Hawks over Singapore .

In the early days of WW2 the French bought large numbers of American aircraft that upon the fall of France got taken over by the British . Included in this was the Brewster Buffalo . This was not a great purchase as for some reason I really can not fathom the British specified a 1000 hp engine instead of the more common 1200 hp engine and added heaps of extra weight they considered essential . all of this made a decent fighter into a poor performer . to add insult to injury it appears the engine's supplied had all been refurbished already and wore out rapidly . The aircraft I personally find very interesting is actually the P-36 Hawk .

In 1940 the Hawk was a good fighter with an enviable record of aerial victories and far better then the Buffalo . Interestingly enough the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation was capable of building it and could have gotten a licence in 1939 if needed . The Wasp engine was already in production for the CAC Wirraway . The P-36 or more accurately from the version I like is the French Hawk 75 A4 with 6 7.5 mm machine guns . With a Twin Wasp producing 1200 hp it would be a better aircraft then the Buffalo for deployment to Singapore . It could easily be made in Australia under licence . It also could lead the way to licence production of the Kittyhawk later .

In 1939 Wackett travels to Europe and then the United States in an attempt now that war has broken out to guarantee aircraft for Australia's defence . In England he gets told no spare capacity exists to create the jigs needed to enable production in Australia of any modern aircraft . In the United States it's a different story . Curtiss is having trouble keeping up with orders for it's Hawk fighter and see's an Australian licence production as a good sale / investment . The Pratt and Whitney company see's production of Double Wasp engines as a good sale also . By mid may 1940 the Fishermen's Bend factory in Melbourne is building the first Australian Hawk fighters with 6 0.303 browning's . Production is slow at first but by December 1940 production is ramped up 20 per month . The availability of Hawk Aircraft from Australia changes British Procurement plans and instead of ordering 170 Buffalo's an order was placed for 200 Hawk aircraft to be made in Australia and the USA and then sent to Singapore and India .

By December 7th 1941 the Curtiss Hawk Production had reached 270 aircraft in 3 models . The different models mainly having better engines and some slight changes to armament . Notably the reintroduction of the cowling 0.50 calibre Browning . Singapore had received 6 full squadrons of the Hawk fighters and had 22 on charge for each Squadron for a full allotment of 132 aircraft . With Australia making the Twin Wasp engines a surplus of engines for replacement was kept . Pilots had confidence in the fast climbing and tight turning machine. Netherlands Brewster Buffalos showed they could turn with a Hawk but not outclimb it .
 

Driftless

Donor
The Hawk was no wonder weapon, but it proved to be a useful fighter wherever it was deployed in the early part of the war. By 1941 was on the backside of the technology bell curve, but still useful in several theaters into 1942. The pilots would still need to learn not to get into a dogfight based on manoeuvre, but the Hawk was agile enough where an alert pilot might recognize a twisting fight was going against him - before it was too late.

The addition/substitution of the Hawk, in place of the Buffalo wouldn't be significant enough to prevent the loss of Singapore, but it could have bled the Japanese air units more, which has knock-on effects.
 

HJ Tulp

Donor
What are the chances for the 170 Buffalo's to be send to the Dutch East Indies in the original specifications?
 
The Buffalo's will not be purchased past what was taken over from the Belgians . so only 32 aircraft that had been tested and found lacking . The Hawk 75 however is already under production in Australia in numbers so a decision to purchase 170 of those is made instead in addition the requirement by the Australians for enough aircraft to equip 6 new squadrons for local use . so total orders would reach 300 total before December 7 1941 . After this the orders would increase or be changed to the Curtis P-40 itself a development of the P-36 . The Alison engine would be hard to manufacture and would need to be imported . Of interest is that the Aussie made Hawk would be a better choice then the Boomerang . so instead of 250 Boomerangs the RAAF has more then 250 Hawks and their availability is both earlier(by 2 yrs) and apart from the 20 mm cannon just as good if not better .
 
Just looking at the numbers and the RAAF had 848 P-40's purchased . It could have made most of those right here in Australia and instead of complete aircraft just had the engines sent . Tis could mean instead of 50 or 60 trips to carry the aircraft you only need a few trips with engines as cargo . This creates the possibility of sending production tooling and jigs instead . Reverse lend lease occurring where USAAF P-40's are replaced or repaired by the Government Aircraft Factory . So butterfly's can be huge in this case .
 
