Warbirds Over Long Island

The most important U.S. Fighter of America's first two years in the war: 1941-43. Its importance lay mainly in sheer numbers, for it was not without shortcomings and these remained throughout the long operational life of the aircraft. When the war broke out with Japan, the P-40 was the only aircraft of its type capable of being produced in large enough quantities and on such short notice to deal with the current national emergency the United States was facing.

The P-40 concept began life in 1937. It was at about this time that the U.S. government began to understand the position they were in. The Nazis were preparing to crush Europe and the Japanese were taking bites out of China. U.S. leaders realized that neutrality wouldn't last, and that the need for arms was great. Because of that, the Army Air Corps issued a specification for a new fighter that could be produced quickly.

Following its acceptance by the Army Air Corps in 1940, the P-40 was quickly produced and sent to several American air bases. There, the pilots were glad to get new aircraft. The British also received P-40s and matched it against the legendary Messerschmitt Bf-109. The Tomahawk (as the British called the early P-40 models--they named the later models Kittyhawk) did well in combat with the famous German fighter. Although it was a bit slower and outclassed in rate of climb, its good dive speed, superior armor, maneuverability, and armament made the Tomahawk a force to be reckoned with. The Germans felt that it was a more dangerous opponent than the Hawker Hurricane. In fact, the British wanted to replace their old Hurricanes with new P-40s. Other countries that operated P-40s (early P-40, B, and C export models were referred to as the Hawk 81A by Curtiss; later P-40D, E, K, and M export models were known as the Hawk 87A) included Canada, Russia (the USSR), Brazil, New Zealand, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, and China, among others.

On December 7, 1941 a large Japanese air armada attacked the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, and all of the nearby airfields. This is where the P-40 first defended American soil. Unfortunately, few American fighters were able to get into the air; most were destroyed on the ground. Two pilots, George Welch and Kenneth Taylor, managed to take off and shot down several Japanese planes. From this time onward, a great responsibility fell on the P-40 pilots' shoulders. In order for the United States to win the war, air superiority had to be wrestled from the Japanese. Otherwise, their bombers would be able to fly unopposed over Allied ships and territory.

The plucky fighter eventually saw combat in almost every theater of operations but it was most effective in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater. Of all the CBI groups the Curtiss fighter, the unit that gained the most notoriety of the entire war, and remains to this day synonymous with the P-40, is the American Volunteer Group (AVG) or the Flying Tigers. The unit was organized after the Chinese gave former U.S. Army Air Corps Captain Claire Lee Chennault almost 9 million dollars in 1940 to buy aircraft and recruit pilots to fly against the Japanese. Chennault's most important support within the Chinese government came from Madam Chiang Kai-shek, a Lt. Colonel in the Chinese Air Force and for a time, that service's overall commander.

The Flying Tigers were a unit of the Republic of China's Air Force, bearing the official name American Volunteer Group. The AVG was led by retired USAAC officer and military observer Claire Chennault, and employed P-40 fighters in combat against the Japanese air forces. While the P-40 couldn't match the maneuverability of the Japanese Ki-27 and Ki-43 monoplanes they were facing, Chennault trained the AVG pilots to use the performance advantage the P-40 held over the Japanese fighters to gain the upper hand in combat. The P-40 had a higher dive speed than the Japanese fighters, for example, and would often be used in one-pass attacks. The AVG was highly successful, and accordingly their exploits were widely published in order to boost the morale of the American public. The reputation of the P-40 was shaped to large degree by the success of the AVG in China. According to the American count, the Flying Tigers destroyed 297 aircraft for the loss of only 21 pilots and their aircraft. Alternative counts have been as low as 115-21, but never any lower. A significant margin of victory none the less.

Specifications (P-40):
Manufacturer: Curtiss-Wright Aviation
Designation Period: 1925-1947
Engine: One Allison V-1710-39 engine
Weight: Empty 6,350 lbs., Max Takeoff 8,280 lbs.
Wing Span: 37ft. 0.4in.
Length: 31ft. 9"in.
Height: 12ft. 4in.

Performance:
    Maximum Speed: 354 mph 308 kt
    Cruise Speed: 275 mph 238 kt
    Ceiling: 30,000ft.
    Range: 850 miles
    Armament: Six .50 cal machine guns, plus up to 700lbs bombs externally.
    Number built: Approximately 14,000 (including ~200 built in Australia)