P-40 combat question

[Shay]

Can anyone tell me how late into the war, any theatre, were the P-40 B and C variants used in combat? Also what nation(s) and units were the last to use them in combat? Thanks for any help

Shay
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Semper Fortis

[Shay]

no one has any ideas or answers? Where is BlackWolf3945 he might know something? Thanks

Shay
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Semper Fortis

[TAdan]

Well I am going to guess on this one.

If the AVG was absorbed into the USAAF in the summer of 42. I would guess they still had a few early model birds hanging around until they were outfitted w/ E's when they were absorbed by the USAAF.

I always presumed they operated the B/C's along with the E's until they had enough later model birds. I know the AVG received several E's to replace the worn out or lost B/C's.

Other theaters to consider would be the russian (russians operated them)front and the north african (british operated them) front.

Im sure someone can elaborate and shed some light on this.

[mrhenniger]

Not knowning too much on the subject, but... What about Russia? When did they receive the last of their Bs and Cs? How long did those last? I don't expect we will ever have any answers to these questions.

BTW... The P-40 at the FHC is a C model retrieved from Russia.

Mike

[bdk]

If the AVG was absorbed into the USAAF in the summer of 42. I would guess they still had a few early model birds hanging around until they were outfitted w/ E's when they were absorbed by the USAAF.

Weren't the Flying Tigers aircraft owned by the Chinese?

[TAdan]

Yes the AVG aircraft were owned by the Chinese govt. That is a very good point. Pehaps the Chinese continued to use the B/C's after the AVG was absorbed by the USAAC.

[Shay]

Yes the AVG aircraft were owned by the Chinese govt. That is a very good point. Pehaps the Chinese continued to use the B/C's after the AVG was absorbed by the USAAC.

According to Carl Molesworth's "Sharks Over China": All of the AVG's B, C and E model P-40s as well as ground equipment were absorbed into the 23rd Fighter Group on July 4th 1942 and were distributed between the 74th, 75th and 76th Fighter Squadrons.

Shay
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Semper Fortis

[Spitty]

I will ask a mate of mine who is building a 40 but I think we used them in the SWPT fairly late for ground support.

[Buz]

Quick answer for the RAF operated Tomahawks, was that they were flown operationally until Jan 1943.

By the way the aircraft in NZ is not a C model, it is a Tomahawk IIb, there are some differences between the models.

Buz

[Firebird]

I'd go with Russia being the last front line operater of B/C models, IIRC, they didn't consider anything to be obsolete, so could well have been flying any remaining B/C models well into '43 or even '44...??

What about the B/C models recovered thus far from Russia, known crash dates would indicate how late they were being used....???

[Buz]

As far as I have been able to check out the RAF used the Tomahawk in the Middle East on operations until Jan 43. They continued to use these aircraft in the OTU and smaller Units there until about Mid 1944.

In England the Tomahawks were used again until Late (sept) 1943 at Sqdn level and were still used as Trainers until 1945, with various smaller units.

VVS used these aircraft until most were replaced when the units became Guards or were re-equipped with Kittyhawk aircraft late 1942 (remember the numbers of aircraft here the VVS did not get all that many in the scheme of things).

The US used the P-40B and C models in the Canel zone into 1943, and continued using them in the training role until 1945.

Hope this helps a little

Buz