While thinking in a different direction it struck me that the P&W Twin Wasp was one very powerful engine for it's mass and if a tighter cowl and fan forced air cooling was introduced would it have made a Whirlwind insanely powerful . With the aerodynamics and nearly 650hp extra would rate of climb gone up by an insane figure or not . Power with peregines is equal to a 6lb to 1 Hp power to weight ratio .
Power with Twin Wasp would be equal to 4.18 lb per HP . this is a %25 increase in installed power and yes I allowed for the 254 lb weight increase over the peregrine's . 50kg *2 turned into lb . COG would be interesting as the Peregine is 1.8 m long and the Wasp is 1.5 m Long so a good chance COG with the heavier engine does not change much . This would be an insanely powerful interceptor as it has a 21 m /s climb rate according to the interwebs and the increased power would increase that considerably . Imagine a version with 6 50 cal or 8 .303 in the nose against Japanese aircraft . Ok I just strayed from topic but my mind goes like this all the time hahahahah'
 
Hawk 445mph . P-40 set record of 660mph in 1942 in a dive . this was not a standard A/C however even if 100 mph is taken off for extra polishing and gap filling it is still an impressive 560mph .
 
My first thought was the Brits would just overload the Hawk as with the Buffalo. But a Aussi built Hawk could be better. There is also the possibility local improvements would be made vs retooling for Warhawk production.
 
With the Buffalo, the engine was due to what the US had on the export list at the time of initial order, Britain needed planes as quick as possible and therefore elected not to wait for the more powerful engine to be certified for export. The RAF knew the Buffalo was poor and that its changes added weight. Some of the changes were due to the value it put on pilot survival, so more armor, and, not knowing how flimsy Japanese planes would be, an assumption they would need the same firepower as in Europe.
As for the P-36, it was used by the British as the Mohawk, these started as mainly French aircraft with the guns replaced by .303s and controls changed to UK standard. However a version of the Hawk 75A-5 ( Mohawk IV ) was actually produced in India (mainly under a license originally granted for production in China ). OTL production was ordered in April 1941, have them start earlier and you could have substantial numbers in place by end 1941.
 
... However a version of the Hawk 75A-5 ( Mohawk IV ) was actually produced in India (mainly under a license originally granted for production in China ). OTL production was ordered in April 1941, have them start earlier and you could have substantial numbers in place by end 1941.

How many were built, and what was their combat record?
 
In this the idea is the Mohawk was chosen by Australia before the fall of France . It puts several hundred aircraft that while not front line are better then an early Spitfire or Hurricane in rate of climb and manoeuvrability . It also makes it possible to progress to the Tomahawk and Kittyhawk and avoid the Boomerang entirely . With 120 plus Hawks in Singapore and replacements able to island hope from Australia it is a far more potent defence force . The Dutch would also likely order some if possible as Brewster was a bad supplier even to the USN . Add in a request for 97 plus Hawks from the Dutch and well a considerable amount of resources would go to producing them fast . If a second factory is opened and other advances in supply chain the production of 1 per day is possible . CAC made 725 Wirraway . 250 boomerang . DAP made 700 Beauforts and 365Beaufighters . This is a considerable production capacity for a Nation that had literally no advanced capability before the war . If a factory for Hawk 75's is made in 1939/40 the change in the Pacific and Indian ocean is huge . Instead of getting obsolete aircraft that are already worn out the units can get a better aircraft with good engines etc . By 1942 expect to begin tooling up for the P-40 . I would envision no more then 500 Hawk 75's being made and production ceasing in mid to late 42 . By then they would have made a huge impact simply by being available and better hen what is in place . Imagine the combat over Rabaul where Wirraway trainers got used as fighters .

Date 20th January
Coast Watcher reported a massive aerial armada approaching Rabaul so 24 Squadron scrambled the 12 Hawk 75's they had available . Climbing as fast as possible it was 15 minutes before the Japanese aircraft arrived . By then the Hawks had clawed their way to 23,000 feet . The Japanese had 100 aircraft from 2 Carriers . For the outnumbered Aussies it was simply suicide to engage . Flying in 4 flights of 3 aircraft they split up . 6 aircraft dove on the 80 odd Vals and Kate's while the other 6 attempted to stop the 20 plus Zero fighters from interfering . As the Hawks dove on the Japanese bombers the pilots split up and chose their targets . the goal was a single pass followed by a climb and then reform and try again . The experienced Zero pilots had no trouble wiping out the 6 Hawks sent to stop them however it came at a cost . 4 zero's shot down and 3 others damaged enough that they would never fly again . In return the 6 Hawks that engaged them had been reduced to 2 badly damaged aircraft diving for the deck and safety . While this was happening the other 6 Hawks had been busy emptying 3000 rds of 0.303 each into the bombers . 5 Vals and 4 Kates got shot down in a furious 2 minutes . another 8 received damage that would result in being pushed over the side upon return . These Hawks dove for the deck at speeds the Zero escorts could not match and within 30 minutes 7 Hawks returned to base . 3 of which needed to be declared a total loss . 4 out of 12 but it was a bad day for the IJN as every loss was irreplaceable . Within a fortnight the remaining ground crew and pilots would be evacuated leaving in their wake an enviable record of being outnumbered 10 to one and still achieving a 2 to one loss rate .

