Customer Reviews

P-40 Warhawk Aces of the MTO (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 43)

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A good book covering the use of the P-40 in the MTO.
Molesworth does a fine job in narrating the Warhawk's Med exploits, including a number of exciting first-person narratives. The book features over 100 photos and 10 pages of top-notch Jim Laurier color profiles. Laurier really does excellent work!

All in all, P-40 WARHAWK ACES OF THE MTO is a great introduction to this fighter and the men who flew it. Recommended.

The Curtiss P-40 gave yeoman service in the MTO during WWII, serving as a first-line fighter until mid-1944. Though not on a par with its Bf 109F/G and FW 190 opponents, a well-flown Warhawk could hold its own. In this Osprey 'Aircraft of the Aces' volume, author Carl Molesworth focuses in on those 16 USAAF pilots who made aces.

American P-40s first saw service with the Desert Air Force and later the 12th Air Force. The green DAF American pilots flying with the 57th FG had a rough combat initiation but, with time, produced aces like Roy Whitaker, Bob Byrne and Lyman Middleditch. The Torch landings in November 1942 brought in the 33rd FG, assigned to the newly formed 12th AF. Future Group aces like Levi Chase and Group CO 'Spike' Momyer were amongst those 33rd pilots who launched in their P-40Fs from an aircraft carrier. In January 1943 the 325th FG entered the fray followed by the 324th FG in March and the 79th in August. While all four units sometimes suffered heavy losses, they also scored some notable successes such as the 'Palm Sunday Massacre' where P-40 units claimed over 60 Ju 52s, Bf 109s and Bf 110s. Three pilots - Art Cleveland, Dick Duffy and MacArthur Powers - became 'aces in a day' during that combat! By July 1944 the P-40's day was done yet it 'retired' with over 590 victories to its credit!

Molesworth, one of Osprey's better authors, does a fine job relating the Warhawk's Med exploits, including a number of exciting first-person narratives. The book features over 100 photos and 10 pages of top-notch Jim Laurier color profiles. Laurier really does excellent work!

All in all, P-40 WARHAWK ACES OF THE MTO is a great introduction to a gutsy fighter and the men who flew it. Recommended.