Mongolian Tomahawk

[comrade harps]

Curtiss Tomahawk IIB
White 3, 1st Independent International Fighter Escadrille
Personal mount of Combat Pilot Flight Leader Tserenjav Enkhjargal
Ramenskoye, Socialist Republic of Russia, Socialist Union
April 1942



Following the Nazi invasion of June, 1941, the Socialist Union (SU) called on its international supporters for assistance, with several Socialist Republics immediately sending volunteers before and regular forces could be organised and depoloyed. Before sending the Mongolian Arat Fighter Escadrille, Mongolia sent volunteer air and ground crew to Kazakhstan for training with other international volunteers, from which was formed the 1st Independent International Fighter Escadrille in September, 1941.




After training on the I-16 through the Kazakh winter, the unit moved to Russia in February 1942 and were re-quipped with 15 Curtiss Tomahawk IIs. All were used examples, several having been refurbished or rebuilt by the 1st Aviation Repair Base of 13th Air Army from damaged airframes. Those that came from the 1st Aviation Repair Base were distinguished by their VVS camouflage and the addition of under-wing bomb racks, the normal bomb load being four light FAB 50 series bombs. The FAB 50m13 1941 is seen here, as per contemporary photos of White 3. Built at a factory in Magnitogorsk, the FAB 50m13 1941 was a "contingency" bomb that utilized the body of a an 82mm mortar illumination round filled with high explosive and suitably modified for aviation carriage.




The 1st Independent International Fighter Escadrille used Tomahawk IIs mostly on ground attack missions during the Rzhev-Vyazma Strategic Offensive Operation and flew the type on combat missions between March and July, 1942, by which time the unit had re-equipped with Lend-Lease P-40Es. During its time flying the Tomahawk II, the Escadrille's personnel came from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Aircraft were adorned with both red stars and national symbols, the latter indicating the origin an aircraft's nominally assigned pilot.



Combat Pilot Flight Leader Tserenjav Enkhjarga was a veteran of the 1939 Khalkhin Gol battles against Japan, during which he shot down two Ki-27 fighters. A founding member of the 1st Independent International Fighter Escadrille, he served with the unit until October, 1942, when he was badly injured in a landing accident. He was credited with a Lutwaffe Bf109F kill whilst flying a P-40E in August, 1942. He returned to Mongolia in mid-1943 and served as an instructor pilot. He was given a medical discharge in August 1944 due to failing health.

[comrade harps]

Thus completes my Mongolian trilogy:


The others are:
- the Mongolian Yak-3: http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,38145.msg622523.html#msg622523
- and the Mongolian Spitfire: http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,38202.msg623666.html#msg623666

The Mongolian decals all come from the Airfix Il-2 kit. Probably best to avoid making the kit, but it does have ace Mongolian decals, perfect for whiffing.

The "FAB 50m13 1941" bombs are the RS-82 rockets from the Airfix Sturmovik, which really are a bad representation, so I've re-assigned them as light bombs. The under-wing pylons are modified rocket rails also from the Airfix kit. Apparently there were lots of bombs of different sizes, weights and shapes in the FAB 50 series, including "emergency" or "contingency" FAB 50s fashioned from artillery rounds: http://vvs.hobbyvista.com/Markings/bombs/fab50/index.php

The kit I used here is the HobbyBoss 1:72nd scale P-40B/C Tomahawk IIB.

[zenrat]

Very good.  Those I like.
Particularly the camo on the Tomahawks left wing for some reason.

[NARSES2]

Oh I like that 

[sandiego89]

No sharks in Mongolia?     Actually nice to see 40's without a sharknose.

I like the camo, well done.

[McGreig]

Thus completes my Mongolian trilogy

I really like all of these 
I have an Airfix Il-2 that I bought solely for the decal sheet but, in a major lapse of imagination, I never thought of using it on anything except, err, well, uhmm - - an Il-2. Ah well, more material for the "why-didn't-I-think-of-that?!" file - - - -

[Dizzyfugu]

The Mongolian decals all come from the Airfix Il-2 kit. Probably best to avoid making the kit, but it does have ace Mongolian decals, perfect for whiffing.

Got a spare Il-2 sheet, too, and have been ponderimg about whiffing options... nice one! The tri-colored Spitfire looks great, too! 

[comrade harps]

I have an Airfix Il-2 that I bought solely for the decal sheet

That's about all it's good for, really.

Not sure yet what markings I would put an IL-2 in, but I do want to make a good one with a good kit, like the Zvezda one.

Thanks for your kind replies on this quickly build kit.

[Captain Canada]

Nice one. I like the flowing look of the camo, really suits it. Great stuff...and nice to see all 3 together like that as well.