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Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk

1941 WORLD WAR 2

History of the Curtis P-40 Tomahawk

The Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk became an offshoot of the classic American P-40 Warhawk monoplane consisting of the earlier Warhawks - namely the P-40, P-40B and P-40C Models to Tomahawk I, Tomahawk IIA or Tomahawk IIB. 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.

Lend-Lease ensured the availability of many major Allied players including Great Britain, Australia, Canada and the Soviet Union.

The U.S. Army's initial order for the Warhawk was 524 aircraft, of which 199 were P-40s designated as the Hawk 81A export variant. Deliveries began in June 1940.

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. Additionally, the planes were delivered without any type of cockpit armor, and perhaps most importantly, they lacked self-sealing fuel tanks, although Curtis' designers had experience observing Europe's expanding air battles.

U.S. airlines overseas sales slumped as major powers such as Britain and France turned to the U.S. for help due to European demand for modern fighter jets. Both countries subsequently ordered new U.S. fighter jets, Curtis promised.

Although the numbers affect the Army's regular orders, the department maintains a wait-and-see policy on the aircraft, knowing the design could be improved at the expense of combat exposure from foreign service.

The French order failed because the country fell into German hands before any P-40s were delivered. These were changed to British, but they lacked armor and self-sealing fuel tanks. These were designated "Tomahawk Mk I".

The aircraft proved to be a weak fighter against modern German enemies and was eventually relegated to a low-level tactical reconnaissance role (the P-40 typically suffered from high altitude combat, making it inferior to the likes of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Fokker-Wolff) Enemy Fw 190 series fighter).

The British order called for additional wing armament - a total of four .30 caliber machine guns, two in each wing. This will be combined with the existing .50 caliber already installed in the hood to facilitate better firepower than Curtis initially anticipated. This quickly prompted a redesign of the wing to accommodate the new artillery installation. The new quad-gun wing proved enticing enough that the U.S. Army pulled 44 from the Curtiss line, added them to the P-40 fuselage, and coined the P-40G designation.

Some of these stocks were leased to the Soviet Union, while the rest remained in American stocks.

The initial French order for the Warhawk (now known as the British Tomahawk Is) was further processed to meet new British requirements for the P-40. Ninety aircraft were modified with armored and self-sealing fuel tanks, reverse throttle controls and British instrumentation - hence the "Tomahawk IIA" designation.

20 more are added to the Curtiss line as new versions.

930 Tomahawk IIB models were then ordered, replacing the original American .30 caliber wing machine guns with British 0.303 inch machine guns. The variant also features a throwaway ventral fuel tank with British gauges and an updated fuel delivery system.

Tomahawks were used by British and Commonwealth troops throughout Southeast Asia and around the Mediterranean during the North African campaign. During the desert campaign, the Warhawk received its signature "Shark Mouth" nose badge - a detail that would later appear in an American-piloted P-40 in China against Japan.

After the Chinese government bought modern fighter jets, about 100 British Medal planes were sent to China. These are assembled on-site and eventually deployed at control with American Volunteer pilots through the "American Volunteer Group" or AVG.

The AVG was an indirect U.S. engagement with Japan, and its forces consisted of Army, Navy, and Navy pilots.

For the various services using the Tomahawk around the world, this type performed well at the time, although it was quickly declassified as a front-line fighter. Those who managed to fight longer were eliminated due to lack of spare parts.

With the arrival of the superb Supermarine Spitfires and North American P-51 Mustangs, others were simply surpassed technically.