Curtiss P-40 camouflage

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk present long development line after P-36 Hawk. In the outbreak of WW2, P-40 was most modern fighter airplane operated by USAAC, and already proof its capabilities in hands of Nationalist China. And in various versions, it continue to serve till the end of WW2. This fighter find its place in some others Air Forces and long service and many operators, influenced in use many of camouflage patterns.

Very early pattern of the P-40 in service included Dark Olive Drab No 31 on topside and Neutral Gray No 32 at the bottom. Colors was from Specification 14057-C from December 1939. National insignia was simple white star with red spot on center on blue disc with red blue white strip in vertical surfaces. In a meantime Air Corps Bulletin No 41 indicate camouflage colors to be Dark Olive Drab No 41, Medium Green No 42 and Neutral Gray No 43. National insignia now is to be carried on both side of side fuselage, one on top of port wing and one at the bottom of starboard wing. And from 20th June 1940., USAAC become USAAF.

Samples sent to China used equivalent of the British camouflage colors produced by DuPont. This colors are Dark Green 71-013 and Dark Earth 71-009 and top surface and Light Gray 71-021 and the bottom. Operated by AVG “Flying Tigers”, they were first P-40 to experience combat by US pilots. December 1941. was the time that USA get directly involved in world war. This war lead into major change in marking, red spot was deleted, to avoid confusion with Japanese airplanes. Some new colors were used, for example Curtiss P-40E from 49th FG at Darwin, Australia, in 1942., used DuPont Dark Green 30 and Rust Brown 34 at top surface. Bottom could be Neutral Grey, Azure Blue or Light Blue 27. Some samples delivered to RAF in 1942., were finished with Medium Green 42 and Sand 26 at top surfaces with Light Blue 27 at bottom. USAAF also used somewhere this RAF type camouflage on its P-40 as temperate land scheme.

One of the war theater was African desert and they adopt desert camouflage patterns. Both British and US operators used DuPont equivalents of the British desert colors so at the top of surfaces were Dark Earth 71-065, Middle Stone 71-069 and at bottom Azure Blue 71-062. There was also simple camouflage pattern with Middle Stone 71-069 at the top and Azure Blue 71-062 at the bottom. Since July 1942. on P-40 start use patches of Medium Green over Dark Olive Drab top surface. Operationally, there was some variation in camouflage but not widely used (like use of US Navy colors…). Major change happen in 1944., when due to the reduced presence of enemy in air and greater number of US airplanes, P-40 start to be delivered in natural metal color.

Samples of P-40 delivered to other countries was originally finish used in USA.

Srećko Bradić