P 40F and the Pacific.

[Birgir Thorisson]

From what limited information I have, It seems that the USAAF primarily used the Merlin engined P-40 in North Africa. It doesn´t seem to have been a great success there.
On the other hand, when it became available in the spring of 1942, the USAAF really needed better altitude capacity in the Pacific, where the Allison engined version was struggling against the Zero. With Europe-first policy giving that theater a priority for P-38, the logical solution would have been to deploy the P-40F in the Pacific.
Every indication is that it would have done well over Port Moresby and Guadalcanal, where defending fighters had plenty of time to gain altitude, so the P-40F weakness (low climb rate) would not have mattered.

So the question is why wasn´t the P-40F used in the Pacific (assuming I am right that it wasn´t)?

Birgir Thorisson

[shooshoobaby]

It was the lack of a 2 Stage SuperCharger that prevented the P - 40
from being a High Altitude Fighter.
Cheers

[Graham Boak]

Although the Merlin in the P-40F was only fitted with a single-stage supercharger, it did (I believe) have a higher full throttle height than the equivalent Allison. It is my understanding that for this reason the P-40F was preferred for fighter units, whereas the Allison-engined variant was more used as a fighter-bomber. When such differentiation was possible, of course. Although not the best fighter in theatre, the Merlin P-40F did a respectable job.

One reason for using it in the western theatres is that Merlin-trained engine fitters were not common in the USAAF, and it made sense to concentrate their use where expertise and spares were most readily available.

[gian paolo]

Originally Posted by Birgir Thorisson

From what limited information I have, It seems that the USAAF primarily used the Merlin engined P-40 in North Africa. It doesn´t seem to have been a great success there.
On the other hand, when it became available in the spring of 1942, the USAAF really needed better altitude capacity in the Pacific, where the Allison engined version was struggling against the Zero. With Europe-first policy giving that theater a priority for P-38, the logical solution would have been to deploy the P-40F in the Pacific.
Every indication is that it would have done well over Port Moresby and Guadalcanal, where defending fighters had plenty of time to gain altitude, so the P-40F weakness (low climb rate) would not have mattered.

So the question is why wasn´t the P-40F used in the Pacific (assuming I am right that it wasn´t)?

Birgir Thorisson

Hi Birgir


The P-40F did actually see service in the Pacific with the 44 FS / 18


FG from January 1943 in the Solomon Islands area.



Best regards


gian paolo

[JACK COOK]

The 68th FS was the original combat P-40F squadron in the Pacific on Guadalcanal in late 1942. I was replaced by the 44th FS which absorbed most serviceable a/c and the newer pilots in Jan 1943. The 44th continunes flying F until the squadron fully converted to P-38Hs in Nov. 1943. The last squadron P-40F-5 was #111 "Destitute Prostitue"/"Resckless Prostitute" which scored 16 confirmed kills (making it the high acoring P-40) and was flown by at least 5 aces. It was returned to the staes in early 44 and used in war bond drives. It was surplused out in the 1946 and used has a instructional airframe at a trade school in CA until the early 70s. There are stories about it's demise ranging from scrapping to purchased and hidded in a obscure location in Sw Cal.
Jack Cook-historian
44th FS Association
http://groups.msn.com/44thFighterSquadronTributePage

[Birgir Thorisson]

Thank you all.
Mr. Cook, I take your reply to indicate that my hunch was right. The P 40F matched up well against the Zero, (presumably the single stage Zero 22). High altitude is a relative term. Allison engined P-39s and P-40s lacked just a few thousand feets to be able to engage the zero in that theater. Two stage F4Fs had that slight edge at Guadalcanal.
Was the P-40F sent out to fill that gap, for the USAAF? Why was only one squadron equipped with it, if it was a success?
Logistics are hardly a good enough reason, since the RAF and RAAF could maintain a token Spitfire force at Darwin.

Birgir Thorisson

[JACK COOK]

Has far has I know only the 68th FS and the 44th FS flew combat in the F in the Pacific. A number of other squadrons did fly F's in Hawaii before going on their combat tours including the 72nd, 45th, 46th and 333rd FS. Has to why they ended up flying P-39s, P-40Ks and P-40Ns in combat vice the F my guess would be a/c availability. The 44th did quite well with the F against the Zero and the Oscar in aerial combat. The squadron scored appox 112 P-40 kills with about 70% of those by the Fs.