Curtiss P-36 Hawk/Hawk 75/Mohawk. Part Four. In Peruvian skies.

 

Before World War 2, Peru was South America's second-largest air power after Argentina, not in vain they were involved in one important armed conflict in the region such as Colombia-Peru War of 1932 and the previous Trujillan Revolution on that same year.
However the country's aeronautical corps had some remarkable weak points: the 104 aircraft that composed their aeronautical corps were outdated and they encompassed up to 31 types of different aircraft. Unification wasn't in their agenda, and virtually every aircraft required its own spare parts and different treatment. 
Meanwhile, the war in Europe, in spite of its distant future, could have far-reaching consequences for South American countries as well. Primarily they were divided in two sides: those supporting the Allies and those supporting the Axis. Therefore, a pretext for a war in South America could be found at any given moment. Peru, as an allied supporter, feared mainly its southern neighbour, Chile, which maintained a so-called "pro-German neutrality". However, when the United States announced its Lend-Lease programme, it also extended its scope to Peru, protecting this way the country from its traditional enemy. U.S. support for Peru also influenced Chile's stance, which in January 1943 abandoned its neutrality and severed diplomatic relations with the Axis powers.
Among the aircraft received from the US under the Lend-Lease, there were ex-Norwegian Hawk 75A-8 fighters. The first 18 of them, designated as RP-36G by the USAAC, arrived in Peru in late 1942 with additional 10 machines arriving in November 1943. The later batch completed a 15-day 5,900 Kilometer (3.666 miles) flight from Kelly Field, Texas to Las Palmas, Cañete province - Central Peru. The total duration of this flight was 29 hours and 45 minutes.
The Peruvian Hawks served with the Cuerpo Aeronáutico del Peru  (Peruvian Aeronautical Corps) first and the Fuerza Aérea del Peru (Peruvian Air Force) later until 1954, when the last one was retired. They operated with two squadrons: 11 & 21 Escuadrón de Caza (11th and 21st Fighter Squadrons). 
Since they arrived from the United States after being refurbished, they were armed with two 12,7mm Browning machine guns in the fuselage and two 7,62mm in the wings, making them more like the Hawk 75A-2 in terms of armament, than the six-gun Hawk 75A-8.

Sources:

1st AJ-Press - Monografie Lotnicze 61 - Curtiss P-36 Hawk Part 1 (translated)
2nd http://p40hawksnest.com/Curtiss/Types/P-36/Peru/P-36Peru.html