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| Click Here For Full Artist Print Indexes | Aviation History Archive |
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Aviation Art Prints  Countries UK Aircraft Index More Aircraft Initial E to L  Kittyhawk |
[UP] - Fairey IIID - Fairey IIIF - Felixstowe F.3 - Firefly - Fury - Gazelle - Gipsy Moth - Gladiator - Globemaster III - Gunbus - Hamilcar - Hampden - Handley Page 0400 - Harrier - Hart - Hastings - Hawk - Hercules - Hind - Horsa - Horsley - HP42 - Hudson - Hunter - Iris - Jaguar - Kittyhawk - Liberator - Lightning - Lincoln - Lynx - Lysander |
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| Text for the above items : |
Milne Bay - The Turning Point by Robert Taylor. The Battle for Milne Bay in New Guinea was a story of true grit, determination, and valour; it was the moment when the Imperial Japanese Army tasted defeat on land for the first time in nearly three centuries. In the space of two weeks, the Japanese attempt to capture Milne Bay was halted, and any ambitions they might have held to invade Australia thwarted. And that victory was due in no small part to the Kittyhawks of 75 and 76 Squadrons RAAF. After the Japanese had invaded the north of New Guinea, their main objective was to take Port Moresby in the south. But defeat at the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942 put an end to any invasion of Port Moresby by sea: instead they must strike across the Owen Stanley Ranges via the Kokoda Trail. Protecting Port Moresbys eastern flank was the key strategic natural harbour at Milne Bay, and in June 1942 American engineers, protected by Australian troops, began construction of the first of three proposed airstrips to be hacked out of the steaming jungle. Within a few weeks they had laid the first runway, formed by laying steel matting in almost impossible conditions. With heavy rain falling almost continuously, it was an extraordinary feat. Four days later the Kittyhawks of 75 and 76 Squadrons, RAAF, took up residence, together with a few Hudsons of 6 and 32 Squadrons to provide long-range reconnaissance. On the night of 25th August 1942, in torrential rain, a Japanese invasion force began their landin in the bay. With the Australian troops bitterly contesting every yard, the fighting was savage and bloody; conditions in the jungle battleground were wet, nuddy, and atrocious. At first light the next morning the Kittyhawks and Hudsons immediately joined the battle, flying continuous raids against the Japanese forces. Sortie after sortie, strafing and bombing the enemy troops, their landing barges and stores. For the next eleven days the bitter battle raged, the Australian troops fighting in savage hand to hand combat as the Japanese were halted at No.3 airstrips permieter. But eventually the Japanese were spent as a fighting force. With no hope of reinforcement, they were forced to withdraw. A quarter of their invasion force had been lost. Robert Taylors powerful painting depicts Kittyhawks from 75 and & 76 Squadrons RAAF, returning to No 1 Strip after attacking Japanese positions during the Battle for Milne Bay. Under the starboard wing of the lead aircraft, Polly, the smoke of action is clearly visible as the Japanese press from their landing site, along the coast towards the airstrip. Polly, now beautifully restored, resides in the Australian War Memorial Museum in Canberra, a tribute to the men and machines who stopped the Japanese in New Guinea. |
Duel in the Desert by Nicolas Trudgian. The P-40, legendary for its service with Chennaults Flying Tigers in China, was one of the RAFs principle fighters in the north African Desert war. A low-level dogfight between P-40 Kittyhawks of 112 Squadron is shown, as they tangle with the Luftwaffe ME109s over Matamata Hills, near the Mareth line on the border between Tunisia and Libya, early March 1943. |
Desert Sharks by Robert Taylor. Robert captures precisely the arid heat, dust and smoke of desert warfare, conveying an air of impending conflict. Neville Duke in his 112 Sqn P40-D Kittyhawk. |
Desert Sharks and Eagles by Nicolas Trudgian. The air war fought in the skies above the inhospitable wastelands of the North African desert were among the most hotly contested of the war. The outcome of the bitter land war raging below largely depended upon who controlled the air space above, and both sides knew it. JG-27, having cut its teeth in the battles of France and Britain, was the first Luftwaffe unit to arrive in North Africa. Commanded by the mercurial Eduard Neumann, its Me109s were superior to the Hurricanes and P-40 Kittyhawks flown by the RAF pilots and, without the restriction of close escort duties dictated on the Western Front, the JG-27 pilots roamed the desert skies, closing in combat with the British fighters at every opportunity. The North African air campaign spawned many fighter aces, including Hans-Joachim Marseille who claimed more than 150 victories in his short career - more than any other Luftwaffe ace flying against RAF pilots. The scale of the desert air war is highlighted by raw statistics: 1400 British aircraft lost; over 1200 Luftwaffe destroyed. A dog-fight between Me109s from JG-27 and P-40 Kittyhawks of the RAFs 112 Squadron, led by Killer Caldwell, and later Billy Drake, 112 Squadron were in constant combat with Edu Neumanns fighters as they jousted for air supremacy above Rommels advancing Afrika Korps tanks. Below them, the desolate beauty of the Libyan desert stretches as far as the eye can see. Published 2001. Signed by two RAF and two Luftwaffe pilots (both of whom did not sign many art prints) who fought in the desert campaign, sadly all of whom have since passed away. This is a sought after art print and well worth adding to your collection. |
