via a stripe on the aft fuselage. The 2nd PS. was known as the Panda Bears, and some aircraft featured a small painting of such a bear on the fuselages. Each of the Panda Bears painted on the aircraft was quite different from the others, and many 2nd P.S. aircraft carried none at all. Some 2nd P.S. aircraft used the squadron color for the lips on their sharks mouths, but as mentioned above, this color was very prone to fading and later was usually painted over with black. Several color photos of Erik Shillings #52 with blue lips have been published over the years, confirming this practice. The Third Pursuit Squadron, as outlined earlier, started out with aircraft numbers 67 through 99. The squadron color was red, applied to the aircraft via a stripe on the aft fuselage. The 3rd PS. was known as the Hells Angels, and adopted an insignia featuring a winged woman painted in red having a thin white outline. Each individual Angel was unique in her pose, and some aircraft carried one on each side. The sharks mouths from this squadron often had completely filled-in mouth openings, using either Aircraft Gray or Chinese Blue. Ref: Tigers Over China – The Aircraft of the AVG by Thomas A. Tullis ISBN 0-966070674 Eagle Publications EF#04 http://www.eagle-editions.com The Curtiss P-40B-C Warhawk and P-40CU Technically the aircraft was a monocoque monoplane, all-metal except for the fabric-covered metal structure of the wing and tail moving surfaces. The wings had a NACA 2215 profile tending towards a NACA 2209 at the wing tips which had already been tried out on the P-36. The fuel which was stored in four wing tanks between the fillet radius and the landing gear and a fifth behind the pilot (988 litres in all) supplied a 1040bhp Allison V-1710-33 engine. Armament was rather feeble for the times as far as Western counterparts were concerned and consisted of two Colt-Browning 12.7mm machine guns housed in the engine cowling. The landing gear was entirely retractable but left a part of the tyres visible; the tailwheel was completely hidden. Note that the prototype had two trap doors on the undercarriage legs near the torsion links and two front trap doors at the root of the struts; these disappeared with the model under discussion here. Production was kept up well since by September 1940, 168 P-40 had been delivered. It was the 8th Pursuit Group made up of the 33rd, 35th and 36th Pursuit Squadrons at Langley Field in Virginia which got them first, then the 20th Pursuit Group (55th, 77th, 79th Pursuit Squadrons) based at March Field in California, then the 31st Pursuit Group (39th, 40th, 41st Pursuit Squadrons) based at Selfridge, Michigan and then, very briefly, the 35th Pursuit Group (21st, 34th, 70th Pursuit Squadrons). Meanwhile in March 1940, it was decided to honor a large order dating back to October 1939 for 230 Curtiss H-81 As (the export designation for the first P-40s) ordered by France. These machines could be fitted with four Browning FN 387.5mm machine guns in the wings and be equipped with French equipment. They never reached their destination, and thanks to the British Purchasing Commission, in September 1940, a first batch of 140 machines (serial N° AH-741 to 880) was acquired by the RAF, which immediately drew attention to certain deficiencies like the absence of cockpit armor, the lack of self-sealing tanks, the weak armament despite the installation of the four wing mounted Browning 7.7mm machine guns. The official British designation changed from Tomahawk MkI, MkIA to MkIB. These planes were delivered to a large number of squadrons (2, 13, 16, 26, 94, 112, 168, 171, 208, 231, 241, 250, 260, 349, 414, 430 and 613) but never really had the favor of the authorities who relegated them to training and to ground support in North Africa mainly with the Desert Air Force. The remainder of the French order, 90 planes, was also taken up by the RAF (together with another batch of 20 machines, serial numbers AH881-990) who obviously insisted on the fitting of more powerful armament, i.e. the four wing-mounted guns as well as those already fitted over the engine, and the protection for the pilot and the fuel tanks already mentioned. Indeed, the deficiencies already listed by the RAF had led Curtiss to bring out a new model, the H-81B, incorporating all the modifications mentioned as well as more powerful armament with 380 rounds instead of the original 200. This version was called the P-40B or Hawk 81A-2 (Tomahawk MkIIA) and delivered to the USAAC which had asked for 131 examples (serial N° 5205 to 5304 and 41-13297 to 13327) during the winter of 1940 and the spring of 1941. The next stage was an order for 930 Hawk 81A-3s (Tomahawk MkIIBs) from Great Britain in which the radio equipment (SCR-274) and the fuel supply were modified; armament was still four Browning 7.7 mm machine guns in the wings as well as the two 12.7 mm guns over the engine. A lot of machines (about 300) were then transferred to other allies like China and Russia which greatly needed high performance fighters. The interest which the British order aroused