Markings for P-40N Warhawk 1/48
COL A
82nd TRS, 71st TRG, Borokoe Airfield, Biak, summer 1944
This aircraft, with attractive pin-up painting on both sides of its nose, originally belonged to the 49th FG, where it flew with the number 10. In June 1944, it probably served as the personal aircraft of the commander of the 49th FG, Lt. Col. Furlo Wagner. At that time, it bore the number 00. Wagner served in command positions within the 35th FG from 1942 to 1944, and on November 22, 1942, he scored his only kill (Zero) in a P-39. He served with the 49th FG only briefly, from June 3 to July 19, 1944. He then returned to the 35th FG. The scheme shown here depicts the aircraft shortly after the 49th FG was re-equipped with P-38s, in the fall of 1944, and left its original P-40s at Biak. It was taken over by the 82nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 71st Tactical Reconnaissance Group, and subsequently underwent some changes in its color scheme, particularly the propeller spinner, which was painted yellow instead of blue and white. It is not entirely certain whether the top of the vertical tail surfaces remained blue with a black line. It is possible that this marking, referring to the previous user, was also painted over. With the 71st TRG, the aircraft first served with its original code 00, later receiving the number 15, and the yellow spinner was repainted, most likely in olive green. At Biak, the Warhawks already had their upper tail surfaces painted white.
COL B
1/Lt. Arthur A Bridge, 45th FS, 15th FG, Makin Atoll, Gilbert Islands, December 1943
The traditional home of the 15th FG was the Hawaiian Islands, where it was activated on December 1, 1940, and served as part of the Hawaiian Islands defense system. During the war, however, it sent its individual squadrons to various locations in the central and southern Pacific. The Warhawks of the 45th FS took off for combat missions from Makin Atoll, which the unit reached via a detour. The squadron was first sent to Baker Island, where it operated until October 1943, then moved to Abemama Island. At the repeated request of the commander, first a detachment and then the entire unit was transferred to Makin Atoll, where the 46th and 72nd FS Airacobras had been operating for several weeks already. Because the standard paint scheme was not effective on the coral atolls, technical personnel on Canton Atoll mixed a sand color that was suitable for the local conditions. In black-and-white photos, the paint sometimes appears as if the undersides were also painted sand color, but upon closer inspection, the color border is visible on the aircraft, and the undersides were most likely repainted with a light blue color mixed by ground personnel from insignia blue and white. The stencils on the upper surfaces were masked during repainting and therefore have an Olive Drab background. The Warhawk named Miss Cappy was assigned to Art Bridge, but it was used by several pilots for combat flights, and the number of bombs painted under the fuselage represents all the missions in which Miss Cappy participated. Lt. Art Bridge flew 20 combat missions during his deployment to Makin Atoll, the most of any pilot. In the spring of 1945, he participated in several VLR missions from Iwo Jima in the cockpit of a Mustang.
COL C
8th FS, 49th FG, Biak, New Guinea, spring 1944
At a time when the US Air Force had already achieved air superiority in the New Guinea area, some aircraft were stripped of their camouflage paint and served in their natural metal color. Warhawk number 69 was additionally decorated with a drawing of a scantily clad young woman and the inscription “Nita.” In September 1944, this aircraft was assigned to the 82nd TRS, 71st TRG, where it was flown by Lt. Moffitt, a member of “A” Flight. At that time, the squadron used up to 18 P-40s, which gradually replaced the originally used P-39 Airacobra. Lt. Mike Moffitt kept the drawing of the woman on the nose of his Warhawk but had the inscription “Nita” removed because his wife’s name was Reba. It is likely that Moffitt later had his wife’s name painted on the nose, as he had done with the Airacobra he previously flew. However, there are no photographs documenting this appearance of his P-40N.
COL D
Lt. Otto Miller, 26th FS, 51st FG, Yunnanyi, China, 1944
While still known as the 51st Pursuit Group, this unit was activated on January 15, 1941, and during training served as part of the forces guarding the west coast of the United States. In January 1942, it moved, via Australia and Ceylon, to India, where it became part of the 10th AF. The unit’s task was to protect the air supply route leading from India, across the Himalayas, to Yunnan, Kunming, and other areas in China. This route, nicknamed “the Hump”, is still considered the most dangerous air supply route ever operated. In October 1943, the group moved to China, where it was transferred to the 14th AF. From there, it defended the eastern part of the aforementioned supply route, attacked Japanese vessels in the Red River Delta, and supported Chinese ground forces in their advance to the Salween River. In the fall of 1945, the 51st FG returned to India and was deactivated on December 13. It was reactivated 10 months later in Okinawa. Lt. Otto Miller flew The Seducer and achieved his only aerial victory on November 11, 1944. According to some sources, Lt. J. A. Robbins may also have flown the aircraft, so the decals offer both nameplates.
