The Flying Tigers' plane
By Stephen Sherman, Apr. 2002. Updated January 24, 2012.
The P-40 was the workhorse of the Alliedaerial arsenal right through 1944. It may not have been as "hot" aslater designs, but it was a sound design, based on the earlier P-36,mated to the Allison V-1710 engine, that Curtis was able to produce inlarge numbers. As Clair Chennault found out in China, the P-40 washeavier, faster, and sturdier than Japanese fighters, and it out-gunnedthem as well. Properly handled and below 15,000 feet, it was a lethal
Colonel (later General Claire Lee Chennault) had beenin China sincethe mid-Thirties. An outspoken advocate of "pursuit" (as fighter planeswere called then), in an Army Air Force dominated by strategic bombertheorists, he alienated many of his superiors. But in China, equippedwith P-40's, he developed the basic fighter tactics that Americanpilots would use throughout the war.
The Japanese planes used over China were much more maneuverable thanhis Warhawks, whose advantages were speed in a dive, superiorfirepower, and better ability to absorb battle damage. Chennault workedout and documented the appropriate tactics that capitalized on therelative strengths of the American fighters: intercept, make a divingpass, avoid dogfighting, and dive away when in trouble. This remainedthe fundamental U.S. fighter doctrine throughout the Pacific War.
Chennault's American Volunteer Group, popularly known as "The FlyingTigers" flew their P-40B's and P-40C's with great success against theJapanese aircraft.
Joel Paris was a P-40 ace with the 49th Fighter Group in theSouthwest Pacific. In Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific, herelates his opinion of the P-40:
I never felt that I was a second-class citizen in aP-40. In many ways I thought the P-40 was better than the more modernfighters. I had a hell of a lot of time in a P-40, probably close to athousand hours. I could make it sit up and talk. It was an unforgivingairplane. It had vicious stall characteristics. ... If you knew what you were doing, you could fight a Jap on eventerms, but you had to make him fight your way. He could out-turn you atslow speed. You could out-turn him at high speed. When you got into aturning fight with him, you dropped your nose down so you kept yourairspeed up, you could out-turn him. At low speed he could out-roll youbecause of those big ailerons. They looked like barn doors on the Zero.If your speed was up over 275, you could out-roll it. His big aileronsdidn't have the strength to make high speed rolls ...
You could push things, too. Because you knew one thing: If youdecided to go home, you could go home. He couldn't because you couldoutrun him. He couldn't leave the fight because you were faster. Thatleft you in control of the fight. Mind you: The P-40 was a fine combatairplane.
RobertDeHaven, a 14 kill ace, also with the 49th F.G., scored ten of hiskills in the P-40.
The British also used the P-40, called Tomahawk and Kittyhawk,especially in the North African and Mediterranean Theatres.
P-40
Seeing many fighters using in-line, water-cooled engines to greatadvantage, in 1938 Curtiss-Wright decided to adapt its model P-36 Hawkto the Allison 1710, an 1160 HP engine. Designated the XP-40,the prototype was simply a P-36 with the in-line engine; it took itsfirst flight in October, 1938. For guns, it only carried a pair of 30caliber machine guns, not uncommon for the late 1930s, but puny asWorld War Two developed.
The Army promptly selected the Curtiss airplane for production,ordering 524 in 1939, the largest order for an American fighter at thattime. At $13 million, each one cost $25,000 dollars.
P-40B
Even before America's entry into the war, it became evident that morepowerful weaponry was called for, The Buffalo plant began to outfit theP-40B with four (wing-mounted) 30 caliber and two (nose-mounted)40 caliber machine guns. The "B" model also introduced co*ckpit armor.With war looming, 107 Warhawks (P40's and P-40B's) moved up to thePhilippines by December, 1941. The Japanese onslaught caught themunawares, and four days later only 22 remained. Buzz Wagner of the 17th Pursuit Squadronwas one of the few Americans to achieve any success in those dark daysin the Philippines. Flying a P-40, Wagner downed 5 Japanese planesbefore being evacuated to Australia in January 1942.
Keeping of the early P40 models, with some originally designated forLend-Lease delivery to the British, as "Tomahawks," and other hurriedlyshipped over to China for the AVG, is complicated. To this day, debatesrage over the Flying Tigers version: Was it the P-40B or P40C?
P-40C
Self-sealing fuel tanks marked this variant, over 900 went to theBritish, for use in North Africa. The USAAC received 193. The slowestof all P-40 models, the P-40C had a top speed of only 345 MPH (somesources say 328). Over Egypt, "Tomahawk IIB" was no match for theBf-109E and was soon relegated to ground attack.
P-40D
Marked by a deeper chin radiator, the P-40D's profile visibly differedfrom earlier versions. Curtiss also switched the four wing-mounted gunsto heavier 50 caliber types, and got rid of the nose-mounted guns - andwith them the need for through-the-prop synchronization gear. With amore powerful Allison 1710-39, the P-40D could make 362 MPH in levelflight.
The Brits took delivery of most of the "D" models, and distinguishedthem from earlier "Tomahawks" with the name "Kittyhawk."
P-40E
2,320 P-40E's rolled off Curtiss production lines, mostly in 1942.Continuing the trend to bulk up, it carried six 50 calibermachine guns in the wings, ultimately the most common armament ofAmerican fighters in WW2. Two-thirds of them, designated Kittyhawk MkIA, went to the RAF, the RCAF, the RAAF, and the RNZAF.
P-40F
As the weight of the Warhawk had crept up to almost 9,000 lbs, Curtissinstalled the powerful Merlin engine on the P-40 airframe. Theprototype, XP-40F, achieved a top speed of 373 MPH. Inevitably,the P-40F production version weighed even more (9,870 lbs) andspeed dropped off to 364 MPH.
