posted 07-05- 02:04 AM               

100 Hawks for China
Curtiss-Wright gave a distinct factory model number to the China-bound Hawks: H81-A3. However, the planes were taken at random from a line assembling H81-A2 fighters for Britain and were indistinguishable from the RAF version.

January allotment
Taken from a block with RAF serials AK100/570. Other aircraft in this series went to No. 73, 112, and 250 squadrons in North Africa, and some went to Russia--including three since returned to the U.S. No machineguns fitted. Arrived Rangoon May 1941.

CAF # Mfg # RAF # AVG # AVG pilot(s) remarks
P-8101 15337 AK466 92 Hedman last plane assembled in Rangoon
P-8102 15338 AK467 13? Cross?
P-8103 15339 AK468 3 Rossi/Bartling abandoned Rangoon
P-8104 15423 AK471 5/9/24? Bond/Burgard? Bond recalls this as his aircraft
P-8105 15424 AK472 6/67? Dean/Hodges?
P-8106 15425 AK473 11? Sandell? first aircraft assembled in Rangoon
P-8107 15430 AK478 Schiel crashed Toungoo
P-8108 15431 AK479 37 Ricketts
P-8109 15432 AK480 68 Older
P-8110 15433 AK481 42 Fish
P-8111 15438 AK486 first a/c with thrust bearing sump
P-8112 15439 AK487 Armstrong crashed Toungoo
P-8113 15444 AK492 2
P-8114 15445 AK493 11? Sandell? crashed Rangoon?
P-8115 15452 AK500 69 Bishop/Martin/
McGarry crashed Thailand 24 Mar 42; see below
P-8116 15453 AK501 89? crashed Rangoon 23 Jan 42
P-8117 15459 AK507 Bright crashed Toungoo
P-8118 15460 AK508 70 Olson
P-8119 15466 AK514 71 Overend,
C Smith,
Shilling
P-8120 15467 AK515 43 Keeton
P-8121 15473 AK521 88 Jernstedt
P-8122 15474 AK522
P-8123 15480 AK528 36 Rector
P-8124 15481 AK529 leaky thrust bearing
P-8125 15487 AK535 1 Atkinson crashed Toungoo
P-8126 15488 AK536 Hammer crashed Toungoo
P-8127 15494 AK542 47/14 RT Smith,
Petach crashed in China; see below
P-8128 15495 AK543 54 Christman crashed Rangoon?
P-8129 15501 AK549
P-8130 15502 AK550
P-8131 15508 AK556 35/27 Blackburn/Prescott?
P-8132 15509 AK557 15 Martin
P-8133 15514 AK562 49 Swartz/Haywood
P-8134 15515 AK563 48 Hill
P-8135 15521 AK569 79 Hedman/Reed
P-8136 15522 AK570 40 Cole

Note: Engine from #47 (P-8127?) said to be on display at Torrence airport in California. Wreckage of P-8115 is on display at Chiang Mai Air Force Base, Thailand.

February allotment
Taken from a block with RAF serials AM370/519 (other aircraft in this series went to No. 73 and 112 squadrons in North Africa). Arrived Rangoon June 1941.

CAF # Mfg # RAF # AVG # AVG pilot(s) remarks
P-8137 15828 AM375
P-8138 15834 AM381 57 Howard
P-8139 15841 AM388 99 Olson
P-8140 15848 AM395 96
P-8141 15855 AM402
P-8142 15862 AM409 41 Paxton/Merritt/
Bacon/Boyington
P-8143 15869 AM416 10 Farrell crashed Rangoon 23 Jan
P-8144 15876 AM423 25/23? Mickelson/Neale
P-8145 15882 AM429
P-8146 15884 AM431 7? Neale?
P-8147 15886 AM433 52 Shilling/Martin/
Hill
P-8148 15888 AM435 86/98? McMillan
P-8149 15890 AM437 58 Shapard/Houle
P-8150 15892 AM439 91 McMillan
P-8151 15894 AM441 33 Little
P-8152 15896 AM443 56 Bright
P-8153 15898 AM445 71/78? Shilling photo plane; see note
P-8154 15900 AM447 97 Foshee/Moss
P-8155 15902 AM449 8? crashed Rangoon 23 Jan
P-8156 15904 AM451 46 Lawlor
P-8157 15906 AM453 100 assembled Loiwing; see below
P-8158 15908 AM455 5? Bond?
P-8159 15910 AM457
P-8160 15911 AM458?
P-8161 15913 AM460 59 Bacon RAF records show this plane flown in North Africa
P-8162 15915 AM462 94 Haywood/Neale/
Groh
P-8163 15916 AM463
P-8164 15918 AM465 11? Sandell? crashed Rangoon?
P-8165 15920 AM467 45 Bartelt/Moss
P-8166 15921 AM468
P-8167 15923 AM470
P-8168 15925 AM472 85/55 Brouk/Hurst/Greene
P-8169 15926 AM473 43 Keeton

Note: P-8157 was the "hundredth" Tomahawk. Its wing assembly went to complete P-8194, whose own wings had been ruined by immersion in salt water while being off-loaded in Rangoon. The fuselage of 8157 was eventually trucked north to Loiwing and made whole by canibalizing wings from another plane. RAF records show that Curtiss # 15951 (AM498) was diverted to China. Possibly this is the plane that became P-8160, whose serials match that of a Tomahawk in British service.

