One of the iconic American aircraft of WWII was the Curtiss P-40. This was thanks as much to the PR surrounding the Flying Tigers as it was anything. The P-40 was an aircraft that happened to be the best available at the time and not necessarily the best around. It was relatively heavy and not a stellar dog-fighter. It was, however, well armed and able to do a superb job in 'hit and run' tactics, thanks to its very good diving abilities. Even as better aircraft became available, the P-40 continued to be used by both the US and Allies. This was particularly true of the CBI and Western Pacific areas where ruggedness and minimal air opposition allowed the obsolescent Warhawk/Kittyhawk to continue to be effective in fighter-bomber operations.

Among the many nations that used the P-40 were the Dutch. Holland had requested P-40Es for their Netherlands East Indies air forces and while several were delivered and assembled before the Dutch had to leave the islands for Australia, they did not see any action. Several captured examples were tested by the Japanese and when you see P-40s in Japanese markings, it is undoubtedly one of the Dutch examples. Dutch pilots, who had escaped to Australia and were now without planes were sent to the US for additional training.

When in the US, these men flew planes with Dutch markings on them. Most of the training aircraft were old and weary, but they did allow these men to learn all there was about flying these planes. By late 1943, the now trained crews were back in Australia and soon formed  into 120 Squadron. More training and in early 1944 were able to operate coastal patrol and missions to attack Japanese outposts from their base in Australia. Later in 1944 they were finally sent into action based in Dutch New Guinea. Not unusually, a larger part of the unit was Australian, the Dutch not having enough pilots and ground crew to wholly operate by themselves. The unit flew with their P-40Ns from bases in the area from here until the end of the war, never relinquishing their P-40s for newer equipment. The opportunity for air combat was also gone as the Japanese were pretty well driven from the skies by this time.

In line with other books in this series, it is in both Dutch and English, though not in the usual format. Most dual language books have the native language on one side of the page and English on the other. This works well for most as they can follow the photos and illustrations as the book progresses. Dutch Profiles puts all the Dutch language section first, followed by the complete English section.  The book is full of superb stories of the operations of the aircraft during the war and has undoubtedly the most complete history of the type yet published. Images are superb as are the color illustrations. These show every scheme/insignia combination used by these aircraft. What is even more of a delight is that there are quite a few rare period color photographs included. 

It all makes for a superb book and one of interest to any aviation enthusiast, especially if one is interested in some of the less publicized military forces that took part in WWII. Another great thing about Dutch Profiles is that they generally release a decal sheet to go along with the book. A real boon for modelers to have the markings and a superlative reference at the same time.

This is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and I know that you will as well.

Review book courtesy of www.dutchprofile.nl  where you can get your copy today.

June 2010

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