Maj. Squadron: P-40E
Warhawk
Welcome to the Maj. Squadron Series of
Geocaches.
I needed a theme for this series of geocaches and being a fan of
WW2 era aircraft I decided to settle on the names of some of my
favorite fighters and bombers to hold the title of the geocaches in
this series.
Every cache in the "Maj. Squadron" series is a stand alone,
traditional geocache with the exception of the final cache:
"Maj. Squadron: B-17G Flying Fortress". The coordinates of
that cache are unpublished and in order to find that 7th and
final geocache you will have to first find the other 6 geocaches in
the series as each cache container holds part of the coordinates
for the final cache.
There is a decent amount of quality swag located within the
final container (an ammo can). The First To
Find will have his/her choice of goodies to choose from but
as an intended FTF prize I have provided an 1882 S Morgan
Silver Dollar in about XF condition.
There is traditional geocache and hiking items such as
compasses, LED flashlights, carabiners, hydration pack bite valves
and other miscellaneous bits to rummage through in all the caches
in this series.
About this cache: This area is
subject to flooding so keep that in mind while searching for this
cache. It is located about 10' off the ground. While there isn't
really climbing involved you will have to "step up" to grab it.
Congratulations to riledwino for the
First To Find
The geocaches in the series:
"Maj. Squadron: P-51D Mustang"GC2NFER
"Maj. Squadron - P-38L Lightning"
GC2NFDR
"Maj. Squadron - P-47D Thunderbolt"
GC2NFFJ
"Maj. Squadron - F6F-5 Hellcat"GC2NFCA
"Maj. Squadron - F4U-4 Corsair"GC2NFBV
"Maj. Squadron - P40E Warhawk"
GC2NFCJ
"Maj. Squadron - B-17G Flying Fortress" (Final Cache)
GC2NF45
Have fun.
S! Maj.
The P-40E Warhawk:
The P-40 fighter/bomber was the last of the famous "Hawk" line
produced by Curtiss Aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s, and it shared
certain design elements with its predecessors, the Hawk and
Sparrowhawk. It was the third-most numerous US fighter of World War
II. Design work on the aircraft began in 1937, but numerous
experimental versions were tested and refined before the first
production version of the P-40, the Model 81, appeared in May 1940.
The P-40's first fame came at the hands of the now legendary
Flying Tigers, a group of American mercenaries who volunteered to
defend China against the Japanese. Their first big chance came on
Dec. 8, a day after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. They
attacked ground targets and engaged enemy aircraft in defense of
the Burma Road, China's only supply line to the West. For the next
6 months this rag-tag band of volunteer pilots racked up an amazing
record against overwhelming enemy numbers, earning the A.V.G. the
nickname "Flying Tigers".
On July 4, 1942 the Flying Tiger's contracts were due to expire.
After that, the U. S. Army intended to take over and make this back
into a military group. On July 4th the group that had
single-handedly defended the skies over China was disbanded. Most
of the Flying Tigers went back to their old units. The records show
that after only 6 months of combat the Flying Tigers had shot down
297 enemy aircraft confirmed, and another 153 probable, for only 12
planes lost in air combat.
The P-40 was the United States' best fighter available in large
numbers when World War II began. P-40s engaged Japanese aircraft at
Pearl Harbor and in the Philippines in December 1941. They also
served in North Africa in 1943 with the 99th Fighter Squadron, the
first African American U.S. fighter unit.
The solid, reliable Warhawk was used in many combat areas -- the
Aleutian Islands, Italy, the Middle East, the Far East, the
Southwest Pacific and some were sent to Russia. Though often slower
and less maneuverable than its adversaries, the P-40 earned a
reputation in battle for extreme ruggedness. It served throughout
the war but was eclipsed by more capable aircraft. More than 14,000
P-40s were built, and they served in the air forces of 28
nations.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
Armament: Six .50-cal. machine guns, 700 lbs. of bombs
externally
Engine: Allison V-1710 of 1,150 hp
Maximum speed: 362 mph
Cruising speed: 235 mph
Range: 850 miles
Ceiling: 30,000 ft.
Span: 37 ft. 4 in.
Length: 31 ft. 9 in.
Height: 12 ft. 4 in.
Weight: 9,100 lbs. loaded