March allotment
Taken from the same block as February allotment. Arrived Rangoon July 1941.

CAF # Mfg # RAF # AVG # AVG pilot(s) remarks
P-8170 15928 AM475 53/13 Layher/Little/Hill
P-8171 15930 AM477 50? Ricketts/Hill?
P-8172 15931 AM478 50/7? Ricketts/Neale
P-8173 15933 AM480 77 RTSmith/Rossi crashed Magwe
P-8174 15935 AM482
P-8175 15937 AM484
P-8176 15939 AM486
P-8177 15940 AM487 38 Geselbracht
P-8178 15942 AM489 76 McMillan?
P-8179 15944 AM491
P-8180 15945 AM492
P-8181 15947 AM494 51 Cole
P-8182 15949 AM496 21 Boyington/Schiel
P-8183 15950 AM497 83 Hodges
P-8184 15952 AM499 44 Laughlin/PWright
P-8185 15954 AM501 13? Cross?
P-8186 15955 AM502 75 Reed
P-8187 15957 AM504
P-8188 15959 AM506 23/45? McGarry/Jones/Bartelt?
P-8189 15961 AM508
P-8190 15962 AM509 16/6? Dean
P-8191 15963 AM510 90 Dupouy
P-8192 15964 AM511
P-8193 15965 AM512 74 Conant
P-8194 15966 AM513 7? Sawyer/Neale? wings from P-8157; see note above
P-8195 15967 AM514 84 Greene crashed Rangoon?
P-8196 15968 AM515 34 Newkirk crashed Thailand
P-8197 15969 AM516 18 Kuykendall
P-8198 15970 AM517 5? Bond?
P-8199 15971 AM518 Neale
P-8200 15972 AM519 39 Moss

Tomahawks numbered 1-33 were assigned to lst Squadron, 34-66 to 2nd Squadron, 67-99 to 3rd Squadron. Some sources say that P-8119 carried fuselage number 71. In addition to aircraft identified above, the following fuselage numbers are known: #17 Croft, #19 Hoffman, #30 Moss, and #67 Prescott. Note, however, that pilots often flew any plane available.

[This message has been edited by Tailslide (edited 07-05-2000).]

posted 07-05- 02:08 AM               

After the German invasion of the USSR in June 1941, one hundred and ninety-five Tomahawk IIBs were shipped to the USSR, some from the USA, others selected from the reserve forced based in the United Kingdom in anticipation of the German invasion which never came. These Russian Tomahawks went into action on the Moscow and Leningrad fronts in October 1941, and were the first US-built planes to be used by the Russians in the new battle area.

An unspecified number of Tomahawk IIBs were sent to bolster Turkish neutrality in November 1941. Turkey was supplied with planes from both the Allies and the Axis during World War II.

The Tomahawk IIs were active in the Middle East from October of 1941 onward. They shared in the strafing of the retreating Axis troops. The ability of the Tomahawk to absorb an incredible amount of punishment became almost legendary. They served with Nos 2, 26, 73, 112, 136, 168, 239, 241, 250, 403, 414, 430 and 616 Squadrons of the RAF. They also served with Nos 2 and 4 Squadrons of the South African Air Force and No 3 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force. At low altitudes, the Tomahawk II was actually superior to the Bf 109, but this advantage rapidly disappeared when combat took place at altitudes above 15,000 feet. The weight which handicapped the performance of the Tomahawk did have one tangible benefit --- the rugged structure could absorb a terrific amount of battle damage and still allow the airplane to return to base. Although generally outclassed by the Bf 109, the Tomahawk was a capable fighter in the hands of experienced pilots such as Neville Duke. Wing Commander Clive Caldwell of the RAAF scored more than twenty victories while flying a Tomahawk in the Middle East. However, much of the opposition to the Tomahawk was provided by obsolescent fighter biplanes (e.g. Fiat CR-42) and underpowered, lightly armed fighter monoplanes such as the Fiat G-50 of the Regia Aeronautica. It had difficulty with the more advanced Macchi C-202 Folgore.

100 of the RAF Tomahawk IIBs were released to China and served with the American Volunteer Group (AVG) --- the famous "Flying Tigers". Company records list them as Model H81-A3. The Tomahawk IIB was more-or-less equivalent to the P-40C, but some sources list the Flying Tiger Tomahawks as being equivalent to the P-40B. There is confusion on this point.