The history of the Norwegian Hawks began in 1938, when the Norwegian government decided to modernize its aerial fleet. Since its own aviation industry was not prepared to develop modern aircraft, it was decided to purchase them abroad.These initial purchases resulted in a dozen of British Gloster Gladiator biplanes, which, although they were not as modern as the German machines, they were modern enough to allow a smooth transition from older biplanes to all-metal fighters, which significantly improved performance.However, the initial plan was to equip the whole aerial fleet with modern monoplanes with retractable landing gear.During the very early war Norway remained neutral. However, the Munich Crisis made it clear that the Germans would not be overly concerned if war broke out. To counter those pressures, the Norwegians needed new aircraft immediately, so in June 1939 a commission headed by Eckhoff, Motzfelt and Reistad (Norwegian Army representatives) was sent to the United States, where they were offered designs from Seversky and Vultee. However, it was clear that the U.S. Army Air Corps itself was struggling with the P-35 and Vultee was unable to produce large numbers of aircraft in a short time, so Curtiss became the only design alternative.On 12th August a contract was signed for the purchase of 12 A-6 Hawks, basically identical to the French A-1, except that the 7.9mm machine-guns were assembled in Buffalo, New York, instead at the customer's facility, as it was the case with the French aircraft. In addition to purchase the pre-built aircraft, the Norwegians obtained the rights to manufacture 24 at their own facility in Kjeller, near Oslo.
On 27th September, with the war already underway, it was clear that the deadline, set for 1st July 1940, could not be completed, so Norway decided to expand its order by another 12 completed aircraft to equip the next squadron. The first of this new batch arrived in Oslo on 20th February 1940, followed by 18 more in four batches from 15th March to 1st April. By 9th April one aircraft was waiting at Kjeller, ready to begin trials and with its armament mounted, five were also in various stages of assembly waiting to be completed at Kjeller (including three unarmed ones), and five were still in crates in Bergen. Of the eight that arrived in Oslo on 1st April, some had been delivered to Kjeller, and five were still on board SS Idefiord transport ship.
The two dozen Hawk plus twelve Gladiators, were not a force that could hold the German Luftwaffe, and Norway was well aware of this, so in January 1940 it was decided to send another delegation to the USA. It arrived in Washington in late February 1940 and was led by Captain Motzfeldt, from the army and Ostby from the Navy. They immediately headed to the Curtiss-Wright factory and a contract for 29 Hawks was quickly negotiated and expanded later to include seven more aircraft. Therefore, a total of 36 Hawks were ordered. In addition, 36 Douglas 8A Nomad bombers and 24 Northrop N3P-B patrol seaplanes were also purchased.
The Hawks chosen by the Norwegians were the Hawk 75A-8 variant, which was identical to the French A-4 with Wright engines. The latter was armed with two 12.7mm (0.50") Browning machine guns.
Externally the A-8 version was recognizable by the teardrop-shaped radome on the fuselage aft the cockpit, to host the radio half-compass antenna. The first of these aircraft, together with other ten, was to be delivered between December 1940 and 25th January 1941 but, as expected, they were never delivered.
The German attack on Norway found most of the Hawks in crates. Only a few were assembled, and even these did not see combat. It's most likely that some were destroyed during aerial bombing raids. After the German invasion, the Norwegians attempted to hide the aircraft that survived, but the Germans found them all.
It's estimated that there were nineteen of them. Almost all, if not all, were later brought to Germany, where they were adapted to local standards by replacing some equipment, such as sights.
The Norwegian Hawks did not serve for long time. Thirteen of them were later transferred to Finland, while the fate of the remaining six is unknown.
While all that was taking place, the five aircraft aboard SS Idefiord had returned to England, where they were briefly considered for combat in northern Norway, but the idea never materialized due to the lack of radio and armament. They were then offered to France, but the French declined before the offer could be accepted.
Eventually, on 24th September 1940 the Royal Air Force (RAF) purchased them from Norwegian representatives in London, together with four Heinkel He.115s also previously owned by Norway, for the low price of £86,000. These five five Hawks were most likely AR-630 to AR-634.