prompted Curtiss to develop the H-81B, or the P-40C which took into account all the previous modifications (self-sealing tanks, wing and engine-mounted guns with 490 rounds, new SCR-274 radio) as well as provision for a 197 liter drop tank. The USAAC ordered 193 examples, and production started in the spring of 1941. Deliveries first went to the 36th Pursuit Group in Puerto Rico and the 16th Pursuit Group (24th, 29th, 43rd Pursuit Squadrons) based at Panama; after that, other units already equipped with the P-40B, like the 8th and the 18th Pursuit Groups, were given them. The first P-40s saw service on many fronts particularly Russia which received 146 Tomahawk MkIIB’s taken from British stocks together with 49 others coming directly from factories in the USA. They were used in the defense of Leningrad and Moscow during the winter of 1941-42. Other small batches from England were sent to Egypt and Turkey. Apart from the North African operations, the RAF used them over the Channel with No’s 2, 26, 231and 241 Squadrons, in the Middle East against Vichy, and two others, No’s 400 and 403 operated in the Royal Canadian Air Force. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the 15th and 18th Pursuit Groups at Wheeler Field lost 62 P-40Bs on the ground and the 4th Pursuit Group based a Bellows Field lost 10 P-40Cs out of 12. The Flying Tigers was set up by a forceful character, General Claire Lee Chennault, with the tacit approval of the American authorities in order to contain the Japanese advance in China and Bur-ma, and relieve Tchang Kai Tchek's nationalist troops, this air force was equipped with about a hundred British Tomahawk MkIIs worth $ 8.9m by the Chinese, flown by American volunteers, some of doubtful reputation, for 600 to 750 dollars a month, which was a real godsend even without the 500 dollars paid in gold for every Japanese plane brought down in aerial combat. In six months' operations, the three squadrons ‘Adam and Eve’, ‘Panda Bear’ and ‘Hell's Angels’ destroyed 286 planes in the air and 240 on the ground for the loss of only 16 planes (four in the air, six during ground attacks, three through accidents and three during air raids). In July 1942, the AVG (American Volunteer group) was incorporated into the 23rd Fighter group and carried on the war against the Japanese, but this time officially. It was the beginning of the Curtiss fighter's legend. P-40C Technical Specifications.
Power Plant. 6 machine guns (2 x 12.7mm Browning M-2s over the engine and 4 Colt. Browning 7.7mm MG-40s in the wings). Book References: Osprey - P-40 Warhawk Aces of the CBI (Aircraft of the Aces 35) Osprey - P-40 Warhawk Aces of the Pacific (Aircraft of the Aces 55) RAAF Camouflage & Markings 1939-45 Vol 1 RAAF Camouflage & Markings 1939-45 Vol 2 Jane's - Fighting Aircraft of World War II Further Material The Curtis P-40 Written by Joe Baugher
The P-40 served in numerous combat areas--the Aleutian Islands, Italy, the Middle East, the Far East, the Southwest Pacific and some were sent to Russia. Though often outclassed by its adversaries in speed, maneuverability and rate of climb, the P-40 earned a reputation in battle for extreme ruggedness.
SPECIFICATIONS
All of these criticisms certainly had some degree of validity, but it is also true that the P-40 served its country well during the first year of the war in the Pacific when very little else was available. Along with the P-39 Airacobra, the P-40 was the only American fighter available in quantity to confront the Japanese advance during the first year of the Pacific War. It helped stem the speed of the Japanese advance until more modern types could be made available in quantity. The P-40 had no serious vices and was a pleasant aircraft to fly, and, when flown by an experienced pilot who was fully aware of its strengths and weaknesses, was able to give a good account of itself in aerial combat. The P-40 continued in production long after later types were readily available, the numbers manufactured reaching the third highest total of American World War II fighters, after the Republic P-47 and the North American P-51.
The P-40 was obsolete by European standards even before the first prototype flew, and it never did catch up. Its Initial inadequacies in the form of low firepower and lack of self-sealing fuel tanks or armor were a reflection of mid-'thirties USAAC requirements which were outmoded. The P-40 had been developed as basically a low-altitude close-support fighter under mid-1930s US tactical concepts which envisaged more need for low-level ground support operations than for high-altitude interceptions. The military doctrine of the "ascendancy of bombardment over pursuit" was dominant in 1937 when the P-40 first appeared. This doctrine assumed that the prospect of high-altitude enemy air attack on the USA was extremely remote, with coastal defense and ground attack in the defense of US territory being seen as the the main tasks for any future fighter aircraft. Low-altitude performance and rugged construction received priority over high-altitude capabilities.