Over Grand Harbour by Anthony Saunders. P40 Kittyhawks of No.3 Squadron RAAF based at Ta Qali Airfield, Malta. |
Tribute to Sgt Ray Shaw, RAAF by Ivan Berryman. Whilst flying Curtiss Kittyhawk AK726 (O) on 22nd February 1942, Sgt Ray Shaw, assisted by Sgts Beste, Shillabeer and Kierath in similar aircraft, became the first pilot to score a victory for 450 Sqn RAAF, sending down a Ju.88A4 south east of Gazala, Libya. The German aircraft, coded 7A+NH from 1.(F)121, suffered terminal damage to an engine and crash landed in the desert, where the crew were taken prisoner. |
The Jaws of Victory by Ivan Berryman. Group Captain Billy Drake in Curtiss P.40 AL161 of 112 Sqn downing a Stuka during the North Africa Campaign in 1942. |
Tribute to Squadron Leader Billy Drake by Ivan Berryman. Sqn Ldr Billy Drake is shown in Curtiss Kittyhawk Mk1a ET790 claiming a Ju87 Stuka on the 31st of October 1942. Sqn Ldr Drake commanded 112 Squadron flying Kittyhawks at Gambut on 24th May 1942. He claimed a probable Bf109 on 6th June, another probable on 2nd July, destroyed a Bf109 on the 8th, damaged a Ju88 on the ground on the 19th, destroyed a Bf109 on the 24th, two Ju87s on the 1st September and another Bf109 on the 13th. Drake shared a Ju87 and probably destroyed another on 1st October 1942, got a probable Bf109 on the 22nd, destroyed another on the 26th, an Me202 on the 27th, a Ju87 on the 31st, a Bf109 destroyed and another damaged on 5th November, a Bf109 destroyed on the ground on the 11th, an He111 destroyed and a Bf109 damaged on the 15th, a Bf110 destroyed and another damaged on the 19th, an Me202 and a Bf109 destroyed on 11th December and he finally shared a Bf109 on the 13th. Drake was awarded a Bar to the DFC (28.7.42) and the DSO (4.12.42). |
Kittyhawks of No.112 Squadron by Graeme Lothian. P-40 Kittyhawks of No.112 Squadron, Medenine, April 1943. Aircraft GA-V (ground, nearest on right) is Kittyhawk Mk.III, FR440, which was later lost when damaged beyond repair after a belly landing. |
Combat Over New Guinea by Nicolas Trudgian. Australian Ace Dick Cresswell tangles with a Japanese Zero in the humid air of the tropics over New Guinea during an encounter in 1942. Flying a P-40E Kittyhawk with the insignia of 77 Squadron, RAAF blazoned on his aircraft, Cresswell makes a head-on pass leaving the enemy aircraft streaming smoke. Immortalised by the Flying Tigers, the P-40 was a fine combat aircraft that operated in the Pacific, European and Middle East theaters. |
Tribute to Wing Commander James 'Stocky' Edwards by Ivan Berryman. Having joined the RAF at the age of 19, James Francis Edwards was to end the war with a total of 20 confirmed kills and another 10 probables and was one of Canada's greatest aces. He is depicted here in his Curtiss P.40, dispatching a Macchi MC.202 whilst defending Boston and Baltimore bombers on their way to attack the airfields of Daba on 19th October 1942. |
Tomahawk and Kittyhawk Aces of the RAF and Commonwealth. Deemed unsuitable for the Channel Front, lend-lease Tomahawks and Kittyhawks instead became the staple fighters of the Desert Air Force in 1941-42, flying with RAF, South African and Australian squadrons in North Africa and the Middle East. Although usually outclassed by the Bf 109, a number of pilots enjoyed some success during the desert campaign - men like Caldwell, Gibbes, Edwards and Drake, all of whom accrued double figure scores. In the Far East, Australian and New Zealand pilots also saw much action against the Japanese in 1942/43, flying over the jungles of New Guinea in defence of the Australian mainland. This book charts the careers of the men who made ace in these often underestimated fighters. |
Pappy Boyington Scores his first victory by William Reynolds. Boyingtons P-40 scores his first victory against Japanese fighters escorting Mitsubishi G4-M (Betty) Bombers near Rangoon, Burma. |
Desert Hawks by Robert Taylor A flight of Kittyhawks of No. 3 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force on a strike mission over the North African Desert in January 1942, in the build-p to the Battle of Alamein. No. 3 Squadron RAAF was the first in the Desert to achieve 100 confirmed victories, and continuing in combat throughout the fighting in North Africa, became the Squadron with the highest number of air victories of the Desert Air Force Squadrons. |
Kittyhawk Curtiss Kittyhawk, single engine fighter with a top speed of 362mph, ceiling of 30,000 feet and a range of 1190 miles with extra fuel tanks but 900 miles under normal operation. Kitty Hawk armaments was four or six .50in machine guns in the wings and a bomb load of up to 1,000 lb's. A development of the earlier Tomahawk, the Kitty Hawk saw service in may air force's around the world, American, Australian, New Zealand, and the Royal Air Force. which used them in the Mediterranean, north Africa, and Malta. from January 1942/ apart from the large numbers used by the Us Air Force, over 3,000 were used by Commonwealth air force's including the Royal air Force. |
| Top Aces for : Kittyhawk | |
| A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown this aircraft. | |
| Name | Victories |
| Bobby Gibbes | 10.50 |
| James Edwards | 16.50 |
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