After the fall of Norway, the purchasing committee members, still in the United States, were left with 96 ordered aircraft and a hundred Cyclone engines. Initially, they intended to resell them to Great Britain, but the RAF didn't want American aircraft because building the entire infrastructure for such a small number would be too expensive, and besides, they already had their better designs. Another idea was to replaced the ordered Hawk 75A-8 with P-40s built for the RAF, but this idea was also never implemented.
At the same time, in the United States, the Norwegian legation's air attaché, Oscar Klingenberg, stepped in came up with the idea of organizing training squadrons for Norwegians pilots in Canada, following the example of the RAF. Klingenberg contacted the Canadian consul in Washington and received assurances that an air base in Toronto could made available to him shortly. The Norwegian diplomat chose Canada for two good reasons: First, the British had virtually no available bases on the islands and second, the ordered Hawk 75A-8s were still in the United States, so transporting them to Canada meant no problem at all. Ultimately the airfield on Lake Ontario was leased indefinitely, and a headquarters was established in the suburbs of Toronto. The entire complex soon became known as "Little Norway".
The first 36 Hawks arrived at Toronto on 16th December 1940 with the last one landing on 4th February 1941. There, the aircraft were assembled and tested. Together with the Hawks, the ordered Douglas bombers were also delivered, making this unit's total to 72 aircraft. This was too many for its needs, and since both aircraft were not intended for operational service, it was decided to put half of them up for sale.
Peru soon purchased the surplus Hawks, and earlier countries such as Canada, China, the Soviet Union and Belgium had expressed interest. Peru didn't buy the Hawks directly from the Norwegians, but through the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC), which first bought them and re-designated the fighters as RP-36G, with the letter "R" standing for "Restricted" meaning that they were undervalued as front-line aircraft but could be useful in second-line duties. They were also given new serial numbers and were delivered to the USAAC between 18th June and later July 1941 and were later transferred to Peru under a Lend-Lease agreement.
Shortly after the Norwegians decided to close their school and continue training pilots within RAF units. The remaining aircraft, including 12 Hawks (six of which were involved in accidents and were written off), were reacquired by the USAAC and were renumbered and designated P-36G to be later sold to Peru, as previously stated.
One aircraft crashed during a flight from Toronto to the United States. When the Norwegians disposed of their aircraft, they also sold the radio equipment, which the Peruvians did not need. Initially, they categorically refused to pay for the Lear radios, which were no longer needed there, but the firm stance of "Little Norway" meant that the additional $90,000 was regretted, and the radios were purchased along with the aircraft.
On 27th September, with the war already underway, it was clear that the deadline, set for 1st July 1940, could not be completed, so Norway decided to expand its order by another 12 completed aircraft to equip the next squadron. The first of this new batch arrived in Oslo on 20th February 1940, followed by 18 more in four batches from 15th March to 1st April. By 9th April one aircraft was waiting at Kjeller, ready to begin trials and with its armament mounted, five were also in various stages of assembly waiting to be completed at Kjeller (including three unarmed ones), and five were still in crates in Bergen. Of the eight that arrived in Oslo on 1st April, some had been delivered to Kjeller, and five were still on board SS Idefiord transport ship.
The two dozen Hawk plus twelve Gladiators, were not a force that could hold the German Luftwaffe, and Norway was well aware of this, so in January 1940 it was decided to send another delegation to the USA. It arrived in Washington in late February 1940 and was led by Captain Motzfeldt, from the army and Ostby from the Navy. They immediately headed to the Curtiss-Wright factory and a contract for 29 Hawks was quickly negotiated and expanded later to include seven more aircraft. Therefore, a total of 36 Hawks were ordered. In addition, 36 Douglas 8A Nomad bombers and 24 Northrop N3P-B patrol seaplanes were also purchased.
The Hawks chosen by the Norwegians were the Hawk 75A-8 variant, which was identical to the French A-4 with Wright engines. The latter was armed with two 12.7mm (0.50") Browning machine guns.
