U. S. Warplanes of World War II


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Curtiss P-40


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A definitive technical guide to the long-nosed Curtiss P-40 Warhawk variants. The initial version of the Curtiss P-40, designated by the manufacturer as the Hawk H-81, combined the established airframe of the earlier radial-powered H-75 (P-36) fighter with the Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled engine. The year was 1939, and the marriage was one of expediency. With the threat of war in Europe growing by the day, the US Army Air Corps brass wanted a modern fighter that would combine the sterling handling qualities of the P-36 with a boost in performance that would make it competitive with the new types emerging in Germany and England, and the generals wanted the new plane immediately. As this book details, the P-40 delivered admirably, and though it never reached the performance levels of the Bf 109 or Spitfire, the sturdy fighter nevertheless made a place in history for itself as the Army's frontline fighter when the US entered World War II. Long-nosed P-40s initially saw combat in North Africa, flying in Royal Air Force squadrons. They also fought in the skies over Pearl Harbor and the Philippines. But the long-nosed P-40 is best known as the shark-faced fighter flown by the American Volunteer Group – the legendary "Flying Tigers" – over Burma and China during 1941–42.




Modelling the P-40


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The P-40 was a dependable warhorse that provided valuable service throughout World War II. The earliest operational variants were used to great effect by the famous 'Flying Tigers' in China, and the P-40 went on to serve in almost every theatre of the war. Modellers are well served with P-40 variants from major manufacturers and after-market companies, and this book helps make the most of the products available. The projects featured in clear step-by-step detail include a 1/32 'Flying Tiger' P-40B, an RAAF Kittyhawk Mk.IV in 1/48, a TP-40N two-seat trainer in 1/48 and an RAF Desert Kittyhawk in 1/72 scale. Superb colour reference photographs and detailed lists of kits and accessories available round off this authoritative treatment.




P-38 Lightning in Action


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Curtiss P-40 Warhawk


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The Curtiss P-40 had a production run of 13,738 aircraft, making it the third most produced US fighter of WWII. Famous as the "shark-mouthed" aircraft of the legendary American Volunteer Group -- "Flying Tigers" -- the P-40 was first flown in 1938, and was used by the United States and many of its Allies throughout the war. This volume tells the story of this iconic aircraft -- from design and construction to combat use to detailed images of existing examplesthrough carefully researched photos, some of which have never before been published, and which are reproduced in remarkable clarity. These stunning photos, coupled with descriptive and informative captions, put the reader in the skies with this historic aircraft.




Curtiss P-40 in Action


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Lockheed P-38 Lightning - Bell P-39 Airacobra - Curtiss P-40


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The Lockheed P-38J Lightning aircraft was revolutionary, extremely innovative, thanks to double-girder fuselage, the two Allison V-engines with turbochargers within the tail beams and landing gear in tricycle. The Bell P-39 Airacobra was a single-engine fighter produced by the US to low-wing Bell Aircraft Corporation. It was the most controversial fighter aircraft used by the US during World War II. It was the first fighter in the world to have the engine installed in the middle of the fuselage, behind the pilot. The Bell P-63 Kingcobra was a single-engine low-wing fighter aircraft developed by the US Air Force Bell Aircraft Corporation in the early forties and used during World War II. Evolution of the previous P-39 Airacobra, launched in an attempt to correct the defects of that model, the United States Army Air Forces will never estimated suitable for combat, relegating him to the towing role for targets. As a result, nearly two-thirds of the production was assigned to the Soviet Union and about 300 units to units of Free France. The Curtiss P-40 was a single-seat single-engine monoplane US manufacturing in the first half of the forties was taken by the Allies as a fighter aircraft or fighter in many of the theaters in which you fought the Second World War. Produced by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company of Buffalo, New York, never was an aircraft with exceptional characteristics (mainly because of its engine, underpowered at high altitude); However, it was also made of a large number of specimens, and his great strength (coupled with its widespread availability since the early months of the entry into the war) made it one of the most important fighter for American aviation events in the first phase of World war II, between 1941 and the summer of 1943.




B-17 in Action


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Captioned photos, illustrations, and brief text describe the design, development, and uses of the American bomber.




Curtiss P-40


Book Description

The Curtiss P-40 was a single-engine monoplane US manufacturing in the first half of the forties was used by the Allies as a fighter or bomber in many of the theaters where you fought the Second World War. Produced by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company of Buffalo, New York, as the version with linear motor of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk, was never a plane exceptional characteristics (mainly because of its engine, underpowered at high altitude); However, it was also built in a large number of specimens, and its remarkable strength (along with its wide availability in the early months of the entry into the war) made it one of the most important hunting for the events in American aviation first phase of the Second World War, between 1941 and the summer of 1943. Versions supplied to the US military (USAAC and, later, USAAF) were known as Hawk 81 (up to P-40E) or Warhawk (from P-40F and on), while those delivered to Commonwealth countries on the basis of Lend-Lease agreements ("Lend-Lease") were known as Tomahawk (equivalent versions P-40A, B and C) or Kittyhawk (equivalent to the P-40D and later versions).




Virtual Airplane


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This book will teach you how to create the model shown on its cover. It assumes that you may know nothing about the 3D modeling software, and starts this course from the very basics. In subsequent chapters the author gradually introduces new methods and tools, on the example of building a model of the P-40B fighter. Every step of this workflow is presented in numerous illustrations. The goal of this book is to encourage all the "plastic modelers" for this new branch of their hobby. To make this hobby more affordable, this course uses solely the free (Open Source) software. This publication may also be interesting to all who would like to master the powerful Blender 3D package. "Virtual Airplane" contains so many illustrations (over 2400) that it is readable to some extent even in a foreign language. If you want to skim all of its contents, search the Google Books for its free version (ISBN: 9788394141752, it is a Polish translation), or visit airplanes3d.net.