The only known photo of the P-40Es of the 13th Pursuit Squadron (Provisional) at Richmond Field, Sydney, Australia, Feb. 13, 1942, after being hastily assembled and painted - some with non-standard insignia. Many RAAF pilots achieved high scores in the P-40. P-40 pilots from the 57th FG were the first USAAF fliers to see action in the MTO, while attached to Desert Air Force Kittyhawk squadrons, from July 1942. [81] In addition, the RAAF ordered 67 Kittyhawks for use by No. This aircraft survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, as it was in a maintenance hangar undergoing repair. The P-40 was used by over two dozen countries during and after the war. A few aircraft were converted to TP-40N two-seat trainers. Derived from the Curtiss P-36 series and first flown in 1938, the P-40 was kept in production until 1944, with nearly 14,000 of all models delivered. Soviet pilot Nikolai G. Golodnikov recalled: "The cockpit was vast and high. [85], From late 1943 and 1944, RNZAF P-40s were increasingly used against ground targets, including the innovative use of naval depth charges as improvised high-capacity bombs. In due course, Americans adopted the popular name Warhawk for all versions while British Commonwealth and Soviet air arms used the name Tomahawk for early P-40 models and Kittyhawk for subsequent variants. This quickly prompted a redesign of the wing to accommodate the new artillery installation. [24] Tires and batteries also failed. Another pilot, Stephan Ridny (a Hero of the Soviet Union), remarked that he had to shoot half the ammunition at 50100 meters (165340ft) to shoot down an enemy aircraft. The Tomahawk was used by most Allied forces during World War II. [57] While the P-40 suffered heavy losses in the MTO, many USAAF P-40 units achieved high kill-to-loss ratios against Axis aircraft; the 324th FG scored better than a 2:1 ratio in the MTO. The American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) was integrated into the USAAF as the 23rd Fighter Group in June 1942. Im always interested in photos, Almont. Selected aviation cadets were given transition training in these fighter planes before receiving their pilots wings. If you are looking for a specific category of photo, use this menu. This turned out to be unsuccessful as the Kittyhawk is now being displayed outside at a military museum at El Alamein, having received a makeover many consider 'hideous', and PK664 being reported lost. "Scores of new planeswere now in India, and there they stayedin case the Japanese decided to invade the AVG was lucky to get a few tires and spark plugs with which to carry on its daily war. [38], The earliest victory claims by P-40 pilots include Vichy French aircraft, during the 1941 Syria-Lebanon campaign, against Dewoitine D.520s, a type often considered to be the best French fighter of the war. From 26 May 1942, Kittyhawk units operated primarily as fighter-bomber units, giving rise to the nickname "Kittybomber". Roy Sutherland DuPont light grey P-40 Tomahawk underside colour April 20 18:13 2010 I know that the Lend Lease P-40B/Cs destined for the RAF (including the ones diverted to the AVG) were painted in equivalent Dark Earth and Dark Green uppersurfaces with Light Grey undersides. In June 1941, Caldwell, of 250 Squadron in Egypt, flying as flying Officer (F/O) Jack Hamlyn's wingman, recorded in his log book that he was involved in the first air combat victory for the P-40. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Library of Congress photo. My RAF/AVG Tomahawk cockpit colors choices based on my interpretations of Curtiss factory colors photos is . 2023 Defense Media Network. [32] Most air combat in North Africa took place well below 16,000ft (4,900m), negating much of the Bf 109's superiority. [94] They also had difficulty with the more demanding requirements for fuel and oil quality of the Allison engines. These statistics reveal a surprising fact: it turns out that the Tomahawk was fully capable of successful air combat with a Bf 109. I love the P-40 and all the stories on it. (Image by Max Haynes - MaxAir2Air.com.) [67] At least 40 U.S. pilots reached ace status while flying the P-40 in the CBI. [N 2] Further tests in December 1939 proved the fighter could reach 366mph (589km/h). Tomahawks and Kittyhawks bore the brunt of Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica fighter attacks during the North African campaign. Edited June 17, 2014 by HBBates. gun models: 5 UK P-40 squadrons from mid-1942 re-equipped with aircraft such as Mustangs[clarification needed]. If you're not yet a member, please sign up for an account. The most critical problem was the lack of spare parts; the only source was from damaged aircraft. These variants are denoted by a - before the aircraft name. tank models: 96 The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. Today. It was one of the greatest planes of WWII. Read another story from us:P-51 Mustangs of the 8th Air Force, Micheal Chimaobi Kalu is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE. [13] USAAC Fighter Projects Officer Lieutenant Benjamin S. Kelsey flew this prototype some 300 miles in 57 minutes, approximately 315 miles per hour (507km/h). All countries represented in our database are included in this selection menu, which is updated automatically as the database grows. Box 248 Watch. [47] Billy Drake of 112 Squadron was the leading British P-40 ace with 13 victories. A fair number of burned-out P-40s were re-engined with Soviet Klimov M-105 engines, but these performed relatively poorly and were relegated to rear area use. Curtiss P-40C Tomahawk ZK-TWK taxi out for take off at Classic Fighters 2011. [45][48] A total of 46 British Commonwealth pilots became aces in P-40s, including seven double aces.