Externally the A-8 version was recognizable by the teardrop-shaped radome on the fuselage aft the cockpit, to host the radio half-compass antenna. The first of these aircraft, together with other ten, was to be delivered between December 1940 and 25th January 1941 but, as expected, they were never delivered.
The German attack on Norway found most of the Hawks in crates. Only a few were assembled, and even these did not see combat. It's most likely that some were destroyed during aerial bombing raids. After the German invasion, the Norwegians attempted to hide the aircraft that survived, but the Germans found them all.
It's estimated that there were nineteen of them. Almost all, if not all, were later brought to Germany, where they were adapted to local standards by replacing some equipment, such as sights.
The Norwegian Hawks did not serve for long time. Thirteen of them were later transferred to Finland, while the fate of the remaining six is unknown.
While all that was taking place, the five aircraft aboard SS Idefiord had returned to England, where they were briefly considered for combat in northern Norway, but the idea never materialized due to the lack of radio and armament. They were then offered to France, but the French declined before the offer could be accepted.
Eventually, on 24th September 1940 the Royal Air Force (RAF) purchased them from Norwegian representatives in London, together with four Heinkel He.115s also previously owned by Norway, for the low price of £86,000. These five five Hawks were most likely AR-630 to AR-634.
After the fall of Norway, the purchasing committee members, still in the United States, were left with 96 ordered aircraft and a hundred Cyclone engines. Initially, they intended to resell them to Great Britain, but the RAF didn't want American aircraft because building the entire infrastructure for such a small number would be too expensive, and besides, they already had their better designs. Another idea was to replaced the ordered Hawk 75A-8 with P-40s built for the RAF, but this idea was also never implemented.
At the same time, in the United States, the Norwegian legation's air attaché, Oscar Klingenberg, stepped in came up with the idea of organizing training squadrons for Norwegians pilots in Canada, following the example of the RAF. Klingenberg contacted the Canadian consul in Washington and received assurances that an air base in Toronto could made available to him shortly. The Norwegian diplomat chose Canada for two good reasons: First, the British had virtually no available bases on the islands and second, the ordered Hawk 75A-8s were still in the United States, so transporting them to Canada meant no problem at all. Ultimately the airfield on Lake Ontario was leased indefinitely, and a headquarters was established in the suburbs of Toronto. The entire complex soon became known as "Little Norway".
The first 36 Hawks arrived at Toronto on 16th December 1940 with the last one landing on 4th February 1941. There, the aircraft were assembled and tested. Together with the Hawks, the ordered Douglas bombers were also delivered, making this unit's total to 72 aircraft. This was too many for its needs, and since both aircraft were not intended for operational service, it was decided to put half of them up for sale.
Peru soon purchased the surplus Hawks, and earlier countries such as Canada, China, the Soviet Union and Belgium had expressed interest. Peru didn't buy the Hawks directly from the Norwegians, but through the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC), which first bought them and re-designated the fighters as RP-36G, with the letter "R" standing for "Restricted" meaning that they were undervalued as front-line aircraft but could be useful in second-line duties. They were also given new serial numbers and were delivered to the USAAC between 18th June and later July 1941 and were later transferred to Peru under a Lend-Lease agreement.
Shortly after the Norwegians decided to close their school and continue training pilots within RAF units. The remaining aircraft, including 12 Hawks (six of which were involved in accidents and were written off), were reacquired by the USAAC and were renumbered and designated P-36G to be later sold to Peru, as previously stated.
One aircraft crashed during a flight from Toronto to the United States. When the Norwegians disposed of their aircraft, they also sold the radio equipment, which the Peruvians did not need. Initially, they categorically refused to pay for the Lear radios, which were no longer needed there, but the firm stance of "Little Norway" meant that the additional $90,000 was regretted, and the radios were purchased along with the aircraft.
Sources:
1st AJ-Press - Monografie Lotnicze 61 - Curtiss P-36 Hawk Part 1 (translated)
2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_P-36_Hawk#Norway
1st AJ-Press - Monografie Lotnicze 61 - Curtiss P-36 Hawk Part 1 (translated)
2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_P-36_Hawk#Norway