P-40K
Starting in August, 1942, Curtiss-Wright produced the "K," whichincorporated Allison's latest engine, the 1710-73, capable of 1325 HP.Otherwise the "K" was similar to the "E."
P-40L
This was a stripped-down version of the P-40F, dubbed the "Gypsy RoseLee," with 2 guns, armor, and some fuel removed to save weight. Theseefforts only increased the speed by 4 MPH over the F model. 720 wereproduced.
P-40M
Allison's 1710-81 engine, rated at 1360 MPH, powered the P-40M.600 were produced, mostly delivered to the RAF.
P-40N
The final Warhawk, the P-40N, entered production in late 1943;eventually 5,000 were built. Powered by the Allison 1710-99, the "N"could make 378 MPH, at least in the lightened-up early productionblocks. But more weight was added back, and typical P-40N's topped outat 350 MPH.
| Production | Speed | Armament | Engine and Performance | Weight | Other | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variant | Svc. Del. | # Built | MPH | 8mm | 12.7/13mm | Bomb | HP | Engine(Mfr/Number) | Climb ft/min | Ceil FT | Rng Mi. | Ext Rng | Empty Wt. lb. | Loaded Wt. | Max.Wt. lb. | Crew | # Eng. | Oth Name | Modif. |
| P-40 | Jun-40 | 340 | 357 | 2 | 2 | 1,090 | Allison V-1710-33 | 3,080 | 32,570 | 800 | 5,376 | 6,787 | 7,215 | 1 | 1 | Tomahawk I | |||
| P-40B | Mar-41 | 241 | 352 | 4 | 2 | 1,090 | Allison V-1710-33 | 2,860 | 32,400 | 730 | 1,230 | 5,590 | 7,326 | 7,600 | 1 | 1 | Tomahawk IIA | ||
| P-40C | Apr-41 | 1,123 | 345 | 4 | 2 | 1,090 | Allison V-1710-33 | 2,650 | 29,496 | 730 | 945 | 5,812 | 7,459 | 8,058 | 1 | 1 | Tomahawk IIB | ||
| P-40D | May-41 | 582 | 362 | 4 | 500 | 1,150 | Allison V-1710-39 | 2,200 | 29,000 | 650 | 850 | 6,350 | 8,000 | 8,670 | 1 | 1 | Kittyhawk I | eng.+, wing guns | |
| P-40E | Sep-41 | 2,320 | 362 | 6 | 1,150 | Allison V-1710-39 | 2,100 | 29,000 | 650 | 1,400 | 6,350 | 8,280 | 9,200 | 1 | 1 | Kittyhawk IA | +2 guns | ||
| P-40F | Dec-41 | 1,560 | 364 | 6 | 1,300 | Packard V-1650-1 | 2,100 | 34,400 | 700 | 1,500 | 6,590 | 8,500 | 9,350 | 1 | 1 | Kittyhawk II | new eng. | ||
| P-40K | Aug-42 | 1,300 | 362 | 6 | 500 | 1,325 | Allison V-1710-81 | 2,300 | 38,158 | 350 | 1,600 | 6,400 | 8,400 | 10,000 | 1 | 1 | |||
| P-40L | Jan-43 | 720 | 368 | 4 | 500 | 1,300 | Packard V-1650-1 | 2,300 | 38,158 | 350 | 6,340 | 8,250 | 9,100 | 1 | 1 | Gypsy Rose Lee | stripped | ||
| P-40M | Nov-42 | 600 | 362 | 6 | 500 | 1,200 | Allison V-1710-18 | 2,300 | 38,158 | 350 | 1,600 | 6,400 | 8,400 | 10,000 | 1 | 1 | Kittyhawk III | ||
| P-40N | Mar-43 | 5,000 | 350 | 6 | 500 | 1,325 | Allison V-1710-81 | 2,120 | 31,000 | 750 | 1,080 | 6,000 | 8,350 | 11,400 | 1 | 1 | Kittyhawk IV | structure,wheels | |
America'sHundred Thousand, by Francis H. Dean
This book covers indetail the eleven U.S. fighter aircraft types planes produced justbefore and duringWorld War II - with a combined production total of just over 100,000aircraft.
Covered are the Army Lockheed P-38Lightning, P-39 Airacobra, Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk/ Kittyhawk/ Warhawk,P-47 Thunderbolt, North American P-51Mustang, Northrop P-61 Black Widow, and the Navy F2A - Buffalo, F4F -Wildcat, F4U - Corsair, and F6F -Hellcat fighters. The text is supplemented by more than 650photographs, and 200 tables and graphs. Fighter production figures arealso included.
After an introduction of each type, a heavily illustratedoverview of earlier inter-war productionfrom 1920-on, along with a discussion and illustration of wartimeexperimental types, is provided. A lengthy sectionconsidering several technical factors affecting fighter performancefollows. These include engine models, superchargertypes, propellers, aerodynamic thrust, lift and drag, aircraft weight,balance, stability and control, and armament.
America's Hundred Thousand also provides details ofeach U.S. World War II production fighter in terms of modelsand changes, numbers planes produced, and major engine and aircraftperformance aspects - in tabular and graphical form -details of weights, discussion of handling qualities and generalcomments, along with detailed descriptions containingmany illustrations of aircraft structures and systems showing thetechnology of that time. In addition a comprehensiveweek-to-week and month-to-month chronology of development and wartimecombat operational life for each fighter isprovided, including many photos. This study concludes with comparisonsof the eleven types in terms of programmilestones, aircraft drag, power available at various altitudes, speed,climb, rolling and turning, acceleration, and divingperformance, as well as general evaluations by World War II pilots.
