9204 1/48 Curtiss Hawk 81A-2 White 68 Ft Ldr Charles Older AVG 3rd PS Burma May 1942

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an all metal, single-engine, single-seat fighter and ground-attack aircraft that made its maiden flight in 1938. Since the P-40 was a modified P-36 Hawk it was developed quickly and entered service in record time. The USAAF referred to the aircraft as the Warhawk while the British Commonwealth and the Soviet Union called the B and C variants Tomahawk while the D and later variants were called Kittyhawk. By the end of production in 1944 approximately 18,000 aircraft were manufactured.

In 1940 Charles (Chuck) Older was assigned to VMF-1. In July 1941 he resigned the Marines and joined the AVG. The 3 AVG squadrons were “Adam and Eve”, “Panda Bear” and “Hell’s Angels” to which Older was assigned. In December 1941 Older scored 5 victories over Rangoon, Burma. Older became a double Ace with the AVG and later added 8 more victories. Older fought in Korea and when he retired became a judge who presided over the Charles Manson case