Some indication of the enormous P-40 production program undertaken by Curtiss can be assessed by its claim on factory floor space and manpower. During 1941, the Curtiss Airplane Division expanded its manufacturing area by 400 percent. The total work force was 45,000. This expansion included two new plants, one at Buffalo, New York and the other at Columbus, Ohio, to supplement the original Curtiss plant in St. Louis, Missouri. At the peak of wartime production, the entire Curtiss Airplane Division complex of factories was producing sixty aircraft A DAY!
The origin of the P-40 can be traced back to the Curtiss P-36 (Model 75) fighter, which was powered by a radial, air-cooled engine. A step in the direction toward what was eventually to emerge as the P-40 was the XP-37, which was described in an earlier post. The P-36 design was reworked to incorporate the Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled V-type engine, resulting in the XP-37. The XP-37 was equipped with a General Electrc turbo supercharger, and featured a cockpit pushed very far to the rear. Thirteen YP-37 service-test aircraft were built, but problems with the turbo supercharger caused the development of the P-37 to be abandoned in favor of a less complex and more straightforward conversion of the P-36 for the Allison V-1710 engine.
Realizing that the radial-engined P-36A was at the limit of its development, Curtiss designer Donovan Berlin got USAAC permission in July 1937 to install a 1150 hp Allison V-1710-19 liquid-cooled engine with integral supercharging in the 10th P-36A (Serial No 38-10). This project was given the company designation of Model 75P, and the USAAC gave the project a new fighter designation, XP-40.
The maximum speed of the XP-40 was 342 mph at 12,200 feet at a gross weight of 6260 pounds. This was faster than the Hawker Hurricane, but slower than the Spitfire or the Bf 109E. Empty weight was 5417 pounds, and fully-loaded weight was 6870 pounds. Range was 460 miles at 299 mph with 100 gallons of fuel. With 159 gallons of fuel at 200 mph, a range of 1180 miles was claimed, almost twice that of the contemporary Hurricane, Spitfire, and Bf 109E. Wingspan was 37 feet 4 inches, wing area was 236 square feet, length was 31 feet 1 inch, and height was 12 feet 4 inches. The wingspan and wing area were to remain the same throughout the entire history of the P-40 production run.
In the late 1930s, the USAAC was planning to expand its force, and on January 25, 1939. Manufacturers were invited to submit proposals for pursuit aircraft. The Army was still thinking in terms of low-altitude, short-range fighters. Among the contenders were the Lockheed XP-38, the Bell XP-39, the Seversky/Republic XP-41 (AP-2) and XP-43 (AP-4), and no less than three planes from Curtiss, the H75R, XP-37, and XP-42. Although the XP-40 could not match the performance (especially at altitude) of the turbo supercharged types, it was less expensive and could reach quantity production fully a year ahead of the other machines. In addition, the XP-40 was based on a already-proven airframe that had been in production for some years. Consequently, on April 26, 1939, the Army adopted a conservative approach and ordered 524 production versions under the designation P-40 (Curtiss Model 81). At that time, it was the largest-ever production order for a US fighter, and dwarfed the service test orders placed that same day for YP-38 and YP-39 fighters. A couple of weeks later, 13 YP-43s were also ordered.
The P-40 was similar to the final XP-40 configuration except for 1040 hp V-1710-33 (C15) engines and provisions for the mounting of one 0.30-inch machine gun in each wing. Flush riveting was used to reduce drag. Armor, bulletproof windshields, and leakproof fuel tanks were added in service. The P-40 was a relatively clean design, and was unusual for the time in having a fully retractable tailwheel.
The first flight of a P-40 (Ser No 39-156) was on April 4, 1940. Maximum speed was 357 mph at 15,000 feet, service ceiling was 32,750 feet, and initial climb rate was 3080 feet per minute. An altitude of 15,000 feet could be reached in 5.2 minutes. The length of the P-40 was 31 feet 8 3/4 inches, which became standard for all early models. Weights were 5376 pounds empty, 6787 pounds gross, and 7215 pounds maximum.
Only 200 of the initial P-40 order were actually completed as P-40s. Serials were 39-156/280 and 40-292/357. The remaining 324 aircraft of the order had their delivery deferred to enable Curtiss to expedite the delivery of the 140 H-81As to France. However, none of these actually reached France before the Armistice in June 1940, and the contract was taken over by the Royal Air Force as Tomahawk I.