COL E
Col. Ivan W. McElroy, CO of 80th FG, Tingkawk Sakan, Burma, 1944
Ivan McElroy commanded the “Burma Banshees,” as the 80th FG was nicknamed, in 1943 and 1944. The unit disrupted Japanese activities along the famous Burma Road and throughout northern Burma. On March 27, 1944, the 80th FG intercepted a raid of 15 bombers and 25 fighters and shot down all but one bomber without suffering any losses of its own. After the war, McElroy remained in service and held a number of staff and command positions, including deputy chief of staff for operations at US Air Force headquarters. On his colorfully painted aircraft, there is a somewhat mysterious spot under the fuel filler cap, whose silhouette somewhat resembles a ghost holding a bomb in its outstretched hand. It appears differently in various photographs. In some cases, it looks as if the paint has been damaged and worn away to the metal, while in others it appears to be just a wet or greasy stain, but it is clear that it has been sooted by the exhaust, so it must have been on the aircraft for some time.
COL F
Capt. Xu Hua-jiang, 7th FS, 3rd FG, Laohokow, China, January 1945
After the Americvan Volunter Group was disbanded in early June 1942, its duties were taken over by the China Air Task Force (CATF) under the command of the former AVG commander, Brigadier General Claire Chennault. The CATF consisted of four fighter squadrons with P-40s from the 23rd FG and one bomber squadron with B-25s from the 11th BG. After the formation of the 14th AF in March 1943, Chennault proposed the formation of the Chinese-American Composite Wing (CACW). Due to the low level of training of Chinese pilots, it was decided to leave the command and part of the pilot staff under American control. The CACW began combat operations in October 1943 and by the end of the war had shot down 190 Japanese aircraft, destroyed 301 on the ground, and also destroyed over 2,500 vehicles or various facilities, as well as damaging many bridges, roads, and railroad tracks. This aircraft belonged to one of the Chinese pilots, and the characters on the nose can be read as Tai-Gong Ling, which means “under the command of Tai-Gong.” Jiang Tai-Gong was a general in ancient China (1100 BC) and is considered one of their many deities by the Chinese. A number of sources list Capt. Wang Guang-Fu as the pilot of the aircraft, but according to the account of the nephew of Xu Hua-jiang, it was his uncle’s aircraft. Apparently, the then commander of the 7th FS, Maj. Reed, told him that it was customary to decorate the aircraft with some personal symbol and possibly give it a name. Xu recalled a novel he had read as a child, which featured the aforementioned legendary general, and chose his name for his aircraft. However, it is not entirely clear whether the inscription on the nose was red or yellow. We have opted for the yellow version.
COL G
P-40N, Lt. Roger Farrell, 7th FS, 49th FG, Dobadura, New Guinea, spring 1944
The most significant user of Warhawks within the USAAF was the 49th FG, which entered combat with them in the spring of 1942, defending northern Australia against Japanese air raids. In October of that year, it moved to New Guinea, where it helped stop the Japanese advance from the north towards Port Moresby. In March 1943, it took part in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. In July 1944, the 49th FG was re-equipped with P-38s, and its P-40s were taken over by other units. Lt. Farrell achieved three kills during the war, between October 1943 and February 1944. His aircraft, with its distinctive nose art and the name Island Dream, bore the usual color scheme of the time, including a white tail, while the upper side of the horizontal tail surfaces was left in Olive Drab during the fighting over New Guinea. It cannot be ruled out that the fighter also had a blue-colored tip on the rudder.
COL H
Maj. Arthur W. Cruikshank, 74th FS, 23rd FG, Hengyeng, China, June 1944
Arthur Waur Cruikshank was first assigned to the 157th Project Task Force during the war, and in March 1942 he was one of the first USAAF pilots to take off from the deck of the aircraft carrier Ranger with a P-40 during operations in North Africa. In June, he transferred to the CBI theater and was assigned to the 23rd FG, which was formed after the AVG was disbanded. In September 1943, Cruikshank took command of the 74th FS and gradually achieved eight confirmed and six probable kills. He himself was shot down twice over enemy territory and returned to his unit with the help of the Chinese resistance. Cruikshank returned to the US in August 1944 and became a test pilot. In December 1945, he took command of Eglin Field Air Base in Florida, then successively held a number of important positions and was promoted to the rank of general. He died on May 5, 1999. During his second tour of duty from May 1944, Arthur Cruikshank flew an aircraft named Hell's Belle. He was shot down by anti-aircraft fire on June 15, 1944.
