Desert air combat

The Typhoon and P-40 have that similar scoop in the front of the fuselage. I've seen footage of fighter-bombers in North Africa strafing and attacking that had that scoop. Seeing as the Desert campaign was considered secondary, would those fighters most likely have been P-40s or Typhoons? (Also, was there a Spitfire version that had that scoop?)

 

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few pics on IWM

AIRCRAFT OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE, 1939-1945: SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE.. © IWM (ME(RAF) 4397)IWM Non Commercial Licence

Spitfire Mark VB(T), AB324, of No. 145 Squadron RAF, on a landing ground in the Western Desert. Following RAF service with Nos. 145, 92, 335 and 94 Squadrons, and with the Desert Air Force Communication Unit, AB324 was handed over to the Czech Air Force in 1946.


ROYAL AIR FORCE OPERATIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA, 1939-1943.. © IWM (CM 2856)IWM Non Commercial Licence


Two Supermarine Spitfire Mark VB(T)s, AB326 and AB345, running up their engines at Helwan, Egypt, shortly after their arrival from Takoradi, Gold Coast, on the West African Air Reinforcement Route. Both aircraft were immediately passed to No. 145 Squadron RAF, the first unit to be equipped with the Spitfire in the North African theatre.

 

Hurricanes had them too.


HURRICANE (HAWKER) MARK 2C. © IWM (CM 3654)IWM Non Commercial Licence
Rolls Royce Merlin XX engine. Over the Western Desert. 94 Squadron RAF.





AIRCRAFT OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE 1939-1945: HAWKER HURRICANE.. © IWM (CM 3401)IWM Non Commercial Licence
Tropicalised Hurricane Mark IIC, HL844 "The MacRobert Fighter - Sir Alasdair, one of three aircraft presented to Middle East Command by Lady Rachel MacRobert and named after her three sons, all of whom were killed flying in the early stages of the war. Seen here shortly after delivery to El Gamil, Egypt, for presentation to No. 94 Squadron RAF. The aircraft is carrying two 44-gallon ferry tanks.

 

They look an awful lot like P-40s in those shots.

 

The wings aren't as low on a P-40 as they are on Spitfires and Hurricanes, so I guess that's one way to tell them apart when the Spitfires and P-40s both have that scoop under the front.

 

Actually, maybe the wings aren't lower. Does anyone know the max speed the P-40 ever reached with all the upgrades and modifications it received throughout its service in WWII?

 

RAF Kittyhawks.


CURTISS HAWK 87A KITTYHAWK.. © IWM (CM 4338)IWM Non Commercial Licence
Kittyhawk Mark IIIs of No. 260 Squadron RAF, lined up for the photographer at Marble Arch landing ground, Tripolitania, December 1942.

 

Three Curtiss Kittyhawk Mark IIIs of No 112 Squadron, Royal Air Force preparing to depart from Medenine on a sortie. The pilots of FR472 `GA-L' and FR440 `GA-V', are waiting for the section leader in the farthest aircraft to move out. All three Kittyhawks display the squadron's distinctive 'shark mouth' insignia.


THE ROYAL AIR FORCE IN TUNISIA, MAY 1943. © IWM (TR 975)IWM Non Commercial Licence

 

The Typhoon wasn't used in the Desert. The aircraft had been rushed into service in 1941 as a response to the FW190. There were lots of teething problems - such as stopping the tail from falling off. In 1942-43 the type was mainly used to intercept "tip and run " fighter bomber attacks on the south coast. It wasn't used as a fighter bomber until after the Desert campaign ended

 

But there were Spitfires with that scoop under the front fuselage, correct?

 

Look up Spitfire VB Trop

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire_(early_Merlin-powered_variants)#Mk_VB_and_VB.28trop.29_.28Type_349_and_352.29

 

Do you think those Spitfire models or P-40s were more common or more abundant in the desert?

 

The P-40 is one of my favorite fighters. Excellent dive speed and roll rate, good armor, tough, good firepower, and upgrade-able, as many different variants were made.

 

The P-40 equipped 325th in Italy defeated Me-109s on numerous occasions as well. At low to medium altitude it could hold its own with its more modern contemporaries.

 

You might want to look at the reason for the scoop on the P-40 as opposed to the scoop on the Spitfire...Hint, they are there for different reasons.

 

Ok. I posed the question just because in the footage I've seen it was kind of hard to tell which one was which when they show fighters flying and strafing in the desert.

 

The bulges under the nose in the Typhoon and P40 were to house radiators for oil and engine coolant

and


The superficially similar bulge under the nose of a Sptfire V Trop doesn't contain a radiator, but a large air filter to prevent dust from entering the engine, label 139 in the cutaway. The radiators for engine coolant are installed under the starboard wing see label 65

and the radiator to cool engine oil under the port wing. Fig 144 - a different design in the variants after the Spit V but in the same place.)

 

Spitfires and Hurricanes used in the Western Desert ( and some other Mediterranean locations such as Malta ) used a larger Vokes air filter which required a special airscoop/housing under the nose.

I believe the Vokes company still exists today.....

 

Yes, Vokes is still around.

And the large Vokes filter was superseded by the smaller Aboukir filter.

 

Do you think the P-40s were more common than the scooped Spits?