oldcrowcv63
Tech Sergeant
That appears to agree with AHT which lists the P-40C/Tomahawk IIB had a fuel capacity of 135 gal. down from the P-40B's 160 gal which was a reduction from the P-40's 180 gal tanks.
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A&AEE tests:
Tomahawk II (AK176) 7,270 lb (84 gal fuel)
Tomahawk II (AK176) 7,646 lb (132 gal fuel)
Another trial gives a 'normal' weight of 7,372 lb in the CG diagram
Going by the serials you posted, this would appear to be a Tomahawk IIB
A&AEE tests:
Tomahawk II (AK176) 7,270 lb (84 gal fuel)
Tomahawk II (AK176) 7,646 lb (132 gal fuel)
Another trial gives a 'normal' weight of 7,372 lb in the CG diagram
Going by the serials you posted, this would appear to be a Tomahawk IIB
Arriving in February, 1941. AH900 (mispainted as
AX900) had its guns harmonised with some difficulty as
considerable movement of the barrels occurred and
heating was insufficient; investigation continued at
Duxford. The replacement, AK160, was similarly armed
with two 0.5 in guns above the engine but four 0.30 in
guns in the wing (AH900 had 0.303 in wing guns).
AK 160's firing trials were acceptable, but a more rigid
mounting for the gunsight was required. AK 181 was
Intended for performance work, but damage after an
engine failure in March 1941 shortly after receipt, led to
replacement by AK 176 the following month. The latter
was fully modified for RAF use, but lacking flame
damping exhausts and an air cleaner; performance is at
table, based on overload fuel (130 gal including drop
tank). Take-off run without drop tank was a mere 215
yd, and range with drop tank 665 miles. Flame dampers
reduced top speed by 4 mph (true) and an air cleaner by
14 mph (true). Handling. including dives up to 440 mph
were satisfactory. and behaviour conventional at the stall
(77 mph flap and undercarriage down). The Stromberg/
Bendix carburellor found favour as the engine functioned
under negative g, but the need to depress the button on
the stick for 45 sec while raising the undercarriage was
criticised. AH797, regarded as a Mk II. was used to
examine the automatic. variable datum boost control; the
combat rating was found to creep over the permittled
figure of 40 in during tests starting in October 1941. Four
months earlier. AH785. a Mk I. started successful tests of
radio and F24 cameras (a second was added early in 1942)
for the Army co-operation role.
Luftwaffe was already outnumbered about two to one in fighter sorties over England. Adding a few P-40s to the mix won't make much difference unless Germany gets them (captured French aircraft?) to help even the odds.
their very first 'Tomahawks'.
Those H.81 diverted to Uk in the last hour were busy during BoB being transformed to British standards, somewhere in the rear.
Same reading had them being reserved for an eventual last effort in the ground attack role, once the invasion had begun. (and the type proved its worth in this employ, at least in AVG's hands in China. Would have given the jerries some sweat in summertime Anglia certainly.)
And it was (?) those same 'britishized' H.81s that formed the first RAF batches finally sent to North Africa, to gain some harsh glory there...
I wouldn't mind some confirmation/infirmation of it all, from you fast knowledgeable forum members...
[edit : sorry I always mix-up between Tomahawks and Kittyhawks, and I'm affraid i've done it again. I meant RAF's very first 'P-40's were actually French H.81 that never reached their primary owner. So, Kittyhawks I presume.
BTW the story probably stands for the enhanced H.75 that were on ships too when armistice was set, those good and fair 'P-36C's (i.e H.75-A4) that we French never touched and that became RAF's 'Mohawk's... Just guessing this time.
And not to worry, a later armistice might indeed have gotten those H.81 into German hands, instead of the right ones, so no problem with it all...]
[edit2 : Swampyankee the link you've posted on the Mohawk is a must-read.]
The Wildcat holds the honour of being the only US fighter to be in operational service for the British during the Battle of Britain, the first 60 being received in July and August 1940, and were based at FAA airfields in Scotland during September and October (though they saw no combat).Most of all, those airframes were available in summer '40, a full year ahead of Sea Hurricane and most Wildcat deliveries to the FAA...
Luftwaffe was already outnumbered about two to one in fighter sorties over England. Adding a few P-40s to the mix won't make much difference unless Germany gets them (captured French aircraft?) to help even the odds.
The Wildcat holds the honour of being the only US fighter to be in operational service for the British during the Battle of Britain, the first 60 being received in July and August 1940, and were based at FAA airfields in Scotland during September and October (though they saw no combat).
ps: the USN didn't receive it's first Wildcat until December 1940 !!!!!!
The Mohawks were really a missed opportunity IMHO. Not for the BoB, but for the Royal Navy.
I've always dreamt of the RAF handing those "surplus" airframes over to the FAA in summer '40... I'm sure they would have been welcomed with open arms! The Hawk had everything needed to make an excellent stop-gap carrier fighter:
- Long legs
- Good performance below 20,000ft (slightly better than Hurricane)
- Short take-off and landing (shorter than both the Hurricane and F4F)
- Compact dimensions (3-4ft shorter narrower than a Hurricane)
- Wide track undercarriage
- Radial engine
Most of all, those airframes were available in summer '40, a full year ahead of Sea Hurricane and most Wildcat deliveries to the FAA...
I wonder if the RAF similarly overlooked the contribution of french airmen flying american a/c? I wonder if there were ex-French Hawk 75s used in the BoB but not yet acknowledged?
The short answer is no. Gerry Beauchamp, who knew and wrote more about the P-36 variants than probably anyone else, records that the P-36 orders diverted from France to the UK started to arrive in July 1940 and over 100 had arrived by September. The new airframes (as opposed to the small number flown to the UK by retreating Norwegian or French pilots) were "held in reserve against a possible shortage of Hurricanes and Spitfires. The majority of these Mohawks were stored at Maintenance Units including Little Rissington, Burtonwood, Wroughton, Lossiemouth and Colerne in the autumn of 1940.
There were other issues getting the ex-French airframes into service. The throttle control functionality had to be reversed - French pilots obtained full throttle by pulling the throttle control to the rear, the exact opposite of the RAF's "balls to the wall" approach. All the maintenance manuals were in French and there was a shortage of US-spec tools and also of spare parts to maintain operational units. The P-36 variant airfames in the UK also comprised a mix of different versions, some being Cyclone powered while a small number had Wasps. The latter never entered operational usage and virtually all the Cyclone models were shipped overseas for service in Africa and India (some P-36 knock-offs were built in India, which enabled the RAF to keep flying the airframe in that theatre through 1944).
By 1941, shortly after the BoB, production of the P-36 had ceased in favour of P-40 variants. With no source for large quantities of new P-36s (with the exception of the small production line in India), there was no point equipping large numbers of RAF squadrons with the P-36.
I believe the proposed hawk had some serious disadvantages for a naval fighter including shorter legs than either the F2A or F4F in all variants. It also is reputed to have had a higher stall speed however that appears to be disputed by : HAWK 75:-- PROMISE UNFULFILLED?.