16 P-40s were sent to the Soviet Union after the German invasion. The P-40 lacked such things as armor for the pilot, self-sealing fuel tanks, and a bulletproof windshield, so it was not considered as being suitable for combat. On October 22, 1942, the P-40s still in USAAF service were ordered restricted from combat duty and were redesignated RP-40.
The P-40A designation was skipped in the initial designation assignments. However, it was applied retroactively to P-40 Ser No 40-326 when it was converted to a camera-carrying photographic reconnaissance model at Bolling Field in March of 1942.
The P-40B (Model H81B) differed from the P-40 in having an extra 0.30-inch machine gun in each wing. The engine was still the V-1710-33. In September 1940, 131 P-40Bs were procured by the Army to replace the deferred P-40s. Serials were 41-5205/5304 and 41-13297/13327. The first P-40B flew on March 13, 1941. The P-40B retained the same dimensions of the P-40, but weight was increased to 5590 pounds empty, 7326 pounds gross, and 7600 pounds maximum loaded. Because of the additional weight, the P-40B had an inferior performance to the P-40, maximum speed being 352 mph, service ceiling being 32,400 feet, and initial climb rate being 2860 feet per minute. Normal range was 730 miles, but a maximum range of 1230 miles could be attained at the minimum cruise settings.
The export equivalent of the P-40B was the Tomahawk IIA (Model H81-A2). They differed from the American version by having the wing guns replaced by 0.303-inch Brownings. 110 were produced for the RAF. RAF serials were AH881/990. 23 of these planes were transferred to the USSR, and one (AH938) went to Canada as an instructional airframe.
The initial P-40 order was finally completed with 193 P-40Cs (company designation H81-B). Serials were 41-13328/13520. The first flight of a P-40C was made on April 10, 1941. The P-40C retained the 1150 hp Allison V-1710-33 engine, but was fitted with a new fuel system with 134 gallons in new tanks with improved self sealing. In addition, provisions were made for a 52-gallon drop tank below the fuselage. The P-40C had a SCR-247N radio instead of the SCR-283. These additions produced yet another upward crawl in the weight --- the weights for the P-40C were 5812 pounds empty, 7459 pounds gross, and 8058 pounds maximum loaded. Consequently, the performance continued to degrade. Maximum speed was 345 mph at 15,000 feet. Normal and maximum ranges were 730 and 945 miles respectively. Service ceiling was 29,500 feet, and initial climb rate was 2650 feet per minute. Dimensions were wingspan 27 feet 3 1/2 inches, length 31 feet 8 1/2 inches, height 10 feet 7 inches, wing area 236 square feet.
The export equivalent of the P-40C was the Tomahawk IIB (Model H81-A2). A total of 930 were built. RAF serials were AH991/999 (all to USSR), AK100/570 (36 to China), AM370/519 (64 to China), and AN218/517. 100 of these planes, unofficially designated H81-A3, were transferred to China where they were used by the American Volunteer Group --- the famous "Flying Tigers". 23 went to the USSR, and unspecified numbers went to Turkey and Egypt. The rest were used extensively by the RAF and South African Air Force in the North African theatre.
At a very early stage, the Curtiss P-40 attracted the attention of foreign air forces. On May 10, 1939, the French ordered 140 export versions of the P-40 for the Armee de l'Air. These aircraft were designated Hawk 81-A1 by the manufacturer. The Hawk 81-A1s were identical to the US P-40 except that they had French instruments and equipment and were equipped with reverse-movement "French-fashion" throttles.
The first of the French-ordered H81-A1s flew on June 6, 1940, and a few were actually completed with French markings. However, before any of their H81-A1s could be delivered, France surrendered. Britain agreed to take over the entirety of the French order, and gave the H81-A the name Tomahawk I in RAF service. RAF serials were AH741/840 and AH841/880.
The USAAC had agreed to defer deliveries of their P-40s so that the Tomahawk Is could be supplied to Britain as soon as possible. The first Tomahawk Is reached England in September of 1940. The two 0.5-inch machine guns in the nose were retained, but they were supplemented by four wing-mounted 0.303-inch Browning machine guns in place of the 7.5-mm FN-Brownings specified by the French. Such was the urgency of their delivery to Britain that many of the 140 machines still had French instruments and bore cockpit lettering in French when they arrived.
However, Britain quickly concluded that these planes were not suitable for combat, since they lacked armor protection for the pilot, armor-glass windshields, or self-sealing fuel tanks. Nevertheless, since a German invasion was feared to be imminent, they were actually issued to several operational squadrons.
