Curtiss P-36 Hawk/Hawk 75/Mohawk. Part Three. The P-36 in Brazil.

 

Brazil was very important to the United States as a guarantor of its interests in the Panama Canal area. It was expected, among other things, that the country would provide the USA with military bases in the south-eastern part. 
However, after the beginning of the war in Europe in September 1939, Brazil sympathised with the Axis powers, something that was very concerning for the United States' government. 
In order to increase its influence in the South American region and control any potential turmoil in the Caribbean, it was decided in 1941, that the United States Army Air Corps' (the immediate forerunner of the United States Army Air Force -USAAF) sent a mission to Brazil, who would receive some P-36A fighters and B-18 bombers, both of which would be employed to train Brazilian pilots. However, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941 disrupted these plans and the United States found itself in a state of war.
In this context, Brazil, which sympathised with the Axis powers, became a very unreliable business partner. 
In the Brazil-USA relations, however, the South-American country valued cooperation more than the USA and consequently had to revise its foreign policy to maintain good trade relations with its northern neighbour. As a gesture of goodwill, the Brazilians closed their coastal radio stations, which served as navigation points for German U-Boats operating in the south Atlantic and, on 28th January 1942 this change of orientation materialized in a political fact, as Brazil severed every diplomatic relation they had with all Axis countries on that very same day.
This change of alignment prompted the Americans to include the country in their Lend-Lease program and established a training base in the city of Fortaleza, in the State of Ceará.
This way, during the first half of march 1942 arrived at Fortaleza the first exemplars of the RP-36 (RP being the denomination given to regular P-36A fighters destined for training role) out of a total of ten. Those machines were second-hand machines coming from the 16th and 32nd Pursuit Groups, both based in Albrook Field, in Panama Canal Zone.  
In spite of staying first at Fortaleza airfield, the P-36A were quickly transferred to Agrupamento de Avioes de Adaptaçao (Adaptation Aircraft Group), an aerial unite created back on 4th February 1942. Under the tutelage of USAAC instructors, courses were given on these and other aircraft to update the knowledge of Brazilian personnel, providing them with better instruction on procedures and tactics that were being used in aerial combat over Europe at the time.
The presence of P-36A in Fortaleza was short as, in November 1942 they all were officially transferred to 6º Regimento de Aviaçao (6th Aviation Regiment or 6th RAV), a flying unit belonging to 10º Corpo de Base Aérea (10th Corps Air Base or 10th CAB) at Recife, in the state of Pernambuco. However, the arrival of the P-36 to the 6th RAV took place many weeks earlier, since they were all registered by the 10th CAB on 26th September 1942. 
On that occasion, four of the P-36As had already suffered accidents, causing the total loss of the machines killing, unfortunately, the pilots. In spite of the lack of a clear investigation on the causes of the accidents, it can be presumed that material difficulties found when the USAAC operated the P-36As, where also reproduced in Brazil. Furthermore, with the arrival of the first Curtiss P-40E and P-40K, more modern than the P-36A, caused a pronounced drop in the usage of the P-36.
In April 1943, there were only six P-36 operative and they were transferred again, this time to a Grupo Monoposto-Monomotor (Single-Seat Single-Engine Group - GMM) based at Natal, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. There they were kept as trainers for the Força Aérea Brazileira (Brazilian Air Force - FAB) and they were also employed to patrol the Brazilian septentrional coastline, just like they did in Fortaleza and Recife. 
On 30th September 1943 one P-36A crashed at the neighbourhood of Lagoa Seca in Natal and this accident prompted the FAB to ground the P-36As until further notice. In December 1943 it was decided that the last remaining five P-36A, which were found not unfit for flying, were transferred again, this time to Escola de Especialistas de Aeronáutica (School of Aeronautical Specialists - EEA), at Ponta do Galeao in Rio de Janeiro. There they were employed as fixed ground airframes to train mechanics. 
It's not known how long they were employed at the EEA but when that institution moved to Guaratinguetá, in Sao Paulo, they were not present, except for a few pieces, so most likely they were sold for scrap in during the late 1940s.

