Warbird Information Exchange

Looks to have been in November 1944. Almost at the end life of Curtiss P-40's in major combat if I'm correct. I would imagine there were still active units (either USAAF or Allies) who still flew P-40's in combat at the end of 1944 into 45 so perhaps firing rockets could have been useful.

J Baugher states: (MSN 33256) Damaged" 2 Feb 1945" Forced landing (out of fuel)" 2 miles N.of Kent, DE"" 4146BU W/o 21 Jun 1945" Fatal crash 3 miles S. of Round O, SC 126BU

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The RAAF used P-40s in the front line until the end, replacing with P-51s in 1946.
https://aeropedia.com.au/content/curtis ... kittyhawk/

This rocket rack has been part of any number of P-38 model kits. However I’ve never seen a photo with them mounted on any operational fighter. Was it just one those things that looked cool but wasn’t used?

Record card says 'delivered Dover for tests' 24 July 1944 then recommended survey (at Walterboro AAF?) 22 June 1945; reclamation complete 5 June 1946.

There are photos of 38s with the conventional wing mounts.
And there is a often seen series of shots of a black piggyback P-38M which appears to have the Christmas tree mounts.
Why a night fighter would have them, I have no idea.

I doubt if the P-40s used them operationally. Happy to be proven wrong.
By then, weren't P-40s used as fighter leading trainers? If so, perhaps they were used for training Mustang/Thunderbolt/Lightning pilots in the use if the rockets.
So, probably just a test.

If you look at what was tested towards the end if the war, it you get the feeling the USAAF had o lot of resources...men and equipment on hand, some tests look like a case of "Why not try this....? as opposed to something they were looking for immediate applications.

Again, let me recommend the books :

U.S. Experimental & Prototype Aircraft Projects...Fighters 1939-45
and
American Aircraft Development of the Second World War...Research. Experimentation and Modification 1939-45
both by Bill Norton

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
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I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.