[45]. 36 m) Height: 12. The P-40D and subsequent versions were labeled Kittyhawks. 77 Squadron RAAF. window.location.href = '/Search-Results.aspx?searchtext=' + $(this).val() + '&searchmode=anyword'; Climb performance was fair to poor, depending on the subtype. Shop affordable wall art to hang in dorms, bedrooms, offices, or anywhere blank walls aren't welcome. Both countries subsequently ordered new U.S. fighter jets, Curtis promised. Most P-40Fs had a slightly lengthened fuselage, which improved directional stability. Please create one by clicking. [via], R.T. Smith next to Chuck Olders P-40 Tomahawk #68 in Kunming, China on May 23, 1942. The British called it the Tomahawk (B and C models) and Kittyhawk (D and E models). ships: 49, World War Photos 2013-2023, contact: info(at)worldwarphotos.info. All the transports were shot down, for a loss of three P-40s. The P-40s were a handful for German and Italian fighters at low and medium altitudes during the campaign in North Africa and were used for air superiority, a role which they played effectively. The article reports that the P-40B Tomahawk, #41-13297, was the only P-40B to survive the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 at Wheeler Field in Hawaii. 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. The Flying Tigers, known officially as the 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG), were a unit of the Chinese Air Force, recruited from U.S. Navy, Marines and Army aviators. After the Japanese threat diminished, these two RCAF squadrons returned to Canada and eventually transferred to England without their Kittyhawks. The P-40 was the third-most numerous US fighter of World War II. It lacked innovations such as boosted ailerons or automatic leading edge slats, but its strong structure included a five-spar wing, which enabled P-40s to pull high-G turns and survive some midair collisions. 2023 Getty Images. [13] Without beneficial tail winds, Kelsey flew the XP-40 from Wright Field back to Curtiss's plant in Buffalo at an average speed of 354mph (570km/h). This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Curtiss-Wright Corporation - United States. Search. 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. The RCAF initially sent 111 Squadron, flying the Kittyhawk I, to the US base on Adak island. A single Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was reported damaged by Lieutenant Willie Ashley Jr. On 2 July the squadron claimed its first verified kill; a Fw 190 destroyed by Captain Charles Hall. 1987. [via], AVG Third Squadron P-40 Tomahawks #75, #96, #47, #22 and #35 parked at Kunming in May 1942. The P-40 was propelled by an Allison V-1710 V12 engine which dissipated 1,040 horsepower. "Chronology: The Army Air Corps to World War II". If you are looking for photos of a specific size, use this menu. photos of World War 2 : over 34100 The American press still called them the Flying Tigers. Testing showed the aircraft did not have the performance needed for use in Northwest Europe at high-altitude, due to the service ceiling limitation. At first it felt unpleasant to sit waist-high in glass, as the edge of the fuselage was almost at waist level. These included at least 20 double aces,[10] mostly over North Africa, China, Burma and India, the South West Pacific and Eastern Europe. The Merlin came with the P-40F variant. These were changed to British, but they lacked armor and self-sealing fuel tanks. A Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk Mk III of No. In late September 1941, the first 48 P-40s were assembled and checked in the USSR. [40] The leading German expert in North Africa, Hans-Joachim Marseille, claimed as many as 101 P-40s during his career.[41]. The Maverick War, Chennault and the Flying Tigers. No. First overseas orders for the type came . [61] In the Solomon Islands and New Guinea Campaigns and the air defence of Australia, improved tactics and training allowed the USAAF to better use the strengths of the P-40. 3 Squadron RAAF, which claimed 19 aerial victories over Vichy French aircraft during June and July 1941, for the loss of one P-40 (and one lost to ground fire). US fighter, ground attack and fighter- bomber P-40 Curtiss Hawk. And I'd done a little bit of boxing I beat much better opponents simply by going for [them]. [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. It was powerful, reliable, but only on HF (high frequency). Thank you for posting. Thanks to a very generous sponsor, the worlds only P-40B and only surviving airworthy American fighter from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor joined the collection. New categories are constantly being added to this list. Some sources also claim that in December 1941, Caldwell killed a prominent German Experte, Erbo von Kageneck (69 kills), while flying a P-40. 