6.4K views · 669 reactions | Curtiss P-40E Warhawk 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 with the famed Flying Tigers in China in 1942, and in North Africa in 1943 with the 99th Fighter Squadron, the first African American U.S. fighter unit. #avgeek #afmuseum | National Museum of the U.S. Air Force | Facebook

#FascinatingFact: The landing gear on the P-40 and on the Zero influenced the aircraft's maneuverability while in the air! The P-40, like many WWII aircraft, is a tail dragger, meaning its landing gear has two (2) main gear one under each wing and a smaller wheel under the tail, giving it the distinctive WWII nose up look for many of the aircraft on the ground. Although the P-40s and their opponents, the Zero, were both tail draggers, there is a striking difference while in the air. The P-40 had