Markings for P-40E Warhawk 1/48
COL A
David L. Hill, 2nd FS, AVG, 14th AF, Kuomintang, China, May 1942
David Lee “Tex” Hill was the most successful ace of the Chennault’s Flying Tigers (American Volunteer Group) as he downed 12,25 Japanese aircraft and destroyed two on the ground. He added six more plus four aircraft damaged after he entered the service with USAAF, becoming a triple fighter ace. Young David Hill and another boy paid local pilot Marion P. Hair to give them a ride in his Travel Air 4000 aircraft and was so impressed that he enlisted in the Navy after graduating from Austin College in 1938. He earned his Naval Aviator wings in November 1939 and flew TBD Devastators and SB2U Vindicators. In 1941 he resigned from Navy to join the 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG) and he learned to fly P-40 in the AVG training program in Burma. Shortly afterwards he became Flight Leader of the 2nd PS (the “Panda Bears”) and then squadron CO. After the AVG was disbanded Hill entered the USAAF and after he was cured of malaria and dysentery in USA, he took command of the 23rd FG on November 4, 1943. Back in USA at the end of 1944 he served as CO of 412th FG flying P-80 jets from September 1945. He resigned from USAF in June 1946 but joined Texas Air National Guard and was appointed Brigadier General. He died at the age of 92 on October 11, 2007. His P-40E from the time of flying with AVG sported Chinese national insignias, which were painted over the original US insignias. The fuselage ones were overpainted in unspecified dark green color and the fuselage sported painting of the typical mascot of the “Flying Tigers”.
COL B
ET795, 1Lt. Clay Tice, Jr, 9th FS, 49th FG, Port Moresby, New Guinea, 1942
A long serving fighter pilot on two theaters of operations, Pacific and Europe, he did not achieve the status of fighter ace, as he earned only three aerial victories, but he became famous as one of two first Americans putting their foot on the Japanese soil. It happened on August 25, 1945, when, on a sweep mission to Kyushu, Tice landed his P-38 on Nittagahara airfield as he accompanied another pilot who was short of fuel. Clay Tice, Jr. Served a tour with the 49th FG in the Pacific early in the war, flying P-39, next came a combat tour as CO of the 507th FS, 404th FG in Europe. Later he went back to the 49th FG as CO of the group starting from July 16, 1945. All his aircraft bore the name Elsie, this P-40E from his first time with 49th FG was no exception. The nose was adorned with the skull and the axe motif. The bottom surfaces, originally in Sky color, were repainted dark gray, probably Neutral Gray. During the repainting process of the Warhawks of 49th FG received in the RAF camouflage, also the nose cone in the Sky was repainted. Again, the gray of undersurfaces was probably used.
COL C
11th FS, 343rd FG, Adak, Adak Island, 1942
The 343rd FG became famous for its actions against Japanese in the area of Aleutian archipelago, operating from Alaska territory. Harsh conditions took their tax on both airmen and their machines forcing to interchange parts on daily basis. In this example. The P-40E got not only a new rudder with part of serial number of different aircraft, but also the bottom engine cowl, which interrupted the famous tiger head painting, which became a “trademark” of Aleutian Tigers. Instead, there was a painting of the probably personal emblem of the pilot – the angry mosquito over the Aleutian mountains. As there is only one photo of the plane in this state of markings, we cannot be sure the emblem was painted also on starboard side of the nose.
COL D
ET600, Lt. Andrew J. Reynolds, 9th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Australia, August 1942
Andrew Jackson Reynolds was born on August 17, 1917, in Seminole, Oklahoma. He studied Chemical engineering and graduated from University of Oklahoma prior to joining the Army Reserves in November 1940. On July 12, 1941, he was rated a pilot at Kelly Field and joined 20th PS (Prov.) in Australia. He moved with the unit to Java and became member of 17th PS (Prov.) there. After escape back to Australia he joined 9th FS of the 49th FG. His first individual aerial victory came on February 18, 1942, when he shot down a Zero over Java. Prior to that, he participated by 0,333 share on aerial victory over what has been stated as Bf 110, but was in fact a Mitsubishi G3M of 1. Kókútai flown by WO Seiai Iwamoto. At the end of the war, he had 9,333 aerial victories on his account and was promoted up to the Lieutenant Colonel rank during the war. A t the end of the hostilities he transferred to the new US Air Force and retired in 1969 as a Colonel. His Star Dust P-40E-1 was known for the painting of the eagle in the yellow field on the port side of the fuselage. Other members of his flight replicated this to form the Eagle Flight. The appearance of the Star Dust inscription and graphics on the nose changed during time, this one represents the earlier version. The additional name Oklahoma Kid was added on starboard side and it is not known which color was added to the white as the shading. We offer blue or yellow variants.
COL E
AK772, Sqn. Ldr. Clive Caldwell, F/Sgt Henry G. Burney, No. 112 Squadron (RAF), LG152 Gambut, Libya, March-May 1942
Clive Robertson Caldwell became the most successful Australian fighter pilot of WWII. He shot down 27 enemy aircraft individually and three shared. Also six probably destroyed and 15 damaged enemy aircraft are part of his success during over 300 operational sorties. Only eight of his aerial victories were achieved with Spitfire, the aircraft he was flying during his operational tour in South West Pacific Theatre. The rest made him the highest-scoring P-40 pilot of any air force and also the highest-scoring Allied pilot in North Africa. He became CO of the famous No. 112 Squadron RAF on January 6, 1942. After his return to Australia, he took command of the No. 1 Fighter Wing of RAAF. Later he was posted to Mildura to command No. 2 Operatrional Training Unit and then was given command of No. 80 Fighter Wing. With this unit he played lead role in the so called Morotai Scrutiny and was also court martialed for his involvement in an alcohol racket, where the liquor was flown in by RAAF aircraft and then sold to US forces contingent on Morotai. Caldwell was reduced to the rank of Flight Lieutenant in January 1946 and left service next month. He became successful in clothing business in the post war era and died on August 5, 1994, at the age of 83. He flew this Kittyhawk named London Pride as the CO of No. 112 Sqn, sharing it with Sgt. Henry Burney.
COL F
NZ3097, F/O Aitken M. Davis, No. 15 Squadron RNZAF, Espiritu Santo, 1943
Aitken Maxwell Davis was born on January 8, 1922. He joined No. 15 Squadron in October 1942 in Tonga, and there he flew this P-40E-1 number 7 from November 1942 to February 1943. When the squadron moved to Nadi, Fiji, in March 1943, he flew this aircraft again. In April he ferried it from Nadi to Port Villa in New Caledonia, and then onto Espiritu Santo on April 12, 1943. Davis carried out two tours of duty in the Solomons area and completed 173 hours of operational flying. He was severely wounded in the left shoulder and leg and while suffering from these wounds, he managed to fly his crippled aircraft back to base where he made a successful belly landing. This did not stop him to return for a second tour of duty during which he destroyed three Japanese aircraft. One of them was a Zero fighter and the two other victims were unspecified Japanese dive bombers. Aitken M. Davies died on June 19, 1986.