Flying The P-40 Tomahawk Analysis

Coincidentally, Japan’s aircraft had an initial effect on the Asia-Pacific region that was similar to what the Luftwaffe did in Europe. They steamrolled over the Chinese Air Force in the northeastern and eastern parts of the country and established a heavy defense that British aircraft from Burma and India found hard to penetrate (“Timeline of World War II”). Then came former General Claire L. Chennault, who managed to set up the legendary first and only major mercenary air force in the world: the American Volunteer Group (AVG), or Flying Tigers, who were made up entirely of Americans despite the fact that America was not yet at war (Regan). Flying the P-40 Tomahawk, they successfully defended the Burma Road and South China, set up a highly complex early warning and communications system across Yunnan Province, and by their disbandment in early 1942 (due to America’s state of war) toted a 4:1 kill ratio (number of confirmed enemy aircraft shot down to number of aircraft lost) and killed thousands of Japanese soldiers and airmen at a loss of 25 pilots and two mechanics (Regan).
Despite all this, the fearful regard for which the Americans held the Zero never changed; instructors said to never start a turning fight with a Zero (usually dogfights are initiated by passing, then turning into your opponent; the aircraft with better maneuverability will turn tighter and maneuver into his opponent’s six o’clock and shoot him down) and sometimes never even start a fight with a Zero at all - just run. As a result, Lieutenant John S. Thach drew up the maneuver now known as the “Thach Weave” to use two or more relatively slow turning Wildcats to set up a trap for faster Zeroes, using the Zero’s speed against it