[parsig9]

What is the difference between these 3 "hawks"?

[SKUNKY]

Warhawk was the official name for all American P-40s....
Tomahawk was the name the Brits gave to the P-40 B/C type
Kittyhawk was the name the Brits gave to the Ds and beyond


...at least until someone comes along to tell me I'm all wrong.

[STARMAN 352ND]

The Skunk is correct on the P-40's name sake.

Warhawk was the name the United States Army Air Corps adopted for all models, making it the official name in the United States 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-40D and all later variants.
JP

[parsig9]

Ok fellas, I know it was an easy one but I sorta had a question b/c of two things.

1. The new 21st C. Pearl Harbor P-40 is titled the Tomahawk and it's a U.S. plane

2. In the Robert Scott book God is my Co-Pilot he refers to the planes the AVG and 23rd used as Kittyhawks and they are also U.S.

Is it that the P-40s came trough the commonwealth channels from the U.S. and thus the names. Still, if that's true, it doesn't totally clear it up.

Now I realize 21st could have a SNAFU but I would think Scott would know what the heck he's talking about.


It was only kind of a quiz. Were these names used interchangably by the various forces?

[Hoverbug]

Originally Posted by parsig9

Ok fellas, I know it was an easy one but I sorta had a question b/c of two things.

1. The new 21st C. Pearl Harbor P-40 is titled the Tomahawk and it's a U.S. plane

2. In the Robert Scott book God is my Co-Pilot he refers to the planes the AVG and 23rd used as Kittyhawks and they are also U.S.

Is it that the P-40s came trough the commonwealth channels from the U.S. and thus the names. Still, if that's true, it doesn't totally clear it up.

Now I realize 21st could have a SNAFU but I would think Scott would know what the heck he's talking about.


It was only kind of a quiz. Were these names used interchangably by the various forces?

I believe the AVG was supplied with export (Foreign Military Sales) aircraft, which would therefore be Kittyhawks.

[Berkut76]

I hope this will put all the confusion to rest. Pics are from English translation of a French book "The Curtiss P-40 from 1939 to 1945" by Anis El Bied and Daniel Laurelut

[jim]

Originally Posted by Hoverbug

I believe the AVG was supplied with export (Foreign Military Sales) aircraft, which would therefore be Kittyhawks.

The AVG was supplied with planes diverted from the consignment meant for the RAF. 100 planes in total although not all of them made it there.


(Skunky is a closet P40 fanatic).


NB, Parsig9, Bert Kinzey did a couple of nice books giving lots of details about the various marks of P40s. Published by Squadron/signals Publications of Crowley Carrolton, Texas. A kind member of the forum put me onto those and I picked them up from the US ebay.

[parsig9]

Originally Posted by jim

The AVG was supplied with planes diverted from the consignment meant for the RAF. 100 planes in total although not all of them made it there.


(Skunky is a closet P40 fanatic).


NB, Parsig9, Bert Kinzey did a couple of nice books giving lots of details about the various marks of P40s. Published by Squadron/signals Publications of Crowley Carrolton, Texas. A kind member of the forum put me onto those and I picked them up from the US ebay.

Thanks, I know Squadron books and will have to check that out. Seems now that I think, Col. Scott does mention that they came from the British or on British ships anyway. I saw this advertisement just as I was reading the Scott book which is what prompted the thread. Not sure how this could be a Tomahawk if, indeed, only the RAF called the P-40b/c the Tomahawk. Don't tell me that the RAF had fighters stationed at Wheeler Field....

[STARMAN 352ND]

I think maybe 21st got the names mixed up on their P-40's.
That one should of been a Warhawk not a Tomahawk as for what Mr .Scott said about the Kittyhawks i would have to check on that a little further.
Interestingly, Colonel Robert L. Scott, author of the best-selling God is my Co-Pilot, never was a Flying Tiger. He commanded its successor organization, the 23rd F.G., but never served with the American Volunteer Group.The early 23 FG may have had the Kittyhawks.

http://www.acepilots.com/misc_tigers.html

Originally Posted by parsig9

Ok fellas, I know it was an easy one but I sorta had a question b/c of two things.

1. The new 21st C. Pearl Harbor P-40 is titled the Tomahawk and it's a U.S. plane

2. In the Robert Scott book God is my Co-Pilot he refers to the planes the AVG and 23rd used as Kittyhawks and they are also U.S.

Is it that the P-40s came trough the commonwealth channels from the U.S. and thus the names. Still, if that's true, it doesn't totally clear it up.

Now I realize 21st could have a SNAFU but I would think Scott would know what the heck he's talking about.


It was only kind of a quiz. Were these names used interchangably by the various forces?

[FormerViperDriver]

Originally Posted by STARMAN 352ND

I think maybe 21st got the names mixed up on their P-40's.

http://www.acepilots.com/misc_tigers.html

No question about it, 21st Century screwed up. Weird, because the P-40 nicknames (US and British) are pretty much common knowledge for any WW II aviation entusiast. I wonder how much they pay their research/historical staff (too much apparently) and how they recruit them.

Still, I'd rather they mess up the name than the mould itself...

FVD