Curtiss P-40N-20 Kittyhawk
a/c 29/B, Ethiopian Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (EEFS), The Black Lions, Imperial Ethiopian Air Force (IEAF), Balkan Air Force
21 July 1944, Bari, Italy
Personal mount of Colonel Binyam Belay



Colonel Binyam Belay was the commander of the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force (IEAF) from 1930 to 1935. Forced to leave Ethiopia after the country's occupation by Italian Fascists, Belay migrated to the United States. For the remainder of the decade he worked with the renowned aviator John Robinson at the Aero School at the Tuskegee Institute, which was instrumental in the formation of the Tuskegee Airmen.




After the liberation of Ethiopia in 1940, the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie invited Belay back to re-establish the IEAF. Belay returned in 1941 with Ethiopian and African American personnel from the Tuskegee Institute, establishing an air training school at Addis Ababa. Officially part of the Allies, the Ethiopian government's intention was to form an Ethiopian Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (EEFS) to continue the war against the Italians and their German backers. With Lend-Lease aid from the US, PT-17 Kaydet and T-6 Texans were used to train Ethiopian pilots in preparation for their conversion to fighter-bombers. Moving to Egypt in 1943, the EEFS was equipped with ex-RAF Hurricane Mk.Is and IIs before receiving ex-USAAF Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawks in early 1944.




Curtiss was in the box seat to produce aircraft equipped with rockets. Curtiss SB2C Helldivers were the first USN planes to test fire rockets (at China Lake) and a P-40F was the first USAAF plane to launch rockets (at the Jefferson Proving Ground). As the US rapidly developed its air-to-surface rocket arsenal, Curtiss engineers were integral to the task of modifying their aircraft to test each new rocket projectile and launcher, including 3.5-Inch Forward Firing Aircraft Rockets, 4.5 inch M8 bazookas (at first singly, then from M10 triple tube launchers), 5 inch Forward Firing Aircraft Rockets, 5 inch High Velocity Aircraft Rockets and finally the 11.75 inch Tiny Tim. Drawing on this experience, production Helldivers and Kittyhawks were the first to enter service with provisions to fire each of these rockets.




The P-40N-20 was the final Kittyhawk production model destined for use against the European Axis. Built with long-range attack missions in mind, it featured provisions for underwing drop tanks, bombs or the carriage of 6 HVAR rockets. The first P-40N-20 arrived in the Mediterranean Theatre in May 1944. With the last USAAF P-40 units in the Theatre already transitioning to P-47D Thunderbolt or P-51D or K Mustangs, the P-40N-25s were offered to the Balkan Air Force (BAF) under Lend-Lease terms. Simultaneous with this decision was the arrival of the Ethiopian Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (EEFS) in Italy, which was assigned to the BAF at Bari. Having trained on the P-40Es in Egypt, the EEFS was supposed to receive used P-40N-15s, but the N-20s were immediately available and were transferred instead. Other BAF fighter squadrons were already in combat with Hurricanes and Spitfires and were slated for later transition to the P-40N. Quickly trained on their new mounts, the EEFS officially stood-up as a combat squadron on Monday 5 June 1944. At a ceremony to mark the occasion, a representative of Emperor Selassie bestowed upon the EEFS the name The Black Lions. The epithet was inspired both by Ethiopia's black maned lions and the loyalist Black Lions movement that resisted Italian occupation. To visually reinforce their identity, the unit's aircraft were painted black on their nose and tail surfaces, the former creating a backdrop for a fearsome toothy mouth reminiscent of the shark mouth artwork of the RAF's 112 Squadron Kittyhawks (only, supposed to be a lion's mouth). Although the EEFS is sometimes called the Black Tails, this is incorrect.  Their first combat mission was on 10 June: a fighter sweep across the Adriatic. This was followed by other missions including bombing strikes against fixed targets, cabrank CAS, flak suppression and armed reconnaissance. On 17 July they flew their first combat mission with HVARs.