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. The lack of power at higher altitudes made it very hard to survive against aircraft like the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and Messerschmitt Bf 109. 3 and No. However, during the Second World War, the P-40s were crucial in the North African, Southwest Pacific, and Chinese theaters. The p-40 American air power plate tomahawk xp-46 kittyhawk airplanes SedaVintage (28) P-40B Tomahawk 41-13297 flies wearing the scheme she wore during her time in Hawaii with the 18th Pursuit Group. In the brief, intense battle that occurred [the 317th claimed] 21 enemy aircraft. [via]. "The Amazing George Welch: Part One - The Tiger of Pearl Harbor". The 23rd Fighter Group achieved similar victories to the AVG. [via], R.T. Smith in the cockpit of P-40 Tomahawk #40 in Kunming, China on May 23, 1942. $('.pre-header > .pre-nav > .prev-nav-links .CMSEditableRegionEdit').on("mouseenter", function (e) { ranging from the Revolutionary War until today. American P-40s were engaged in their first combat in December 1941 in the Southwest Pacific. rafweb.org, 2007, "Aircraft of the RAF (E L)". Australias Clive Killer Caldwell, the top P-40 ace, scored a remarkable 22 of his 28-1/2 kills in the Warhawk, but never lived down his self-acknowledged reputation for shooting at enemy pilots in their parachutes. P-40 Warhawk In Color Photos from World War II: -87938-928-1 Motorbooks International 10 Eagle Files 4 Tigers Over China The Aircraft of the A.V.G. [53] The P-40 had a higher dive speed than any Japanese fighter aircraft of the early war years, for example, and could exploit so-called "boom-and-zoom" tactics. Faircount Media Group. The original German ZG 76 had an all read mouth, whereas the 112 squadrons had red highlighting the upper red teeth and the Flying Tigers on the Lower Teeth." -Doug Revell Fighter / Fighter Bomber. By 15 November 1941, the regiment had shot down 17 German aircraft. In his memoirs, he says one Japanese-operated P-40 was shot down in error by a friendly Mitsubishi Ki-21 "Sally" over Rangoon. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Stow, MA 01775 P-40 Kittyhawk, P-40 Tomahawk, Pictures, Planes, Reader's contribution | 5 Comments | Post navigation. The 325th FG (known as the "Checkertail Clan") flew P-40s in the MTO and was credited with at least 133 air-to-air kills from AprilOctober 1943, of which 95 were Bf 109s and 26 were Macchi C.202s, for the loss of 17 P-40s in combat. The bulk of the fighter operations by the USAAF in 194243 were borne by the P-40 and the P-39. RC Warbirds and Warplanes - BH Models P-40 Tomahawk - I have a Black Horse Models P-40 Tomahawk on order and I'm looking for advice or oppinions for the best engine for it. This aircraft was still in the hanger undergoing repairs when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. It had protective armor and externally-covered self-sealing tanks. P 40 tomahawk hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy P 40 tomahawk Stock Photos and Images (237) See p 40 tomahawk stock video clips Quick filters: Cut Outs | Black & white RM G15DDM - An early cut-away drawing of a P-40 Tomahawk IIB, made for the benefit of a 1942 press visit to No. Caldwell believed that Operational Training Units did not properly prepare pilots for air combat in the P-40 and as a commander, stressed the importance of training novice pilots properly. Compared to the front-line fighters of the day, these planes were very lightly armedthe fairing-mounted 2 x .50 caliber heavy machine guns were all the pilot could focus on the target. The P-40 initially proved quite effective against Axis aircraft and contributed to a slight shift of advantage in the Allies' favor. By mid-1942, the RAAF was able to obtain some USAAF replacement shipments. [76] General Henry H. Arnold said of No 75 squadron: "Victory in the entire air war against Japan can be traced back to the actions which took place from that dusty strip at Port Moresby in early 1942. 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. The P-40's liquid-cooled, supercharged Allison V-1710 V-12 engine's lack of a two-speed supercharger made it inferior to Luftwaffe fighters such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 or the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in high-altitude combat and it was rarely used in operations in Northwest Europe. The P-40s were considered superior to the Hurricane, which they replaced as the primary fighter of the Desert Air Force.