Curtiss P-40D “Kittyhawk”

Curtiss P-40D “Kittyhawk” Royal Air Force 1942

The P-40, a single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938, was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk. It was the third most-produced American fighter, after the P-51 and P-47, with 13,738 built by the end of the war. Warhawk was the USAAC name for all models of P-40s, while the British Commonwealth and Soviet air forces used Tomahawk for the P-40B and P-40C variants, and Kittyhawk for P-40D and later models. Between 1941 and 1944, the P-40 played a critical role with Allied air forces in North Africa, the Southwest Pacific, and China, and also had a significant role in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe, Alaska and Italy. The example shown is in the markings of 250 Squadron, RAF, from the Desert Air Force In North Africa, ca. 1942.