Basil Smith: Curtiss P40 Kittyhawk

Artist: Basil Smith
1925 -
Nationality: British
Artwork Year: 1981
Image Size: 7 by 6 inches
Overall Size: 10 by 9 inches
Medium: Mixed Media on Hot Press Illustration Board

Although it was known as the Kittyhawk, Tomahawk, or Warhawk, the Curtiss P40 K could have been more appropriately called the Dodo Bird. Obsolete when it first appeared in 1940, the P40 K spent the rest of World War II trying to catch up with the rest of the world's fighter planes. Engineers originally designed the aircraft as a low altitude fighter, in accordance with Army Air Corps tactical concepts. The realities of combat, however, exposed the plane's shortcomings, including its inadequate firepower and lack of protective armor. More guns and armor were added to later models which had not yet left the production line, but the added weight made the P40 slow and cumbersome in dogfights with German and Japanese fighters. It is surprising, then, that the P40 proved to be as effective as it was. The credit for this is due in large part to the daring men who piloted the craft; they learned to use tactics which would exploit the weak points of the enemy while capitalizing on the Kittyhawk's advantages. For example, the pilots found that a diving pass followed by a fast departure could best be used against more maneuverable Japanese planes. Using such methods the Flying Tigers, a squadron of American volunteers in China, destroyed 286 Japanese planes while losing only twelve of their own. These brave men, and thousands like them, gave the world a lesson in resourcefulness, and made the sluggish Kittyhawk into a killer.

This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood® Trains & Boats & Planes & More Collection Description Card for the Curtiss P40 Kittyhawk.

Artwork Copyright © 1981 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB07227

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