WARHAWKS, INC.

This a rare P-40K model owned by a Ron Fagen is one of the very few remaining in the world with actual combat experience. Originally built in Buffalo, New York by the Curtiss Aircraft factory as serial number 42-10256, it left the Genesee Street facility on November 1, 1942 and traveled by land to Brooklyn, New York where it was shipped two days later to Murmansk, on the north coast of the Soviet Union.

It began flying from Murmashi, 100 km south of Murmansk in the spring of 1943 alongside another P-40K, 42-10083. On September 29, 1943 both aircraft were involved in combat with four Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighters of JG5. Although the battle was inconclusive Junior Lieutenant I. I. Mikajiov flying 10256 and Junior Lieutenant N.I. Alekseev flying 10083 had expended most of their fuel and had to belly-land their Warhawks on the vast Kola Peninsula of Northern Russia near Scandinavia where they remained for 50 years.

Ken Hake from Tipton, Kansas recovered it from Russia where it was a battered hulk surrounded by craters from when it had been shelled and the aft fuselage and tail were destroyed. Hake, who runs companies manufacturing steel buildings and farm equipment, not only made hundreds of new parts for P-40s, but also made the tooling and equipment to make the parts. After 10 years, most of 10256's airframe had been remanufactured and restored.

In 2003, this aircraft and another were bought by Ron and Diane Fagen and were shipped to Warhawks, Inc. in July 2004. The project was turned over to Eric Hokuf who, even at his young age, was proficient in rebuilding engines, fabrication and fabric covering. Hokuf, an avid researcher and detailer, has restored this aircraft using the same Curtiss parts or exact duplicates from original Curtiss drawings. In total, the Warhawks, Inc. P-40K spent 15 years under restoration and later won the Grand Champion award at EAA's Oshkosh and Best WWII Fighter Rolls-Royce/Smithsonian Award at Reno's Air Races.

This aircraft is painted with the Bengal Tiger nose art and yellow spinner used by the combat P-40s based at Adak in the Aleutian Islands in 1943. Also called the Aleutian Tigers, the 11th Fighter Squadron of the 28th Composite Group was under the command of Colonel John "Jack" Chennault, son of General Claire Chennault, who used a variation of the theme made so famous by his father's Flying Tigers.

This aircraft has been featured in aviation publications in Japan, Germany, England, and is currently featured in the Smithsonian's Air and Space Magazine as well as in Volume 10 of Tim Savages' Warbird Digest. This aircraft is confirmed as being a part of Geneseo's Flying Tigers Reunion Airshow.

By Frank Schaufler and Seth Goltzer