The aircraft modeled here was Col. Belay's personal mount and is depicted as photographed before the Squadron's 17 July 1944 mission. Tasked with cabrank CAS over Montenegro, the BAF was engaged in the defence of the Partisan's II Corps against a German offensive. Directed to attack German artillery pieces by a British ground FAC, Col Belay led a flight of rocket-armed Black Lions against flak positions as other EEFS Kittyhawks dropped 500lb bombs. Successful in silencing the enemy artillery, all of the Ethiopian planes returned safely from the mission.



The Black Lions returned to Ethiopia in October 1944 following the 22 August Separate Peace/Great Betrayal between the post-Nazi German government and the Western Allies. Reformed at Addis Ababa as 1 Squadron, The Black Lions, the unit was equipped with RAF surplus Spitfire IXs. They would go on to fly HAL-built Vampire FB.52s, F-86F Sabres, Mirage IIIEEs and F-4E Phantom IIs. Binyam Belay retired from the IEAF in 1952 to take an executive position at Ethiopian Air Lines.

That's certainly an intriguing build and back story    I don't think I've ever seen a rocket armed P-40 before, although undoubtedly someone will post a link to a build on this site I've commented on 

Terrific build   

Cool model, and an interesting background

Very original use of a P-40 ..like Chris mentioned..never seen a 40 with rocket's..very cool 😎 😀

Expecting Pt4 of SA Fry, but still 

Quote from: Sport21ing on April 17, 2023, 05:15:19 PMExpecting Pt4 of SA Fry, but still 

Pt.2, actually *but you're correct in terms of post chronology*

- Pt.1: Tempest

- Pt.2: is the missing piece and it's dorment on workbench while l go off on a Desert Storm tangent (which is Pt.3 of what has become a Desert Storm F-5/F-20 trilogy).

Pt.3: F-104E Starfighter

Pt.4: F-101E Voodoo

Come to think of it, there could be Fry of SA Pt.2+, or would that be Pt.3 Minus? I'm thinking of his F-100 Super Sabre.

Quote from: comrade harps on April 17, 2023, 06:41:49 PM

Quote from: Sport21ing on April 17, 2023, 05:15:19 PMExpecting Pt4 of SA Fry, but still 

Pt.2, actually *but you're correct in terms of post chronology*

- Pt.1: Tempest

- Pt.2: is the missing piece and it's dorment on workbench while l go off on a Desert Storm tangent (which is Pt.3 of what has become a Desert Storm F-5/F-20 trilogy).

Pt.3: F-104E Starfighter

Pt.4: F-101E Voodoo

Come to think of it, there could be Fry of SA Pt.2+, or would that be Pt.3 Minus? I'm thinking of his F-100 Super Sabre.

Do what you want 

In this family, there was also a Twin-Kittyhawk:

= link http://www.kristofmeunier.fr/p40n-eth2.jpg

Good job Comrade.

Quote from: Tophe on April 18, 2023, 04:19:42 AMIn this family, there was also a Twin-Kittyhawk:

= link http://www.kristofmeunier.fr/p40n-eth2.jpg

it! 

Thanks!

Well done, comrade!

Quote from: Tophe on April 18, 2023, 04:19:42 AMIn this family, there was also a Twin-Kittyhawk:

= link http://www.kristofmeunier.fr/p40n-eth2.jpg

Would that make it the Twittyhawk? Or the Ti...I'll get my coat...

Quote from: comrade harps on April 18, 2023, 04:39:42 AM

Quote from: Tophe on April 18, 2023, 04:19:42 AMIn this family, there was also a Twin-Kittyhawk:

= link http://www.kristofmeunier.fr/p40n-eth2.jpg

it! 

Tophe strikes again and man that's tempting..ive got one P-40..might have to just change that to 2 
Very nice Tophe mate 

Shark mouths...   Very nice work as always, Comrade!