Production block from the P-40B with the S/N 41-13297 (1 Viewer)

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Youchan3070

Recruit
6
2
Dec 14, 2021
Does anybody know the production block from the P-40B with the S/N 41-13297? I didn't find any informations about it on the internet.
 
The production block. As an example: 15-NA from P-51D-15NA
Not all variants have been sub-divided in blocks. In this case it's P-40B only, AFAIR this was model Hawk 81B (Tomahawk Mk.II).
I believe variant F was the first one with blocks.
 
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Hi YouChan,

Catch22 has it right - despite what the internet says, there were no block numbers assigned to P-40Bs. They were produced against the contract as P-40Bs until a change in the fuel system made them P-40Cs. All were built before the US entered WW2 and before the US began the block number system.

The original Army and Navy block system referred to production allocation - as in the following ten aircraft will go to the following organization/base/unit; the next 33 will go to... etc. The Navy appears to have stayed with that system at least through 1945, if I'm interpreting the records correctly.

The earliest block number record I find was from Air Service Command dated 12 June 1942. It starts, "The Production Engineering Section has inaugurated a system of production of blocks of identical airplanes which is referred to as the 'Block System of Production Releases.'" The note makes it clear that the system was already in use on 12 June, however the rest of the memo - as well as several follow up memos - suggest the system was still very new at that time. I haven't come across the actual correspondence establishing the block numbers.

The 12 June memo also suggests that the two-letter manufacturers' code system was new at that time. Again, it would be great to find the establishing documentation.

I acknowledge that I've cheated in the past by referring to the original 200 P-40 aircraft as P-40-CUs, even though that designation didn't exist in 1940/41. In my own defense, by introduction explained that it was easier to say "P-40-CU" than "P-40 (no suffix)" when trying to distinguish the original 200 aircraft from the general term "P-40" referring to any group of models in the family. Still, since all P-40Bs were the same, there was no block number distinguishing the first P-40Bs from later P-40Bs.

Hope this helps,



Dana
 
Hi YouChan,

Catch22 has it right - despite what the internet says, there were no block numbers assigned to P-40Bs. They were produced against the contract as P-40Bs until a change in the fuel system made them P-40Cs. All were built before the US entered WW2 and before the US began the block number system.

The original Army and Navy block system referred to production allocation - as in the following ten aircraft will go to the following organization/base/unit; the next 33 will go to... etc. The Navy appears to have stayed with that system at least through 1945, if I'm interpreting the records correctly.

The earliest block number record I find was from Air Service Command dated 12 June 1942. It starts, "The Production Engineering Section has inaugurated a system of production of blocks of identical airplanes which is referred to as the 'Block System of Production Releases.'" The note makes it clear that the system was already in use on 12 June, however the rest of the memo - as well as several follow up memos - suggest the system was still very new at that time. I haven't come across the actual correspondence establishing the block numbers.

The 12 June memo also suggests that the two-letter manufacturers' code system was new at that time. Again, it would be great to find the establishing documentation.

I acknowledge that I've cheated in the past by referring to the original 200 P-40 aircraft as P-40-CUs, even though that designation didn't exist in 1940/41. In my own defense, by introduction explained that it was easier to say "P-40-CU" than "P-40 (no suffix)" when trying to distinguish the original 200 aircraft from the general term "P-40" referring to any group of models in the family. Still, since all P-40Bs were the same, there was no block number distinguishing the first P-40Bs from later P-40Bs.

Hope this helps,



Dana
Thank you. this helps me a lot.
 
Hello Dana
I have mentioned on another thread some time ago about meeting a man who told me when he was young he worked at Harlingen Army airfield cleaning P-40s that arrived for use as trainers. When I asked which model, he said just P-40 no letter. He said what bothered him about the job was cleaning blood from the seat on some of them. My question is, where were any of the first 200 P-40 with no suffix used where injuries/wounds were sustained?
 
Hello Dana
I have mentioned on another thread some time ago about meeting a man who told me when he was young he worked at Harlingen Army airfield cleaning P-40s that arrived for use as trainers. When I asked which model, he said just P-40 no letter. He said what bothered him about the job was cleaning blood from the seat on some of them. My question is, where were any of the first 200 P-40 with no suffix used where injuries/wounds were sustained?

Hi Ed,

I'm not aware of any P-40s (no suffix) being sent to combat theaters, but more than fifty of the two hundred were heavily damaged in landing crashes - that's the only way I can imagine blood getting on the seats (unless the seats were installed from other aircraft).

Cheers,



Dana
 
The P-40B (production Feb/May 41), C (Mar/May 41), D (May/Jun 41), E (Jun 41/Jan 42 plus 1 in Apr 42) did not use block numbers, with the E-1 (Dec 41/Jun 42) being the export version of the E. Similarly the K-1 (May/Sep 42) was the export version of the P-40K (Aug/Dec 42), however there were no P-40K as such, rather 200K-5, 335 K-10 and 165 K-15.

