here's the answer to the checkertail P40 with a shark's mouth....the answer is yes...but more no...lol. i emailed the guy who made 2 documentaries on the 325th and knows the group and guys quite well. here's his answer:
Now you have me on a subject I have a lot of knowledge of, much of it was confusing, but I took about 6-months to sort it out. I will therefore make a very long story short.
There was only one P-40 in the whole of the 325th that carried Shark Mouth markings and it was shown in one of the Checkertail Books, with Pilot William R Reed in the cockpit. The name of that aircraft was "LONE TIGER" however it never flew in combat!
William R. Reed was the Nephew of William N. Reed. William N. Reed Commanded the AVG "Flying Tigers" in North Africa and when William R. Reed joined the group his crew painted a P-40 as a tribute to their new Pilot, the nephew of the famous William N. Reed and who was now the 325th Fighter Groups 'Lone Tiger'.
The reason I know it was not used is that I have had extensive correspondence with William R. Reed's friends and family and they have supplied me with pictures showing him with his aircraft "Queen Mary" (a P-40 which he was shot down in and POW). Mary was the name of his wife and he named it after her.
What I found most enjoyable about this was that a few months later another contact sent me some pictures of Zack Taylor (another 325th Pilot) and in them were pictures of William R. Reed and these had never been seen before by his family. It also contained a great portrait of him which showed his nickname (again they never knew it) which was "Wild Bill".
I have gathered so-much information as I have progressed with this project, all just for a hobby, but I sometimes feel like I am slowly becoming an official historian!
Anyway, there was a P-40 with Shark Mouth markings, but it never flew in combat and it was pictured as a Public Relations image which was subsequently used in the Checkertails book. Irritatingly, I found this out AFTER I used it in Part 1 of my Checkertails film
The image painted by Heinz Krebs:
Desert Sharks is really nice, but sadly pure fantasy!