Sources:

1st AJ-Press - Monografie Lotnicze 61 - Curtiss P-36 Hawk Part 1 (translated)
2nd Aeronaves Militares Brasileiras 1916-2015 (translated)

Boeing Stearman Model 75, part four. The Stearman in America, part one. South American users.

 

The Boeing Stearman Model 75 is an American two-seater biplane trainer of the 1930s that was employed by many countries all around the world, among them, the following ones:

• Argentina: In 1936 the Argentine Navy acquired sixteen new Stearman Model 76D, powered by the 320 hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior. They were assigned to the Naval Aviation School and served until 1949 whe, according to some historians, were donated to various flying clubs, however, there were not Model 76s registered in Argentine civil aviation.
  Many years later, in 1947, the Argentine Navy bought thirty Boeing-Stearman Model 75 (AKA PT-17/N2S Kaydet), with thirty additional machines two years later, in 1949. These sixty machines were ex-American machines equipped with radial engines such as the Continental R-670-4 or R-670-5 yielding up to 220 hp of power. They were mainly assigned to the Naval Aviation School, with a detachment to Comandante Espora Naval Air Base (Province of Buenos Aires). From the mid-1950s onwards they were employed for general purposes and, since they were ageing considerably, they were gradually replaced by the North American Texan from 1954 until 1962 when the last Model 75 was sold to private owners.
  One of the Model 76, equipped with floats and registered as 1-E-41, became famous for being the first Argentine aircraft to fly to the Antarctica on 6th February 1942. 
  This flight took off from the ship ARA 1º de Mayo (an old modified steam ship) and was performed by Frigate Lieutenant Eduardo Lanusse at the controls and Corporals Erik Blomquist, Antonio Silva and Mario Pappe as mechanics, radio operator and photographers. This was seen as a national milestone but, unfortunately, in April 1942 both Lanusse and Blomquist died in a fatal accident while piloting 1-E-41.
  
  
• Brazil: During the second half of the 1930s the Brazilian Army Aviation sought to modernize their Military Aviation School, so in May 1937 the first machines of the Stearman Model A76C3 (attack variant equipped with bomb gear and a defensive machine gun were shipped to Rio do Janeiro. By early 1938 all thirty of them were assembled and assigned to the Army Aeronautics School, where they served as basic trainers. 
  However, as they were equipped with bombing gear and a defensive machine gun, they were also employed in the bombing trainer role, ground attack and aerial photography.
  Not all of the Brazilian Model 76s were employed by the Aeronautics Schools, some were also employed by the Training Squadron of the 7th Aviation Regiment, in Belem, and some others with the 4th Aviation Regiment, at Belo Horizonte, however, their presence there was brief and were reassigned back to the Aviation School. 
  Some years later, in October 1940 the Brazilian Army Aviation was transitioning to become an independent branch (the Brazilian Air Force), so many North American NA-72 trainers were ordered and, with the creation of the Ministry of Aeronautics, on 20th January 1941, the Stearmans were passed on to the Brazilian Air Force (BAF).
  With the BAF served a total of twenty Stearmans A-75 and twenty-seven A-76 which, as stated, had previously served with the Brazilian Army Aviation. 
  These machines served until 1948 and 1950 as they were employed as basic trainers by the Aeronautics School. In 1942 the Model A-75-L3s were replaced by the newly-acquired Fairchild PT-19, while one year later, in 1943, th A-76C3s were replaced by the Vultee BT-15 and, finally in 1944, the A-76C3 were definitely replaced by the T-6 Texan and the Stearmans were withdrawn to secondary administrative roles, being definitely written off in 1950.
  
  
• Bolivia: In 1942 Bolivia acquired around twenty PT-17s which served for a long period of time, until 1963. It is known that they acquired six PT-17s from Argentina. 

