Curtiss P-40 E Warhawk – 11th FS Aleutian Tigers, USAAF, Aleutian Islands, 1943

Corgi Aviation Archive 1/72 scale AA35205: Curtiss P-40 E Warhawk – 11th FS “Aleutian Tigers”, USAAF, Aleutian Islands, 1943. Limited Edition of 1,780 Pieces

Length: 5.25 inches Wingspan: 6.25 inches

The P-40s of the 11th FS, 343rd FG were painted in a variation on the theme made famous by the American Volunteer Group (A.V.G., also known as Flying Tigers), and were known as the Aleutian Tigers. This version with a white spinner was one of the latest P-40’s to still be flying when attached to the 11th Fighter Squadron in 1943

The P-40’s legacy will always be as the aircraft flown by Claire Chennault’s American Volunteer Group (A.V.G or also known as the Flying Tigers). 100 P-40’s (considered obsolete) were given to the Chinese in 1941. In approximately 6 months of combat the AVG officially destroyed 297 planes with another 153 probables. All of this was accomplished with the loss of only 12 P-40s

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was a single-engine fighter and ground attack aircraft. First flown on October 14, 1938, the P-40 was used by most Allied powers during World War II, and remained in service until the end of the war. The P-40 performed well as an air superiority fighter, at times suffering severe losses but also taking a very heavy toll of enemy aircraft. It was the third most produced American fighter aircraft after the P-51 and P-47. By November 1944 when production of the P-40 ended, 13,738 had been built.