P-40E Warhawk
The Curtiss P-40 line of fighter aircraft stood out among American fighter types for having remained in front-line operations from the summer of 1941, before the U.S. entered World War II, through the end of the conflict four years later. Only Grumman’s versatile F4F Wildcat naval fighter could match that record.
HISTORY
Product of a merger of the companies of
aviation pioneers Glenn Curtiss and the Wright
Brothers, The Curtiss-Wright Corp. in 1939
was the largest airplane manufacturer in the
United States. Its products included not only
a wide array of civilian and military airplanes
but also the Wright engines to power them.
Design and Development
Of all the aircraft lines manufactured by
Curtiss, none was more famous than the
Curtiss Hawk fighters. From the initial PW-8
of 1924 through the Hawk III, which ceased
production in 1938, Curtiss built more than
700 Hawk biplanes in 16 different models for
the U.S. Army alone. The steady stream of
orders for Hawks from the American Army and
Navy plus export customers was a significant
factor in Curtiss’ ability to stay afloat during
the lean years of the Great Depression while
also keeping pace with the technical advances
of this period.
A more modern monoplane Hawk came
along in 1935. In response to an Air Corps
design competition in the fall of 1934 for a new
aircraft that would usher in the modern era of
single-seat military fighters, Curtiss produced
the Hawk 75, which the Army designated the
P-36. Chief designer Donovan R. Berlin created
“stretch” in the 75’s airframe that would allow
it to accommodate high-horsepower engines
that were not yet developed. Specifically,
he wanted to provide adequate wingspan
and area to ensure combat effectiveness at
25,000 feet and above.
Though the P-36 exhibited excellent flying
characteristics, its top speed barely topped
300 miles per hour. The Army considered this
speed acceptable in 1937, but by the following
year, the P-36 lagged the latest European
fighters, particularly the British Spitfire I and
German Bf 109E, by at least 50 mph. Curtiss
decided to mate the 75 to the new Allison
V-1710, a liquid-cooled V-12, to produce the
Hawk 81, which the U.S. Army designated the
P-40. Though the plane offered only modest
performance improvements over the P-36,
the Army issued a record-setting contract
The Curtiss P-40 line of fighter aircraft stood out among American fighter types for
having remained in front-line operations from the summer of 1941, before the U.S.
entered World War II, through the end of the conflict four years later. Only Grumman’s
versatile F4F Wildcat naval fighter could match that record.
P-40E Warhawk
The story of the Curtiss H-87 with USAAF units
By Carl Molesworth
“ROSE MARIE,” aircraft No. 29 of the 16th FS/51st FG, was flown by 1/Lt. Robert H. Mooney in China during the second half of 1942. Mooney was killed in action flying another
P-40E near Yunnanyi, Yunnan Province, on Dec. 26, 1942. (photo: NARA)
INFO Eduard8
February 2025