COL I
F/Sgt. D. A. Smyth, No. 78 Squadron RAAF, Noemfoor Island, August 1944
The Australian No. 78 Squadron was formed on July 20, 1943, and in October of that year, it moved to Kiriwina Island with its Kittyhawks as part of No. 73 Wing. Its pilots attacked targets in New Britain or escorted bombers. In January 1944, the unit moved to Nazdab and in March to Cape Gloucester in New Britain. Here, too, attacks on ground targets formed the main combat workload, supplemented by reconnaissance flights. The squadron had its moment of glory on June 3, 1944, when it attacked a formation of Japanese aircraft over Biak and shot down six Ki-43 Oscars and two B5N Kate torpedo bombers, losing only one of its own aircraft. This was followed by a move to northern New Guinea, where No. 78 Squadron pilots took off from Noemfoor Island for a time. In December 1944, the squadron moved to Morotai. F/Sgt Smyth’s aircraft had standard coloring with white paint added to the tail surfaces and leading edges of the wings. Unusually, the lower part of the nose cowling was also painted white. At the rear, white paint spread over the masking tape to the Olive Drab color. The drawing of a naked girl with the inscription “Watch my form!” was supplemented by another inscription, Lucky 13.
COL J
No. 3 Squadron RAAF, Foiano, Jesi, October 1944
At the beginning of the war, No. 3 Squadron was one of 12 permanent squadrons of the Royal Australian Air Force, and on July 24, 1940, 21 of its officers and 271 other members set sail aboard the ship Orontes to join the fighting in Europe under the command of S/Ldr. Ian D. McLachlan. They arrived in the Middle East on August 23 and then moved to Egypt, where they exchanged their Gladiators and Lysanders for Tomahawks, i.e. P-40B/Cs, and later for newer Kittyhawks. This particular aircraft remained with No. 3 Squadron for only a brief time, as shortly after its arrival, the unit began rearming to Mustangs. It was also one of the few aircraft to have a stylized Southern Cross painted on a blue background on its rudder.
COL K
F/O Stanley Broadbent, No. 18 Sqn RNZAF, Torokina, Bougainville, spring 1944
This aircraft was the third to bear the name Gloria Lyons, a young patient being treated for tuberculosis at a hospital in Christchurch. Two mechanics from No. 4 Servicing Unit RNZAF stationed in the Solomon Islands corresponded with her and had the aircraft with the code letter G named after her. The first Gloria was aircraft NZ3148, P-40N-1, which was destroyed on February 9, 1944, during landing. Its legacy was taken over by NZ3167, already a P-40N-5 . On May 17, it was hit by an enemy ground fire during attacks in the northern Bougainville area and the pilot had to bail out. The third aircraft was NZ3220, which survived until the end of the war. Here it is shown in the form that corresponds to the end of its combat service before returning from Torokina to New Zealand. The painted bombs on the fuselage represent the number of missions flown by all Glorias. In New Zealand, the aircraft awaited further service with a training unit and also underwent several changes in markings and inscriptions.
COL L
Sgt/Plt G. F. Davis, No 112 Sqn RAF, Cutella/Sant Angelo, Italy, March 1944
The famous RAF “Shark Squadron” was founded on July 30, 1917, and its mission was to protect the airspace over London. The unit was deactivated on June 13, 1919, and reactivated on May 16, 1939, aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Argus, which was heading for Egypt. In June, its pilots received obsolete Gloster Gladiators, with which they joined the fighting shortly after Italy entered the war. During July 1941, the squadron became one of the first to be operational with Tomahawks. The aircraft’s prominent nose with a large radiator inlet inspired the unit’s members to paint shark mouths, following the example of the German Bf 110s from ZG 76. In December of that year, the squadron replaced its Tomahawks with Kittyhawks Mk. I and gradually took over more modern versions up to the Mk. IV. Members of various nationalities served in the unit. In addition to the Britons, these were mainly Australians, Poles, Canadians, and New Zealanders. Later, more and more South Africans appeared in the ranks of the “Shark Squadron”. After the invasion of Sicily, No. 112 Squadron moved to Italy in September 1943 and re-equipped with Mustang Mk. III aircraft in December of that year. At the end of the war, the unit reported 206 enemy aircraft destroyed in the air and 62 on the ground. The aircraft shown was delivered in American colors, which were modified by adding Middle Stone to the Olive Drab, while the Neutral Gray of the lower surfaces was repainted Azure Blue. The upper surfaces had their color fields swapped compared to the usual desert scheme.