Sources:

1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing-Stearman_Model_75

2nd https://issuu.com/federacionargentinadecamarasagroaer/docs/revista_37_opt/s/15636721 (translated)

3rd https://www.marambio.aq/primervueloargentino.html (translated)

4th Aeronaves Militares Brasileiras 1916-2015 (translated)

5th https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anexo:Aeronaves_militares_históricas_de_Bolivia

Focke-Wulf Fw.200 Condor. Part One. Foreign Users

 

The Focke-Wulf Fw.200 Condor was a German four-engined monoplane designed by Focke-Wulf as an airliner, which saw service with various countries, among them, the following ones:

• Brazil: In early 1939 the Brazilian airline Syndicato Condor, which was a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa, bought two Focke-Wulf Fw.200A airliners which, as sophisticated as they were, were employed in the Rio de Janeiro-Buenos Aires international route. When the company was re-organized and renamed to Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul in 1943, the Condors operated together with the American-supplied Douglas DC-3 airliners until 1948 (though some sources claim it was only until 1947) when the Condors were retired and replaced with Douglas DC-3s.
• Denmark: In 1938 the Danish National Airline, Det Danske Luftfartselskab A/B (Danish Air Lines or, abbreviated, DDL) acquired two Focke-Wulf Fw.200A Condor airliners. These were named as Dania and Jutlandia. Dania was seized by the British in April 1940 as, at that time, it was in British territory. It was pushed into service for a brief period of time with the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and with the Royal Air Force, before being damaged beyond repair one year later, in 1941.
  The second one, Jutlandia, survived the whole war and continued serving as an airliner until 4th September 1946, when it had to crash-land in Northolt, London, after landing in crosswinds. Fortunately there were no casualties but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and was written off.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Fw_200_Condor

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_Air_Lines

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serviços_Aéreos_Cruzeiro_do_Sul

4. https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serviços_Aéreos_Cruzeiro_do_Sul (translated)

5. https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Fw_200

6. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 13 - Focke-Wulf Fw-200 Condor

Douglas B-18 Bolo, Brazilian users

 

The Douglas B-18 Bolo was an American medium bomber which served with the United States Army Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force and Força Aerea Brasileira (Brazilian Air Force). It was built by the Douglas Aircraft Company, based on their DC-2 transport and was initially developed to replace the obsolete Martin B-10.

In April 1942, the Força Aerea Brasileira (FAB) received two B-18, followed by a third one. Those two first ones were assigned to the Grupo de Avioes Bimotores (Two-engined aircraft group) and one was used as a trainer. A fourth aircraft, a B-18A, was sent to Brazil in 1945 but it crashed on 18th February,  on Guatemala when it was on route leaving the machine completely beyond repair.

That group served on the anti-submarine warfare role, where they saw some action, like for instance on 8th May 1943, a B-18 piloted by 1st Lt. Zamir de Barros Pinto and by Lt. Geraldo Labarthe Lebre attacked the U-154 off the coast of Maceió, capital city of the state of Alagoas. The U-154 was bound to attack the Brazilian freighter Motocarline, but depth charges dropped from the B-18 damaged the submarine and forced it to retreat.

The FAB was the last user of the B-18 as, on 18th October 1946 they were written off and scrapped. 

Sources:

1. https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_B-18_Bolo (translated)

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_B-18_Bolo

3. http://www.armasnacionais.com/2015/09/o-primeiro-grande-aviao-da-fab.html

Avro Anson, part three, Some American users

The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined multi-role aircraft manufactured by Avro. With more than 11.000 exemplars manufactured, the type was exported to various countries all around the globe.

