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#Post#: 9205--------------------------------------------------
Plane of the Week: Curtis P-36 Hawk
By: vonofterdingen Date: January 13, 2020, 4:31 pm
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I will be 67 years old on Friday. Like Lou Gehrig, I feel like I
am the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have a great
wife, nice dog, a not entirely too crabby cat, nice house in a
nice part of the world, and this entirely fun game as my
retirement hobby (for which my wife is even more grateful than I
am I think). As a birthday present to me, this week’s Plane of
the Week is Von’s favorite plane to fly in IL-2. It is a
difficult choice. I like early war planes the most but the P-39,
Hawker Hurricane, LaGG-3, and I-16 are all contenders. When it
came down to picking one though, I came up with the P-36. I will
explain why in the “in-game” section. One of the more
interesting things about the P-36 to me is the number of
theaters where is operated. The list of where it did not operate
is probably shorter. We can find the P-36 in the Pacific, Dakar,
France, Thailand, Burma/India, Finland, North Africa, China,
Dutch East Indies, Philippines, and I am probably missing one or
more. And though it was the basis of the P-40 that replaced it,
I personally prefer the P-36 over the P-40 in combat.
From Wikipedia:
The Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model
75, is an American-designed and built fighter aircraft of the
1930s and 40s. A contemporary of both the Hawker Hurricane and
Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new
generation of combat aircraft—a sleek monoplane design making
extensive use of metal in its construction and powered by a
powerful radial engine.
Perhaps best known as the predecessor of the Curtiss P-40
Warhawk, the P-36 saw little combat with the United States Army
Air Forces during World War II. It was nevertheless the fighter
used most extensively and successfully by the French Armee de
l'air during the Battle of France. The P-36 was also ordered by
the governments of the Netherlands and Norway, but did not
arrive in time to see action before both were occupied by Nazi
Germany. The type was also manufactured under license in China,
for the Republic of China Air Force, as well as in British
India, for the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Indian Air Force
(RIAF).
Axis and co-belligerent air forces also made significant use
of captured P-36s. Following the fall of France and Norway in
1940, several dozen P-36s were seized by Germany and transferred
to Finland; these aircraft saw extensive action with the
Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force) against the Soviet Air Forces.
The P-36 was also used by Vichy French air forces in several
minor conflicts; in one of these, the Franco-Thai War of
1940–41, P-36s were used by both sides.
From mid-1940, some P-36s en route for France and the
Netherlands were diverted to Allied air forces in other parts of
the world. The Hawks ordered by the Netherlands were diverted to
the Dutch East Indies and later saw action against Japanese
forces. French orders were taken up by British Commonwealth air
forces, and saw combat with both the South African Air Force
(SAAF) against Italian forces in East Africa, and with the RAF
over Burma. Within the Commonwealth, the type was usually
referred to as the Curtiss Mohawk.
With around 1,000 aircraft built by Curtiss itself, the P-36
was a major commercial success for the company. It also became
the basis not only of the P-40, but two other, unsuccessful
prototypes: the P-37 and the XP-42.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) also displayed interest in the
aircraft. Comparison of a borrowed French Hawk 75A-2 with a
Supermarine Spitfire Mk I revealed that the Hawk had several
advantages over the early variant of the iconic British fighter.
The Hawk was found to have lighter controls than the Spitfire at
speeds over 300 mph (480 km/h), especially in diving attacks,
and was easier to maneuver in a dogfight (thanks to the less
sensitive elevator) and better all-around visibility. The Hawk
was also easier to control on takeoff and landing. Not
surprisingly, the Spitfire's superior acceleration and top speed
ultimately gave it the advantage of being able to engage and
leave combat at will.
Although Britain decided not to purchase the aircraft, they
soon came in possession of 229 Hawks by way of diverted
shipments to occupied France and aircraft flown by escaping
French pilots. The aircraft received the designations Mohawk I
through IV, mirroring French Hawk 75A-1 through A-4, and were
fitted with 0.303-cal. Vickers K machine guns and conventional
throttles (forward to increase power).
Although they were considered obsolete, a number saw service
with the RAF and Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) in India and
Burma. In April 1941, the British government of India ordered 48
Cyclone-powered Mohawk IVz (Hawk 75A) for the RIAF, to be built
by Hindustan Aircraft. The first such aircraft completed was
test flown on 31 July 1942. However, only four additional
aircraft were completed before the project was abandoned. The
Indian-built series were used by RAF/RIAF units. Similarly,
Chinese license production of the Hawk 75A-5 was moved to India,
and these aircraft were also absorbed into RAF as Mohawk IVs.
