Warbird Information Exchange

History
I don't think I need to say much about the P-40 as information about the type is abundant. Less well known is the type's use in the USSR. Almost 3000 P-40's where supplied to Russia under the lend lease agreement. Soviet pilots achieved quite good results with them even though the P-40 was inferior to the Me 109. The Curtiss was ill suited to the harsh Russian winter, and attrition because of mechanical defects was high. Especially the honeycomb radiators where prone to freezing and cracking up. Another problem was that there where no spare engines. In the spring of 1942, 154th IAP had several machines standing around with used up engine hours. As fighters were desperately needed the regiment commander proposed to fit the P-40E's with Klimov M-105P/R engines. At an aviation repair base over 40 P-40E's had a Klimov engine fitted while some where converted to two seaters at the same time. Modifications to the airframe were kept to a minimum. The exhaust slots were moved up slightly and the carburettor intake on the nose removed. A complete Lagg 3 engine/prop assembly was then fitted into the P-40 nose. This gave it a decidedly odd look as the new spinner was smaller than the Curtiss original. With the M-105P the P-40 was some 12 km/h slower than the Allison engined machines. The converted P-40's where mainly used by the 196th IAP in the ground attack role.