Warbird Information Exchange

Aircraft History
Built by Curtiss in Buffalo, New York. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-40E Warhawk serial number unknown. Disassembled and shipped overseas to the Philippines and reassembled.

Wartime History
Assigned to the Far East Air Force (FEAF), 24th Pursuit Group (24th PG) to either the 17th Pursuit Squadron (17th PS) or 20th Pursuit Squadron (20th PS) based in Luzon in the Philippines. No known markings or tail code.

This Warhawk participated in the defense of the Philippines and flew missions between December 8, 1941 until early May 1942. This Warhawk operated from Clark Field, Nichols Field then from the Bataan Peninsula, In early April 1942 as one of the few P-40s that remained in flying condition, withdrawn to Maramag Airfield on Mindanao. While operating from Mindanao, the nose was painted with a shark mouth motif with a painted spinne, angled mouth with an eye behind the exhaust stacks and a lighter color painted over the entire nose.

In early May 1942, when American forces abandoned Maramag Airfield, the surviving aircraft were hidden in the jungle including this P-40E Warhawk, another P-40E Warhawk and a PAAC Stearman 76D3 biplane. To disable the Warhawks, their distributor caps were removed and thrown into a toilet.

Discovered by the Japanese when they occupied Maramag Airfield, this P-40 was inspected by Ki-27 pilot Lt. Yasushi Ushijima from 84th Dokoritsu Chutai (84th Independent Squadron).

On May 19, 1942 several Americans from the Prisoner Of War (POW) compound near Malaybalay including Lt. Charley Sneed, Winston Glover and another pilot were taken to Maramag Airfield and instructed to fly the planes to Malaybalay Airfield. Next, the three planes were then flown to Davao Airfield, with the American POWs flying the P-40s and Japanese pilot Ushijima flying the Stearman. On the ground at Davao Airfield, one of the P-40s with "Shark Mouth" markings was photographed by the Japanese with personnel nearby and the pilot in the cockpit.

At Davao Airfield, Lt. Charley Sneed was asked to perform aerobatics with the newer P-40. Afterwards, they ferried the aircraft northward but were not allowed to take parachutes and told all would be shot if one tried to escape. The P-40s were piloted by Crosland and Erickson plus an American mechanic in the biplane and escorted by three Ki-46 Dinahs. Near the destination there was bad weather and the older P-40 landed at a small airfield until the storm passed then landed at Nichols Field. This was the last flight by FEAF plane during the Philippines campaign.

Later, flown to Clark Field. Likely, this Warhawk was flight tested by the Japanese. Ultimate fate unknown, likely scrapped or otherwise disappeared.
Source: https://pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/p-40/maramag.html







This P-40 below I recall someone here had some history regarding it's capture and use. Photo states: "Captured US Curtiss P-40E"

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“PMURT KCUF”

Considering that it was the "newer" of the two P-40Es, the Sharkmouth actually may have been one of the three crated P-40Es shipped from Australia to Mindanao and assembled after running the Japanese blockade. In any case, there is no possibility that it formerly operated with the 20th Pursuit Squadron since the 20th was equipped with P-40Bs

A great book on the P-40s, B-17s, and other aircraft in the Phllippeans in the first five months is "Doomed from the Start".