These aircraft were supplemented by 10 Hawk 75A-9s captured
during the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in August 1941,[6]
while 74 ex-French Mohawk IVs were shipped to India from the
United Kingdom. The only RAF units to see combat in Mohawks were
No. 5 Squadron RAF and No. 155 Squadron RAF, using the type
mainly for Bomber escort and ground attack. The type was retired
by the RAF/RIAF in 1944.
The South African Air Force received 72 Mohawks. Its first
Mohawks were delivered to East Africa in mid-1941, where they
were used by 3 Squadron SAAF to support operations in the East
African Campaign, taking part in the Battle of Gondar which
ended the campaign, and helping to patrol the border with Vichy
French held Djibouti. These Mohawks were then sent to South
Africa, where, supplemented by fresh deliveries, they were used
for training and for home defence.
The prototype of the Hawk 75H—a simplified version with fixed
landing gear, like the 75O—was eventually sold to the Chinese
Nationalist government who presented it to Claire L. Chennault
for personal use. China also received two similar demonstrators,
the Hawk 75Q. They also used a number of simplified Hawk 75Ms
against the Japanese. The Hawk 75A-5 was built under license in
China, but production was later moved to India, and these
aircraft were absorbed into the RAF as the Mohawk IV.
After the fall of France, Germany agreed to sell captured
Curtiss Hawk fighters to Finland in October 1940. In total, 44
captured aircraft of five subtypes were sold to Finland with
three deliveries from 23 June 1941 – 5 January 1944. Not all
were from the French stocks, 13 were initially sold to Norway
and captured when the Germans conquered that country. The
aircraft were given serial codes CU-501 to CU-507 (A-4 submodel
with Cyclone) and CU-551 to CU-587 (all other submodels with
Twin Wasp).
In Finnish service, the Hawk was well liked, affectionately
called Sussu ("Sweetheart").[12] The Finnish Air Force enjoyed
success with the type, credited with 190⅓ kills by 58
pilots, between 16 July 1941 and 27 July 1944, for the loss of
15 of their own. Finnish Hawk pilots included the type's
highest-scoring ace, Altto Kalevi "Kale" Tervo, with between 14¼
and 15¾ victories in the type; another ace, Kyösti "Kössi"
Karhila, scored 12¼ or 13¼ of his 32¼ victories in the Hawk.
The Finnish Hawks were initially armed with either four or
six 7.5mm machine guns. While sufficient during the early phase
of the Continuation War, the increasing speeds and armor of
Soviet aircraft soon showed this armament was not powerful
enough. From 1942, the State Aircraft Factory replaced the
fuselage machine guns with either one or two .50 in (12.7 mm)
Colt or Browning FN machine guns and installed two or four .303
in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in each wing. The 12.7mm
Berezin UB or LKk/42 heavy machine guns were also used.[10] The
installation of heavier armament did not change the very good
flying characteristics of the fighter, but the armament was much
more effective against Soviet aircraft. The Finnish Hawks were
also equipped with Revi 3D or C/12D gunsight.
Surviving Finnish aircraft remained in service with the FAF
aviation units HLeLv 13, HLeLv 11 and LeSK until 30 August 1948,
when the last operational Finnish Hawks were put into storage.
In 1953, the stored aircraft were scrapped.
Even before the P-36A entered production, the French Air
Force entered negotiations with Curtiss for delivery of 300
aircraft. The negotiating process ended up being very drawn-out
because the cost of the Curtiss fighters was double that of the
French Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 and Bloch MB.150, and the
delivery schedule was deemed too slow. Since the USAAC was
unhappy with the rate of domestic deliveries and believed that
export aircraft would slow things down even more, it actively
opposed the sale. Eventually, it took direct intervention from
U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt to give the French test pilot
Michel Detroyat a chance to fly the Y1P-36.
