Curtiss P-40E Warhawk

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was the fighter that held the line for the Allies during the darkest days of World War II. While never the fastest, highest-climbing, or most maneuverable fighter in any theater, the P-40 was available in quantity when nothing else was, and in the hands of skilled pilots it proved a capable and deadly combat aircraft. Its distinctive shark-mouth nose art, made famous by the Flying Tigers in China, became one of the most iconic images of the war.

The P-40 served on every front where the Western Allies fought, from the deserts of North Africa to the jungles of New Guinea, from the skies over Pearl Harbor to the mountains of China and Burma. It was the principal American fighter during the first two years of the war, and RAF Kittyhawks and Tomahawks were instrumental in the North African campaign. Over 13,700 P-40s were built, making it the third most-produced American fighter of the war.

Though outclassed by later designs, the P-40 earned the respect of those who flew it. Its rugged construction, reliable Allison engine, and heavy armament of six .50-caliber machine guns made it effective in the hands of pilots who understood its limitations and exploited its strengths: excellent dive speed, good medium-altitude performance, and the ability to take punishment and keep flying.

The P-40 evolved from the earlier Curtiss P-36 Hawk, one of the first modern monoplane fighters adopted by the Army Air Corps. In 1937, Curtiss engineer Donovan Berlin replaced the P-36's radial engine with the new liquid-cooled Allison V-1710, creating the XP-40 prototype. The conversion was straightforward, and the resulting aircraft won the 1939 fighter competition against Bell, Lockheed, and Seversky designs, largely because it could be put into production immediately.

The early P-40B/C (RAF Tomahawk) carried two .50-caliber nose guns and four .30-caliber wing guns. The P-40D redesigned the nose to accommodate the improved Allison V-1710-39 with an external spur gear reduction, eliminating the nose guns. The P-40E (RAF Kittyhawk I) was the first major production variant with the standard armament of six wing-mounted .50-caliber M2 Brownings, and it became the most widely used early-war P-40 variant.

Curtiss continuously improved the P-40 throughout the war. The P-40F and L models used the Packard-built Merlin engine for improved altitude performance, primarily seeing service in North Africa. The P-40K through N reverted to the Allison engine with progressive improvements in power and performance. The final production variant, the P-40N, was the lightest and fastest of the line at 378 mph, but by 1944 it was thoroughly outclassed by the P-51 and P-47.

Despite its limitations, the P-40's greatest asset was that it was available. When the war began, it was the only modern American fighter in quantity production. Curtiss factories turned out P-40s at rates that filled the immediate need while Republic and North American ramped up production of their superior designs.