• Argentina: Various Ansons were acquired by Argentine private companies after the war like SAETA (Servicios Aéreos Explotación Transportes Aéreos - Aerial Exploitation Transports Services) or Cía de tierra del Río Negro (Rio Negro land's company). They were used for cargo and land exploration purposes from the immediate postwar (1948 until the mid-1950s).
• Brazil: Three Ansons Mk.II were acquired by the Brazilian airline Companhia Meridional de Transportes (Southern Transports Company). This short-lived airline was founded in 1944 and, on 5th October 1945 they operated flights from the states of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, in Brazil. All their fleet comprised of the three Ansons Mk.II that we mentioned and, after a crash on 19th December 1945 which killed all passengers, including the pilot and owner of the company, Álvaro Araújo, in just three months, the company went bankrupt.
• Cuba: Up to 10 Ansons served with various Cuban companies after the war. Most of them were airlines, like the one we've depicted below, which was made in Canada by Federal Aircraft. It served with the Cuban airline ANSA (Aerolíneas del Norte SA - Northern Airlines PLC) operating from the Cuban city of Camagüey. It's worth pointing that this airplane had extra windows. Other Cuban companies that had the Anson in their stocks were Líneas Aéreas Holguin (Holguin Airlines) , Aerolíneas del Sur SA (Southern Airlines PLC) and Corporación Aeronáutica Antillana (Antillean Aeronautical Corporation). Apparently a single one was used as the personal transport of J. Lobo.
• Paraguay: One Anson Mk.V was purchased by the Paraguayan Air Arm in the civilian market in Argentina in July 1947. It was used as a VIP transport. 
• United States of America: Given the need for extra training aircraft, 50 Ansons were transferred to the USA from Canada in 1943. They were named as AT-20. One Anson Mk.IV was also loaned to the USA earlier, in July 1942, but returned to Canada in November of that year. When the USAAF arrived in Europe, they didn't bring communications aircraft with them, so various Ansons, together with other British types, were used in second-line duties. No accurate records have been kept and the exact numbers are unknown, but by late 1944 the Ansons were given back to the Royal Air Force (RAF) as the USAAF had, by that time, shipped their own communications aircraft to the United Kingdom and even France.
  Some few of them were based at either Warton, Lancashire (the location of the main USAAF's depot during the war) or with the 1st Combat Crew Replacement Centre, in Bovingdon, Hertfordshire. One Anson Mk.XII registered as NL137 was allocated to the Station Flight in Northolt, London in January 1945. It was later transferred to Headquarters Flight in Bovingdon. It was given back to the RAF in late 1945 and was assigned to No.1 Ferry Unit, located in Pershore, Worcestershire.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson

2. https://loudandclearisnotenought.blogspot.com/2012/08/lv-agj-avro-652a-anson-v-mb-17.html (translated)

3. https://loudandclearisnotenought.blogspot.com/2012/08/lv-fbr-avro-652a-anson-19-2-1507.html (translated)

4. http://britishaviation-ptp.com/avro652_3.html

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companhia_Meridional_de_Transportes

6. http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/tag/avro-anson-mk-v

7. Aerial Operations in Paraguay - Helion and Co.

8. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson

Curtiss O-52 Owl

The Curtiss O-52 Owl was an American observation aircraft which was used by the United States Army Air Corps and some others just before the American entry into World War 2.
It was developed in 1939 and it was the last 'heavy' observation aircraft developed for the USAAC as the concept of an observation aircraft with two seats dated back to the World War 1 and, in 1940 the USAAC ordered 203 O-52s for observation duties. However, by 1941 it was already outdated and was no match for modern combat aircrafts.
Just after delivery, it was used in military maneouvers with the USAAC, but after America's entry into World War 2, it was deemed as outdated by the USAAF, specially for operations in overseas areas, therefore, it was relegated to courier duties within the USA and short-range anti-submarine patrols over the gulf of Mexico and Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Apparently it was used briefly in the frontline in the battle of Luzon, in Philippines during Japanese offensives in 1941-1942.
It was the last "O" type aircraft manufactured for the USAAC and, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, that designation was discontinued and was replaced by the "L" series for liaison type.
It seems that the Brazilian Air Force adquired some of them in 1942 but they remained there and weren't sent to Europe with the Brazilian Expeditionary Force. However, as we couldn't find any proof of this aircraft serving with Brazil, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
It was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1340-51 radial engine which yielded a power amount of 600hp (447Kw) and was armed with a single forward-firing Browning 0.3in (7.62mm) machine-gun and another one in defensive position.
In November 1942 the USSR ordered 30 O-52s through the lend-lease programme with 26 of them being shipped but with just 19 of them being actually delivered as seven of them were lost in the Arctic Convoy Route. Of those 19, only 10 of them were accepted into service and were used operationally for artillery fire spotting and general photographic and observation duties in north and central areas of the Eastern Front during spring-summer 1943 with one of them being shot-down by the Luftwaffe. It was generally disliked by Soviet pilots, although some of them were still active during early 1950s with the Aerogeologiya organization which was a branch of the Soviet ministry for Geology that performed aerial geological surveys, specially in the vast Siberian region.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_O-52_Owl
2. https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php?topic=26029.0