Detroyat's enthusiasm, problems with the MB.150, and the
pressure of continuing German rearmament finally forced France
to purchase 100 aircraft and 173 engines. The first Hawk 75A-1
(or H75A-1 n°1) arrived in France in December 1938 and began
entering service in March 1939. A few months later, this
aircraft was part of "Groupe de Chasse II/5 La Fayette" (heir of
the Escadrille Lafayette that fought in France during World War
I), wearing the famous Sioux Head on its fuselage side. After
the first few examples, aircraft were delivered in pieces and
assembled in France by the Société Nationale de Constructions
Aéronautiques du Centre. Officially designated as the Curtiss
H75-C1 (the "Hawk" name was not used in France), the aircraft
were powered by Pratt & Whitney R-1830-SC-G engines of 900 hp
and had instruments calibrated for the metric system, a seat for
French dorsal parachutes, a French-style throttle which operated
in reverse from U.S. and British aircraft (full throttle was to
the rear rather than to the front) and armament of four (later
models had six with two firing through the prop and four in the
wings) 7.5 mm FN-Browning machine guns, aimed with a
French-supplied Baille-Lemaire gun sight. The aircraft evolved
through several modifications, the most significant being the
installation of the Wright R-1820 Cyclone engine. The H75-C1
variant saw little operational use due to its late delivery and
reliability problems with the Wright radial engine. A total of
316 H75s were delivered to France before the German occupation.
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On September 20, Sergeant André-Armand Legrand, pilot of the
H75A-1 n°1 in the Groupe de Chasse II/5 La Fayette was credited
of the first Allied air victory of World War II on the Western
front with shooting down a Messerschmitt Bf 109E of the
Luftwaffe 3/JG 53, over Überherrn. During 1939–1940, French H75
pilots claimed 230 air-to-air kills (of a total of 1,009
air-to-air kills by the French Air Force during 1939–1940) and
81 probable victories in H75s against only 29 aircraft lost in
aerial combat.[17] While making up only 12.6 per cent of the
French Air Force single-seater fighter force, the H75 accounted
for almost a third of the air-to-air kills during the 1940
Battle of France.[16] Of the 11 French aces of the early part of
the war, seven flew H75s. The leading ace of the time was
Lieutenant Edmond Marin la Meslée with 15 confirmed and five
probable victories in the type. H75-equipped squadrons were
evacuated to French North Africa before the Armistice to avoid
capture by the Germans. While under the Vichy government, these
units clashed with British aircraft during the Battle of Mers
El-Kebir and the Battle of Dakar. During Operation Torch in
North Africa, French H75s fought against U.S. Navy F4F Wildcats,
losing 15 aircraft while shooting down seven American aircraft.
From late 1942 on, the Allies started re-equipping the formerly
Vichy-controlled French H75 units with P-40s and P-39s.
In October 1939, The Netherlands ordered 24 Hawk 75A-7s for
their colonies of the Dutch East Indies. These planes were
powered by 1,200 hp Cyclones. Factory armament was one .50 inch
and one .303 inch machine gun in the cowl with two .303 machine
guns in the wings. After delivery, the .50 weapons were replaced
to standardize parts and ammo. The plane could carry six 23 kg
bombs. The fighters were shipped in 1940 and almost rerouted to
the Netherlands when Germany invaded. But as the mainland
surrendered, the aircraft came to the colonies where they were
used extensively against the Japanese attack on the Far Eastern
part of the kingdom. By that time, the aircraft had flown so
many hours that the engines were showing serious wear and tear.
Most Dutch Hawks were assigned to the 1ste JachtVliegAfdeling
- VliegtuigGroep IV (1ste JaVA - 1-VlG IV; "1st Fighter Squadron
- Flying Group IV") of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army
Air Force (ML-KNIL), although some flew with 1-VlG V. These
aircraft saw action over Malacca, Sumatra and Java, successfully
bombing the railroad and intercepting bombers and participated
in the extensive dogfights over Soerabaja, where USAAF, RAF and
ML aircraft fought Japanese bombers and fighters together.
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In game…
Well, I wish it had a little more armament…but otherwise the
P-36 is just a joy to fly as far as I am concerned. I can really
throw this thing around the sky and it will not stall on me. It
climbs and turns great, and I can hold my own against most early
war counterparts except maybe the Zero. One of my favorite
campaign scenarios is pitting this and I-16s against Ki-27s and
Oscars in Sino-Japanese and Dutch East Indies campaigns. It is
no coincidence that this plane appears in so many of my DCG
campaigns. I simply like to fly it myself. Oh, and one more
thing…this is about the only plane that I can land consistently
without severe damage. That is a big plus for me!
