Curtiss P-36 Hawk – Gaëtan Marie's Aviation Profiles

Mohawks of the British Commonwealth

Gaëtan Marie — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 07:50:05 +0000

The Royal Air Force and South African Air Force were some of the operators of the Curtiss Hawk 75, the export version of the P-36 Hawk. In RAF or SAAF service, these aircraft were called Mohawk. Here are a few examples, created for Phil Listemann’s book Squadrons! No. 17 – The Curtiss Mohawk.

This Mohawk Mk IV (serial 2540) was part of SAAF’s No 6 Squadron in Durban, summer 1942.

The Mohawk Mk IV (serial BB928) flown by Squadron Leader Charles “Porky” Jeffries of No 155 Squadron RAF, Agartala, India, early 1943.

The Mohawk Mk IV (serial AR690) flown by Flight Sergeant Dick Wicks, No 5 Squadron RAF, Agartala, India, autumn 1942.

The world’s only two airworthy P-36 Hawk / Hawk 75

Gaëtan Marie — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 09:30:30 +0000

Out of more than 1,100 P-36 Hawk or Hawk 75 produced by Curtiss, only two are airworthy today (with a third being currently restored to airworthiness).* The first one is a Hawk 75A-1 which was among the first Hawks delivered to the French air force in 1939. It is now registered G-CCVH and operated by The Fighter Collection.

The second one is also part of the Fighter Collection and is the last P-36C produced. Restored in 2015, it was later sent to the United-Kingdom.

* Please let me know if this is incorrect !

Curtiss Hawk 75/P-36 on final

Gaëtan Marie — Mon, 22 Aug 2016 05:14:30 +0000

The Curtiss Hawk 75, which saw some success during the Battle of France, was one of the first aircraft types I tackled. However, and despite some rework, these old illustrations were not very good so I recently took the P-40B/C template and converted it into a P-36/Hawk 75. Here is the result:

The P-40 prototype was the 10th production P-36, but the differences between the two go way beyond a simple engine change.

After a few days of holidays, I’ll be presenting the first “new” profiles of the P-36. Since I’m both French and American, I will be favouring aircraft from these countries. French fighter pilots were after all the most successful on the type, along with Finnish pilots fighting the Soviets.

Curtiss Hawk of sergent Georges Lemare, GC I/4

Gaëtan Marie — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 09:40:37 +0000

Hawk 75A-2, GC I/4, 2e escadrille, n°99 (X898), flown by Sergeant Georges Lemare, June 1940. Flying a Hawk 75, Lemare shot a Do 17 near Calais on 13 January 1940, a Ju 88 off the coast of Zeebruge on 20 May 1940 and later a British Swordfish off the coast of Dakar on 24 September. Having joined the FAFL, Lemare flew with Normandie-Niemen and was credited with a total of 6 personal victories, and 6 shared victories.

Curtiss P-36 Hawk (2)

Gaëtan Marie — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 09:33:43 +0000

11. Hawk 75A-7 of the NEIAF based at Andir AB, Java in 1940.

12. Hawk 75A-7 of the 1st patrol of 1. VI.G.IV flown by Sgt van Breen at Madioen, October 1941.

13. P-36A of the 79th Pursuit Squadron, 20th Pursuit Group, in 1940.

14. P-36C of the 27th Pursuit Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, during war games in 1939. For these maneuvers, the aircraft received an unusual scheme of Light Grey, Olive Drab and Aircraft Cream. The absence of any American insignia on the aircraft might indicate that this aircraft was playing “Red Team” in the maneuvers.

15. Hawk 75A-1 of HLeLv 11 at Pori AB, Finland, late 1947.

16. Hawk 75A-3 of the HLeLv 44 based at Uomaa in 1944.

17. Hawk 75A-4 of the LeLv 12 at Joroinen AB, July 1941.

18. Chinese (Nationalist) Hawk 75A-5 based in Kunming in 1942.

19. Hawk 75A-2 operated by France, the Vichy Armée de l’Air, and later Germany (as seen here) and Finland.

20. Hawk 75A-2 of GC I/4, flown by Sergent-Chef Joannes Cucumel, Reims airfield, 14 June 1940. On 10 May, Cucumel had shot down a Do 17, followed by a Me 109 and a He 111 the next day. He was later transfered to GC II/9 where he scored many other victories flying Bloch 152s. Credited with a total of 9 victories, Cucumel was killed when he crashed in a mountain on 28 August 1942.

Curtiss P-36 Hawk

Gaëtan Marie — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 09:31:24 +0000

The Curtiss P-36 Hawk was a rather successful aircraft for its time but was on the verge of obsolescence when World War II began. It was widely exported, including to France where it proved inferior to its opponent, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, in most respects except for maneuverability. It was also extensively used by Finland and other countries.

You might notice that the drawings depicted here are of varying quality. My Hawk 75 model was improved twice: you can look at drawings 6, 7 and 8 to see the progression.

1. Hawk 75A-2 of the 2nd Escadrille of the GC II/5 La Fayette, French Air Force, May 1940. This aircraft was often used by Czech pilots: Cne Josef Duda, Sgt.Chef Frantisek Chabera, Sgt.Chef Otto Hanzlicek.

2. Hawk 75A-6 of the Norwegian Army Air Force, Kjeller airbase, Norway, March 1940.

3. P-36C Hawk serial 38-191 of the USAAC in 1942. This aircraft bore the standard Olive Drab over Neutral Grey paint scheme.

4. P-36A of the 46th Pursuit Squadron, 15th Pursuit Group of the USAAC. During the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbour, this aircraft was based at Weller AB and Lt. Phil Rasmussen managed to take off with it and shot down a Japanese aircraft.

5. P-36A of the 94th PS, 1st PG, USAAC. The aircraft bears the Sioux’s head inherited from the traditions of the Lafayette Squadron of WWI. The markings were typical of the pre-war period.

6. German Hawk 75A-4, captured after the fall of France and used by the Luftwaffe with III./JG77 and later in the fighter-trainer role with Jagdfliegerschule 4 near Nuremberg.

7. Hawk 75A-3 of the HLeLv 32 based at Nurmoila in 1944. This is the ex-French Hawk s/n 251, which was supplied to Finland by Germany.

8. Hawk 75A-3 of the 2nd squadron (SPA 153) of the GC I/4 fighter group, based in Dakar in the summer of 1942. The group scored several victories against Free French and British aircraft during raids in September 1940, September 1941 and August 1942. This aircraft wears the colourful Vichy “neutrality bands” introduced in June 1941 and has an unusual paint scheme, the standard “Gris Bleu Foncé” grey having been replaced with “Chamois” sand-coloured paint for better desert concealment.

9. Hawk 75A-8 of the Norwegian Army Air Force Training School in Toronto, Canada, 1940.

10. Hawk 75A-7 of 1. Vliegtuigafdeling, Madioen, Netherlands East Indies, December 1941.