Singapore was a different story as many more fighters where available and although outnumbered the Hawks could rely on the fast climb to get into favourable positions . Also the Engines did not lose power after 15,000 ft in such a way .
 
In this the idea is the Mohawk was chosen by Australia before the fall of France .
Why wait that late? Wackett led a technical mission to Europe and the United States evaluating aircraft in 1935 to form the CAC what if they just spent more money?

In 1935 Why not pick the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp as the main engine (as well as a smaller trainer engines as needed) to power, Hawks and PYBs as well as DC3s both for RAAF and Quantas? This would be much more expensive than the trainer and Wasp of OTL but I doubt that the US would be unwilling or unable to supply everything required if Australia asked in 35/36/37.

So by 1939 CAC would be producing them in reasonable numbers for the RAAF and some would inevitably be deployed to Singapore.
 
In the early days of WW2 the French bought large numbers of American aircraft that upon the fall of France got taken over by the British . Included in this was the Brewster Buffalo . This was not a great purchase as for some reason I really can not fathom the British specified a 1000 hp engine instead of the more common 1200 hp engine and added heaps of extra weight they considered essential . all of this made a decent fighter into a poor performer . to add insult to injury it appears the engine's supplied had all been refurbished already and wore out rapidly . The aircraft I personally find very interesting is actually the P-36 Hawk .

In 1940 the Hawk was a good fighter with an enviable record of aerial victories and far better then the Buffalo . Interestingly enough the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation was capable of building it and could have gotten a licence in 1939 if needed . The Wasp engine was already in production for the CAC Wirraway . The P-36 or more accurately from the version I like is the French Hawk 75 A4 with 6 7.5 mm machine guns . With a Twin Wasp producing 1200 hp it would be a better aircraft then the Buffalo for deployment to Singapore . It could easily be made in Australia under licence . It also could lead the way to licence production of the Kittyhawk later .

In 1939 Wackett travels to Europe and then the United States in an attempt now that war has broken out to guarantee aircraft for Australia's defence . In England he gets told no spare capacity exists to create the jigs needed to enable production in Australia of any modern aircraft . In the United States it's a different story . Curtiss is having trouble keeping up with orders for it's Hawk fighter and see's an Australian licence production as a good sale / investment . The Pratt and Whitney company see's production of Double Wasp engines as a good sale also . By mid may 1940 the Fishermen's Bend factory in Melbourne is building the first Australian Hawk fighters with 6 0.303 browning's . Production is slow at first but by December 1940 production is ramped up 20 per month . The availability of Hawk Aircraft from Australia changes British Procurement plans and instead of ordering 170 Buffalo's an order was placed for 200 Hawk aircraft to be made in Australia and the USA and then sent to Singapore and India .

By December 7th 1941 the Curtiss Hawk Production had reached 270 aircraft in 3 models .
...

Perhaps it would've been a good idea not to mix OTL and ITTL in the same post without a visible notification? Sentences are easier to read if they start with capital letter, while period, exclamation mark or questionmark are placed imediately after the last letter of the sentence.
The 1000 HP Cyclones and Twin Wasps were norm of the day well into 1941-42; 1000 HP Cyclones were crucial at Midway, for example.
Double Wasp was not available, beyond prototypes, until Spring of 1941.

While thinking in a different direction it struck me that the P&W Twin Wasp was one very powerful engine for it's mass and if a tighter cowl and fan forced air cooling was introduced would it have made a Whirlwind insanely powerful . With the aerodynamics and nearly 650hp extra would rate of climb gone up by an insane figure or not . Power with peregines is equal to a 6lb to 1 Hp power to weight ratio .
Power with Twin Wasp would be equal to 4.18 lb per HP . this is a %25 increase in installed power and yes I allowed for the 254 lb weight increase over the peregrine's . 50kg *2 turned into lb . COG would be interesting as the Peregine is 1.8 m long and the Wasp is 1.5 m Long so a good chance COG with the heavier engine does not change much . This would be an insanely powerful interceptor as it has a 21 m /s climb rate according to the interwebs and the increased power would increase that considerably . Imagine a version with 6 50 cal or 8 .303 in the nose against Japanese aircraft . Ok I just strayed from topic but my mind goes like this all the time hahahahah'

On 100 oct fuel and in 1940-41, Peregrine was making ~1000 HP, as much as the Twin Wasp (unless we want to install low altitude versions). Much cleaner installation of the Peregrine, too.

Hawk 445mph . P-40 set record of 660mph in 1942 in a dive . this was not a standard A/C however even if 100 mph is taken off for extra polishing and gap filling it is still an impressive 560mph .

Hopefully we know how the run-of-the-mill speed indicators were standing up to the compressibility in 1942...
 
oops . I was thinking of the twin wasp and wrote double wasp . slight difference in availability and installed power . Mind you just imagine the rate of climb of a Hawk 75 with a 2000 hp radial . lols
 
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