#Post#: 9207--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Curtis P-36 Hawk
By: JG51_Ruski Date: January 13, 2020, 6:13 pm
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Very nice write up Von Thank you
#Post#: 9209--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Curtis P-36 Hawk
By: MADMICK71 Date: January 13, 2020, 7:28 pm
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Thanks great read.
#Post#: 9211--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Curtis P-36 Hawk
By: Beowolff Date: January 13, 2020, 11:42 pm
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Great article, Von! And listen... near and dear to my ole
heart! I credit the P-36 and early P-40's as to why I LOVE
airplanes and WW2 airplanes and sims in the first place! That's
right... you see my step-grand dad, a big and strapping ex-USAF
pilot from California, brought me a half a dozen WW2 USAAF
training relics for my birthday as a young lad of only six;
---mini-sized (about as big as your hand) brass target P-36 and
P-40B (?) figurines that WW2 air gunners used/trained with by
shooting with BB (full auto---air powered) machineguns! These
things were beautifully made, from I'm guessing cast brass...and
though they had taken a beating with those powerful full-auto BB
(.30 Browning lookalike) machineguns and had a few indentions
pounded into them, they were still supremely attractive. (My
mom thought them toys and eventually threw them away once I'd
married to my first wife and while we were moving into our first
home---yes, my mom did silly shat like that as she usually was
looking to find things to throw away, there was no rhyme or
reason why she did things like that, she just did---those things
were worth a fortune even back then!)
Anyway, him giving me those brass targets SPARKED my interest in
flying and WW2. And naturally ever since I've had a VERY soft
spot in my heart for Curtiss warplanes, especially the
P-36/P-40s.
You've done a great job with this article, and it's especially
nice to see that I am not alone in my love for these splendid,
old warhorse aircraft.
Kudos!
Salute!
Beo (I've also a birthday coming up the 21st of this
month...next week in fact.) So, happy 'ahead' birthday! ;D ;D
;D
#Post#: 9218--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Curtis P-36 Hawk
By: cafs Date: January 14, 2020, 4:48 am
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Great read and a great plane, very docile and maneuverable, just
the early Japanese fighters are better.
Thanks Von. 😀👍🥂
p.s. : Happy birthday mates 🎁🥂😀
#Post#: 9222--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Curtis P-36 Hawk
By: larsresult Date: January 14, 2020, 7:08 am
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Good write up mate. I am currently flying the Finnish AF
Karelian Hawks static campaign for 1941 and claimed my first
kill over a I15bis yesterday. My wingman claimed half though,
which is usual for these early stock campaigns. You damage them,
they claim them. bah.
After the light but tough DXXI and the faster Hurricane 1 the
Hawk 75 is an all round delight to fly, even if lightly armed.
#Post#: 9237--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Curtis P-36 Hawk
By: Gacek Date: January 14, 2020, 4:55 pm
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Zwykle samoloty mają swoich zwolenników i przeciwników.
Nigdzie nie spotkałem się z negatywną opinią
na temat P-36. Nawet po wprowadzeniu nowszego P-40 wielu pilotów
preferowało starsze samoloty. Mocny silnik i niskie
obciążenie skrzydła spowodowały, że
samolot był bardzo zwrotny. Przez. Amerykański pilot
F. Gabreski „latanie na nim dało wiele satysfakcji” I
bardzo długa lista użytkowników:
Piloci z Argentyny, Chin, Francji, Finlandii, Niemiec, Holandii,
Norwegii, Portugalii, Persji, Afryki Południowej,
Tajlandii, a także pilotów z Kanady, Polski i Czech. Czy
tęskniłem za kimś?
Polish Translated to English by Google:
Usually, planes have their supporters and opponents. I have not
met anywhere with a negative opinion on the P-36. Even after the
introduction of the newer P-40, many pilots preferred older
aircraft. A strong engine and low wing load made the aircraft
very maneuverable. By. American pilot F. Gabreski "flying on it
gave a lot of satisfaction" and a very long list of users:
Pilots from Argentina, China, France, Finland, Germany, the
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Persia, South Africa, Thailand,
as well as pilots from Canada, Poland and the Czech Republic.
Did I miss someone?
#Post#: 9245--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Curtis P-36 Hawk
By: vonofterdingen Date: January 14, 2020, 10:52 pm
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Nicely put Gacek. Gabreski's experience in real life was very
similar to my own in game. This reminds me of a marvelous
campaign made years ago by Craken about Gabreski's career.
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