P-40 ID help please

[P-40K-5]

Version....................................P-40F
British Equivalent.........................KittyHawk II
Numbers built..............................1,311 (includes planes supplied to RAF)



BLOCK...............Quantity.........Ser.#.................Deliveries
P-40F-CU............96...........41-13660 ~ 41-13695.........January 1942
P-40F-1-CU..........603..........41-13697 ~ 41-14229.........Jan-Aug 1942
P-40F-5-CU..........123..........41-14300 ~ 41-14422.........August 1942
P-40F-10-CU.........177..........41-14423 ~ 41-14599.........Oct-Nov 1942
P-40F-15-CU.........200..........41-19733 ~ 41-19932.........December 1942
P-40F-20-CU.........112..........41-19933 ~ 41-20044.........January 1943

KittyHawk II........230*.........FL219 thru FL488............Jul-Aug 1942**

* This number includes both P-40Fs and P-40Ls supplied to the RAF
** Reflects the dates of transfer of these aircraft to the RAF

 

[phas3e]

Thanks for all the info guys

some very hand link too.

So the name on this aircraft was painted on by the germans?
Meaning it never flew in action with this marking?

 

[Colin1]

Meaning it never flew in action with this marking?

Unlikely
in the colourful world of nose art, it wouldn't mean much to either side

The Axis:
Goodbye? What? You are leaving? Verdammte! I was busy shooting at you! You Amerikaners are so rude...

Might get a second look from the control tower on its way past, too

The Allies:
Pilots, you are clear for take-off, hope every one of your bombs finds the target
What's that say on his aircraft?
He's saying goodbye in German..

 

[vikingBerserker]

Version....................................P-40F
British Equivalent.........................KittyHawk II
Numbers built..............................1,311 (includes planes supplied to RAF)



BLOCK...............Quantity.........Ser.#.................Deliveries
P-40F-CU............96...........41-13660 ~ 41-13695.........January 1942
P-40F-1-CU..........603..........41-13697 ~ 41-14229.........Jan-Aug 1942
P-40F-5-CU..........123..........41-14300 ~ 41-14422.........August 1942
P-40F-10-CU.........177..........41-14423 ~ 41-14599.........Oct-Nov 1942
P-40F-15-CU.........200..........41-19733 ~ 41-19932.........December 1942
P-40F-20-CU.........112..........41-19933 ~ 41-20044.........January 1943

KittyHawk II........230*.........FL219 thru FL488............Jul-Aug 1942**

* This number includes both P-40Fs and P-40Ls supplied to the RAF
** Reflects the dates of transfer of these aircraft to the RAF

I believe there is an additional 250 that were strictly made for the export. Here is a page I took a pic of from America's Hundred Thousand (the scanner is at work). Since these were export, I do not believe the USAAC would have assigned a serial number to them.

 

[P-40K-5]

you could be right, but, all export means is that they were painted from Curtiss in RAF colours.
all were lend/lease. Licenced built P-40's in other countries got that countries Ser.#'s. however your
document could show it not as P-40F's, but P-40L's. RAF called P-40F/L's KittyHawk II.

 

[Colin1]

VB what do your entries for the P-40L state?

 

[vikingBerserker]

It lists them out seperately as well:

 

[HealzDevo]

Do we have any information about location? Because of the fact that it is showing American Markings though, I think we can safely assume that this aircraft is probably post November 1942. This as far as I know is when America got involved in the Desert Warfare with Operation Torch against Vichy France.

Unless anyone knows of any record of Americans being involved in the Desert earlier this is a fact that gives us a potential time. Looking at the aircraft, it looks like this incident might potentially have been a landing mishap or an engine cut-out, that could have potentially been repaired. The aircraft is definately still looking intact with not too much damage to the propeller from what we can see of the photo. Therefore, I would say that you would need to look at records for perhaps Servicable Crashes to perhaps pin this one down.

 

[P-40K-5]

thanks VB.. good stuff.

Devo,
that aircraft belonged too Capt. George W 'Pop' Long. the above date was wrong on my part,
had too reference my notes becouse I do this off the top of my head sometimes. sorry.
it was around april 1943. He then took delivery of a brand new P-40K-1-CU. Capt. Long did
not have anything German related on any of his mount except for swastika's. there were
Americans flying for the RAF prior to Nov 1942 however.

 

[Airframes]

Regarding the US/British serial numbers; I would think that Curtiss would be no different from other (U.S.) manufacturers, in that American-built aircraft in British service were allocated the normal serial / BU number before construction. The British serial number was then allocated by the (British) Air Ministry, and most often, but not always, actually applied at MUs in the UK.