Aircraft Factfile and Recognition Guide - P-40 Warhawk

Background

The Curtiss P-40 was a U.S. single-engine, single-seat, low-wing, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft which first flew in 1938, and was used in great numbers in World War II. When production ceased in November 1944, 13,738 P-40s had been produced; they were used by the air forces of 28 nations. Warhawk was the name the US Army Air Corps (USAAC; known later in the war as the US Army Air Forces) adopted for all models, making it the official name in the US for all P-40s. British Commonwealth air forces gave the name Tomahawk to models equivalent to the P-40B and P-40C, and the name Kittyhawk to models equivalent to the P-40E and all later versions.

The P-40's lack of a two-stage supercharger made it inferior to Luftwaffe fighters in high altitude combat, and the P-40 was barely used in the northwest European theater, where the USAAF would eventually be concentrated. However, between 1941 and 1944, the P-40 played a critical role with Allied air forces in five major theaters around the world: China; the Mediterranean Theater; the South East Asian Theater; the South West Pacific Area, and in Eastern Europe.  P-40s first saw action with British Commonwealth air forces in the Desert Air Force, in August 1941. The P-40's poor high-altitude performance was of less consequence in the North African Campaign, and its bomb load, armor, and good range were valuable. The RAF's No. 112 Squadron was the first to fly Tomahawks in North Africa. The squadron copied the famous shark mouth markings under the spinner from Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Me 110 Zerstörer units, and the logo was later adopted by the Flying Tigers in China.

The P-40 had good agility, especially at high speed. It was one of the tightest-turning monoplane fighters of the war, though at lower speeds not even comparable to the highly maneuverable Japanese fighters such as the A6M Zero and Ki-43.  Allison V-1710 engines were not powerful by the standards of the time, and the P-40's speed was average. Its climb performance was fair to poor, depending on the subtype. [3] Dive acceleration was good and dive speed excellent. However the single-stage, single-speed supercharger meant that it could not compete with modern — enemy or allied — types as a high-altitude fighter.  It was a fairly simple aircraft, lacking such sophisticated innovations as boosted ailerons or automatic leading edge slats, but it had a very strong structure including a seven-longeron wing which enabled P-40s to survive several documented partial mid-air collisions with enemy aircraft (some of these were recorded as victories by the RAF and VVS).

Operational range was good by early war standards, almost double that of the Supermarine Spitfire, or Bf 109 for example, though inferior to the A6M Zero and the Ki-43, or the late-war P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang.  Visibility was adequate, hampered by an overly complex frame and completely blocked to the rear.  Poor ground visibility and the relatively narrow undercarriage and wheels led to many losses due to accidents on the ground.  It was also fairly heavily armed and armored. The P-40 could carry a moderately effective air-to-ground load (although it was never fitted with rockets), was semi-modular and thus easy to maintain in the field, and tolerated harsh conditions, fighting everywhere from the deserts of North Africa, to the jungles of New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies, to the Arctic climes of the Soviet Union and Alaska.

The P-40 — just like the P-39 which was equipped with a similar Allison engine — was considered inferior by many USAAF officials and was unpopular with some US pilots in the Pacific. Its gradual replacement by the turbo-supercharged P-38 was greeted with relief. However, the bulk of the fighting conducted by the USAAF during the height of Axis power in 1941-1942 was borne by the P-40 (and the P-39,) and it was these aircraft which contributed most among US Army Air Force types to breaking Axis air-power during this critical period, especially in the Pacific. In this stop-gap role fighting in nearly every theater and under every allied flag, the P-40 offered the additional advantage of a low price tag, which kept it in production as a tactical (ground-attack) fighter long after it was obsolete as an air-superiority type.

In theaters where the high-altitude characteristics were less important, the P-40 still proved considerably more effective as a fighter. Although it gained a post-war reputation as a mediocre type suitable only for close air support, more recent data from Allied squadrons in particular indicate that the P-40 performed surprisingly well as an air-superiority fighter, sometimes suffering severe losses but also taking a very heavy toll on enemy aircraft.

Recognizing the P-40

The P-40 is an easy aircraft to identify on the ground, but from the air, it can be tricky trying to distinguish it from the P-47 and P-51.  Here's tips on how you can identify the Warhawk.

Wings: Straight wing with curved wingtips.
Engine(s): Single engine with big three-bladed propeller.
Fuselage: Huge air scoop at the nose below propeller spinner, greenhouse canopy.
Tail: Low, rounded tail fin.  Elevators mounted mid-high on fuselage.

Specifications

Sources: USAF P-40 Warhawk factfile, Wikipedia P-40 Warhawk

© 2004-2007 Steven Holzinger