[9]. Curtiss Aircraft Company developed the P-40 as part of its Hawk line of fighters, which began with retractable-gear biplane pursuit ships that served in Army Air Corps squadrons in the 1930s. "New Army Warplane Rides a Trailer on Its First Trip to Airport". It was sturdy and handled well, except in a spin, but you never piloted a P-40 without wishing you had something a little better., A former U.S. Army Air Forces Curtiss P-40B (s/n 41-13297, c/n 16073) in flight. A handful of P-40Ns introduced every weight-saving measure Curtisss Berlin could think of. Their pilots came from the United States Army Air Corps, Navy and Marines, but they were officially members of the Chinese Air Force. units: 2 Add To Cart Individually Handcrafted Assembled in the USA Free & Easy Romanenko, Valeriy and James F. Gebhardt. The lead aircraft in a formation of P-40s is peeling off for an attack in a practice flight at the USAAF advanced flying school. is the world's largest and most respected aviation stock image library on the web with large collections of airplane pictures . Late-model P-40s were well armored. St. Martin's Press. Even with that, the P-40F is still greatly outclassed . The restoration was named Project Tomahawk. Whenever possible parts indigenous to the plane were used. The event, hosted by the Dixie Wing, will take place at Dekalb-Peachtree . Several P-40Ns were used by the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force with No. In 1947 the Royal Canadian Air Force put its P-40s up for sale at a price of $50.00 each. P.O. [31] The P-40 was generally considered roughly equal or slightly superior to the Bf 109 at low altitude but inferior at high altitude, particularly against the Bf 109F. 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. American Heritage Museum There are three options from which to choose:- is exactly- starts with- containsSelect the appropriate limiter for your search, then enter the keyword(s) you wish to search in the box on the right. As a collector of memorabilia from the most incredible history ever, he dreamed of one day bringing back a Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk. USAAF General Orders; USAAF History of the 58th FG. Testimony of this is given by Yasuhiko Kuroe, a member of the 64 Hiko Sentai. All-metal, semi-monocoque You may select to display only photos from certain categories, such as Special Paintschemes, Flight Deck photos, etc. These were designated "Tomahawk Mk I". Additionally, decade ranges (1990-1999, etc.) At the last census its population was listed as 48, but this swells to several hundred over the summer holidays. 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. 0. - January 13, 2022, The American Volunteer Group, better known as the Flying Tigers, used the best qualities of their shark mouthed P-40Bs in air combat against the Japanese to record an amazing number of victories. This P-40 was obtained from Charles Doyle, Rosemount, Minn. 1938 fighter aircraft family by Curtiss. It was the third-most numerous US fighter of World War II. Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk; Curtiss P-40 Warhawk; Curtiss-Wright; Kittyhawk; Tomahawk; Warhawk; Colours. RAAF Museum, 2007, "A29 Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk". The American radios did not have hand microphones but throat microphones. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select . One of the first models I ever built was the Monogram P-40. Altogether, in January, two Tomahawks were lost; one downed by German anti-aircraft artillery and one lost to Messerschmitts. 120 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF, Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of military aircraft of the United States. The P-40 tolerated harsh conditions and a variety of climates. "325th Fighter Group: Total Victories by Type of Aircraft". Due to the extreme arid conditions, little corrosion of the metal surfaces occurred. The fighter was repaired and served out the war. It weighed about 8,300 pounds on full load and, with a max speed of 360 mph, it possessed a range of 1,100 km. They were both excellent planes with great records. Your account has been created. The first Curtiss P-40 flew on 4 April 1940 and deliveries to the US Army commenced in June 1940. Robert M. DeHaven scored 10 kills (of 14 overall) in the P-40 with the 49th FG. *The P-40B has just arrived at the American Heritage Museum and is on display in the Pacific War Exhibit! It was quickly sent to Wheeler Field, Hawaii in April of that year, becoming part of the 19th Pursuit Squadron of the 18th Pursuit Group. Phone: (978) 562-9182 The DAF also received some 21 of the later P-40K and the majority of the 600 P-40Ms built; these were known as Kittyhawk IIIs. It was equipped with a new fuel supplying system and much more advanced radio equipment. Often, entire regiments were reduced to a single flyable aircraft because no replacement parts were available. At the same time as the heaviest fighting in North Africa, the Pacific War was also in its early stages, and RAAF units in Australia were completely lacking in suitable fighter aircraft. Chennault considered the liquid-cooled engine vulnerable in combat because a single bullet through the coolant system would cause the engine to overheat in minutes. This fighter type is particularly notable for being the shark-mouthed choice of the famed American Volunteer Group, known as the Flying Tigers. DAF units received nearly 330 Packard V-1650 Merlin-powered P-40Fs, called Kittyhawk IIs, most of which went to the USAAF and the majority of the 700 "lightweight" L models, also powered by the Packard Merlin, in which the armament was reduced to four .50in (12.7mm) Brownings (Kittyhawk IIA). The P-40s greatest fame, though, came with the American Volunteer Group in China. 