The Tomahawk IIA (Model H81-A2) was equivalent to the US P-40B. It had protective armor and externally-covered self-sealing tanks. 110 were built for the RAF under a direct-purchase contract. It carried two 0.30-inch machine guns in the wings in addition to the two 0.50-in guns in the fuselage. A British radio was fitted. RAF serials were AH881/990. AH938 was transferred to Canada as an instructional airframe. 23 of these planes were transferred to the USSR.
The Tomahawk IIB (Model H81-A2) was generally equivalent to the US P-40C. It had four 0.303-inch Browning machine guns in the wings in addition to the two nose-mounted 0.50-in guns. Whereas the Tomahawk IIA had a British radio, the Tomahawk IIB had US equipment. A total of 930 of these planes were produced in four lots. RAF serials were AH991/999, AK100/570 (36 of this batch were shipped to China and were selected at random with no particular sequence), AM370/519 (64 were shipped to China, selected at random), and AN218/517. They were used extensively by the RAF and the South African Air Force in North Africa starting on June 16, 1941.
After the German invasion of the USSR in June 1941, one hundred and ninety-five Tomahawk IIBs were shipped to the USSR, some from the USA, others selected from the reserve forced based in the United Kingdom in anticipation of the German invasion which never came. These Russian Tomahawks went into action on the Moscow and Leningrad fronts in October 1941, and were the first US-built planes to be used by the Russians in the new battle area. An unspecified number of Tomahawk IIBs were sent to bolster Turkish neutrality in November 1941. Turkey was supplied with planes from both the Allies and the Axis during World War II.
The Tomahawk IIs were active in the Middle East from October of 1941 onward. They shared in the strafing of the retreating Axis troops. The ability of the Tomahawk to absorb an incredible amount of punishment became almost legendary. They served with Nos 2, 26, 73, 112, 136, 168, 239, 241, 250, 403, 414, 430 and 616 Squadrons of the RAF. They also served with Nos 2 and 4 Squadrons of the South African Air Force and No 3 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force. At low altitudes, the Tomahawk II was actually superior to the Bf 109, but this advantage rapidly disappeared when combat took place at altitudes above 15,000 feet. The weight which handicapped the performance of the Tomahawk did have one tangible benefit --- the rugged structure could absorb a terrific amount of battle damage and still allow the airplane to return to base. Although generally outclassed by the Bf 109, the Tomahawk was a capable fighter in the hands of experienced pilots such as Neville Duke. Wing Commander Clive Caldwell of the RAAF scored more than twenty victories while flying a Tomahawk in the Middle East. However, much of the opposition to the Tomahawk was provided by obsolescent fighter biplanes (e.g. Fiat CR-42) and underpowered, lightly armed fighter monoplanes such as the Fiat G-50 of the Regia Aeronautica. It had difficulty with the more advanced Macchi C-202 Folgore.
100 of the RAF Tomahawk IIBs were released to China and served with the American Volunteer Group (AVG) --- the famous "Flying Tigers". Company records list them as Model H81-A3. The Tomahawk IIB was more-or-less equivalent to the P-40C, but some sources list the Flying Tiger Tomahawks as being equivalent to the P-40B. There is confusion on this point.
It is with the Flying Tigers that the P-40 achieved immortality. Newly-promoted to Brigadier General in the Chinese Army, Claire Chennault went to the USA in November 1940 to recruit pilots for the AVG. The AVG came into existence in August 1941. General Chennault ordered 100 P-40s through a loan from the US government. By the time of Pearl Harbor, some 80 American pilots were serving with the AVG based at Kunming and Mingaladon. Contrary to popular understanding, the AVG did not actually enter combat until AFTER Pearl Harbor. The famous "shark's teeth" marking did not originate with the Flying Tigers, but was copied from the markings used by the Tomahawks of the RAF's No. 112 Squadron in North Africa. The AVG drew first blood on December 20, destroying six out of ten attacking Japanese bombers. When the AVG encountered the Japanese Zero for the first time, they initially underestimated the maneuverability of their opponent, and they lost two pilots on December 23. [Actually, the Dec. 20 encounter ended with three Kawasaki Ki-48 "Lily" bombers shot down and one force-landed in Vietnam. The retractable-gear aircraft that fought the AVG were Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa fighters, later called "Oscar" in the west.] It was soon learned that it was wise not to mix it up with the Zero on a one-to-one basis because of the inferior maneuverability and climb rate of the Curtiss, but instead to use the P-40's superior speed and diving ability to advantage. The most effective tactic against the Zero was a diving pass followed by a rapid departure from the scene. The P-40 gained a reputation for ruggedness which enabled many an AVG pilot to return safely home after his plane was damaged in combat. |
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