The P-40F (Jan 42/Jan 43), the first 699 had no block number, then 123 F-5, 177 F-10, 200 F-15 and 112 F-20. There were 705 P-40F/F-5 accepted to end August 1942, same month as the first P-40K-5 were accepted. P-40L, M and N used block numbers.

First appearances of block numbers,

the P-38F started production in February 1942, the first 128 were F, the next 149 were F-1, 120 F/F-1 accepted to end March 1942, 220 to end April. The first P-38F-5 acceptances were in April 1942. The RAF order for 143 P-38 was on another contract.

There were 429 P-39D (1 in February 1941, then acceptances from May to December 1941, plus 1 each in February and March 1942, USAAF contract, then 336 D-1 and 158 D-2, with the D-1 (from April 1942) and 2 (from June 1942) being export versions, Defence Aid contracts. P-39K, acceptances began in July 1942 with the K-1 version from a USAAF contract, then came the L and later versions.

P-47C-1, acceptances began in September 1942, with the C-1 version.
A-20C, the first 375 were C, then C-1, 374 accepted December 1941 to May 1942, then DB-7C in June and July (1 US, 47 USSR) then A-20C/C-1 acceptances resume in August. All on Defence Aid contracts, not USAAF ones.
B-17F, acceptances began in May 1942, with the F-1 version.
B-24D, the first 387 from San Diego had no block number, then came the D-1, 394 D/D-1 accepted to end June 1942.
B-25C, the first 605 had no block number, then came the C-1, 605 C/C-1 accepted to end July 1942.
B-25D, the first 200 had no block number, then came the D-1, 200 D/D-1 accepted to end October 1942.
B-26A, the first 23 were A, then A-1, 62 A/A-1 accepted to end December 1941, I suspect the -1 was meant for export given the allocation of 191 to Britain in the first months of 1942, 71 actually delivered, but it was a USAAF contract.
B-26B, the first 307 were B, then B-2, 342 B/B-2 accepted to end August 1942.
B-26C, acceptances began in August 1942 with the C-5 version.
 
I found informations about it. The P-40B with the S/N 41-13297 has the produciton block 1-CU. So the name is P-40B-1-CU. Found it on the japanese Wikipedia. P-40 (航空機) - Wikipedia

You-chan, P-40B, 41-13297 one of 131 a/c built in block H81B. I helped to recover this aircraft with two other men.
 
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Not all variants have been sub-divided in blocks. In this case it's P-40B only, AFAIR this was model Hawk 81B (Tomahawk Mk.II).
I believe variant F was the first one with blocks.

The P-40E was the first P-40 to use what became block numbers and had two USAAC/F blocks/sub-models (E and E-1) but each block was composed of two different Curtiss models
H87B-2 = P-40EBuilt for the USAAC/F for US use but some supplied to allies under lend lease.40-358
40-382/681
H87A-2 = P-40EBuilt for the USAAF for US use but many supplied to allies under lend lease.41-5305/5744
41-13521/13599
H87A-4 = P-40E-1 (Built before the A-3)Built under contract to the USAAF for lend lease supply to the British Commonwealth and known as the Kittyhawk Mk 1.
Fitted with British specification gauges, radios, oxygen, etc.
41-24776 to 41-25195
H87A-3 = P-40E-1 (Built after the
A-4)
Built under export contract to the RAF and known as the Kittyhawk Mk 1a.
Fitted with British specification gauges, radios, oxygen, etc.
41-35874 to 41-36953

Starting with the F it got much easier as they have distinct blocks.
 
Interesting about H87 model and serial order. Production by serial blocks,

1 H87B-2/P-40E
300 H87B-2/P-40E
440 H87A-2/P-40E
79 H87A-2/P-40E
820 Total

420 H87A-4/P-40E-1
1080 H87A-4/P-40E-1

To add some more detail on the numbers, as rolled out of the factory,

Of the 301 P-40E on contract AC-12414, 280 for the USAAF, accepted June to October 1941, plus 1 in April 1942, and 21 for the USSR accepted in October 1941.

Of the 519 P-40E on contract AC-15802, 409 for the USAAF, October 1941 to January 1942, and 110 for the USSR accepted in October and November 1941 and January 1942.

Of the 1,500 P-40E-1 under contract DA-3, 315 for the USAAF, accepted December 1941 to May 1942, 444 for the British Empire accepted January to May 1942, 708 for the USSR, accepted December 1941 to June 1942, 6 for Brazil, accepted March 1942 and 27 for China accepted June 1942.

Given the time period there were some reallocations, all of the non USAAF order aircraft were exported by the end of 1942 except for some of the USSR order, 708 accepted, 708 delivered, 678 exported.
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