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. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Later versions, with 1,200hp (890kW) Allisons or more powerful 1,400hp Packard Merlin engines were more capable. [25] This was improved with the P-40D (Kittyhawk I) which abandoned the synchronized gun mounts and instead had two .50-inch (13mm) guns in each wing, although Caldwell still preferred the earlier Tomahawk in other respects. The AVG was made up of three squadrons, with 30 fighters in each squadron. The, Daniel H. David: USAAF; later famous as the comedian and actor, Donald, David, ed. So, after recovery of the body the aircraft was left in place. The wreck was recovered between 1985 and 1989 and restored by the Curtiss Wright Historical Association, using parts from aircraft 39-285 and 39-287. "Conversations with N. G. Golodnikov Part One. [N 8]. Some observers consider the Macchi C.202 superior. [N 7] CBI P-40 pilots used the aircraft very effectively as a fighter-bomber. $('.pre-header > .pre-nav > .header-text .CMSEditableRegionEdit').height(200); [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. Because of this heritage, the plane was relatively easy to produce and could be hurried into service. Models B and C are slightly upgraded versions of the base P-40 with more machine gun fire and better survivability, these brands are in Europe , the Mediterranean, North Africa, Southeast Asia and the skies along the Eastern Front gained considerable combat experience. Whatever its shortcomings against more modern aircraft that had passed it by technologically, the P-40 held the line when nothing else was available. A team of warm-hearted creatives with cold-blooded efficiency. Spare parts, however, remained in short supply. Many US pilots stripped down their P-40s even further to improve performance, often removing two or more of the wing guns from the P-40F/L. GC II/5 used its P-40Fs and Ls in combat in Tunisia and later for patrol duty off the Mediterranean coast until mid-1944, when they were replaced by Republic P-47D Thunderbolts. featuring the Jacques M. Littlefield Collection explores major conflicts 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. And I decided to use that in the air. II is injection molded in grey and consists of 108 parts, including 12 clear parts for the canopy, gunsight, photo-reconnaissance camera and aperture, and wing position lights. These are assembled on-site and eventually deployed at control with American Volunteer pilots through the "American Volunteer Group" or AVG. 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. His primary focus is on the Allied operations from September 17th, 1944 onwards. P-40 Tomahawk Visits Miami! If you are looking for photos taken in a specific country, or at a specific airport, use this menu. Photo courtesy of Texas A&M University Press. Attached Thumbnails Reply . The conditions in which it was found are similar to those preferred for aircraft boneyards. Curtiss P-40C Tomahawk; N2689 photos; Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum; Airline: Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum; Reg: N2689 photos; The British government also donated 23 P-40s to the Soviet Union. 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. 414 Squadron, then based at Croydon Airport. It was sturdy and handled well, except in a spin, but you never piloted a P-40 without wishing you had something a little better., In the hands of a skilled pilot, the P-40 could exceed its limitations and could out-maneuver and out-fight anything in the sky, said Flying Tiger ace David L. Tex Hill in a 2005 interview. "[77] For example, 75, and 76 Squadrons played a critical role during the Battle of Milne Bay,[78][79] fending off Japanese aircraft and providing effective close air support for the Australian infantry, negating the initial Japanese advantage in light tanks and sea power. It also had a significant role in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Alaska and Italy. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk. A band of volunteers, the American Volunteer Group or Flying Tigers, received P-40B export models (drawn from a batch for England) in Burma and China and fought its way into history. Compared to opposing Japanese fighters, the P-40B's strengths were that it was sturdy, well armed, faster in a dive and possessed an excellent rate of roll. This airplane was manufactured in the U.S., was then purchased by the British, and nearly immediately given to the Soviet Union in 1941. The 23rd Fighter Group, under the command of General Claire Lee Chennault, replaced it, and it became part of the United States Fourteenth Air Force. Ness - Isle of Lewis. Robert F. Dorr is an author, U.S. Air Force veteran, and retired American diplomat who Robert: I found your article on the P-40 informative and helpful as Im a retired mil-spec spraypainter who also is an artist. [92], In January 1942, some 198 aircraft sorties were flown (334 flying hours) and 11 aerial engagements were conducted, in which five Bf 109s, one Ju 88, and one He 111 were downed.