P-40 Warhawk Fighter - Palm Springs Air Museum - Palm Springs, CA
N 33° 49.960 W 116° 30.301
11S E 545800 N 3743712
This static aircraft display is one of many displays at the Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, CA.
Waymark Code: WMKM5F
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 04/30/2014
Views: 5
Visitors to the
Palm Springs Air Museum might see this fighter aircraft located inside one of two hangers, the African-European Theater Hanger. Near this static aircraft is a placard that reads:
P-40 Warhawk Fighter
PRIME MANUFACTURER:
Curtiss-Wright Airplane Division, Buffalo, NY. The XP-40 was first flown in October 1938. The P-40 was in production from 1939 to 1944. Approximately 14,000 various model were built.
ENGAGEMENT INFORMATION
The P-40 flew as a fighter and fighter-escort in all the theaters of the war. P-40s were at the Aleutians, Bougainville, the Central Pacific offensive, the invasion of Sicily, the North African campaign and many others. Night fighting P-40s equipped with a 40 mm cannon were based at the Suez in Egypt and were very effective in the campaign against Rommel's tanks and in severing Germany's supply lines to Rommel's forces in North Africa. The "Flying Tigers" were American volunteer pilots called the "AVG" (American Volunteer Group) flying under the command of General Claire L. Chennault. They were the first to bring fame to the P-40. American volunteer pilots flew for China against the Japanese beginning in July 1941 with the first combat action on 12 December 1941. The famous shark-nosed P-40 aircraft and their pilots destroyed a record 286 enemy aircraft at a loss of 23 pilots. It was a capable rugged aircraft and kept us in the air war but it was not the aircraft which could control the skies for the U.S. Army Air Corps. Control of the sky began when the P-40 was replaced by the faster, higher performance P-38, P-47 and P-51 fighters.
ORIGIN OF THE P-40 IN THE PALM SPRINGS AIR MUSEUM
The P-40 in our Air Museum is a two-seater, dual control trainer called the TP-40N. It was converted to bridge the gap between the AT-6 advanced trainer and the high performance fighters in front-line service.
*NOTE* I was told by volunteer staff that many planes and historical items (like this display) often move around inside the hangers and outside on the tarmac, BUT they always stay within the museum, unless they are part of a visiting exhibition. Waymarkers should keep this in mind when searching for a particular waymark that I or someone else has posted on Waymarking.com. If, by chance, you cannot locate a particular waymark within the museum, please let me know and I'll contact the staff and inquire to its whereabouts. Thanks.