The Operation Torch (initially called Operation Gymnast) was the British-American invasion of French North Africa, specifically Morocco and Algeria, in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942. The Operation Torch was the first Allied amphibious operation of the war. The USS Chenango loaded and shipped 72 P-40F airplanes of the 33rd Fighter Group at Norfolk, VA, on 10-21-42. The carrier steamed for North Africa on 10-21-42. The P-40s were launched off of the carrier on 11-10-42 and established a base at the airport at Port Lyautey, French Morocco. On 01-19-43, The USS Ranger launched USAAF P-40 aircraft off Accra, Gold Coast to reinforce Allied forces fighting in North Africa. Some photos of P-40’s transport and operations onboard US Carriers, can be found in the link:



http://aviacaoemfloripa.blogspot.com.br/2011/02/curtiss-p-40-em-porta-avioes.html


Hope you enjoy!!!

Thank you Marcelo ! I never knew that P-40s could be carrier launched.
Thanks for sharing and have a good weekend !
Tom

That's interesting. I wonder if those light painted P-40's in the b/w photos were done in that creepy pinkish desert hue I've seen in some artist profiles?

I've read that that "pink" hue was called "t*tty pink" by the servicemen who saw it. I think some of the more garish examples of it were the result of oxidation, different paint stocks, etc. I've also seen it portrayed as a kind of tan or mauve. It was originally intended to be a "Desert Tan."

See this comment from another forum:

Something I would like to point out is that Desert Pink is not an official USAAF color. The official color is Desert Sand (I don't remember the ANA color), a very light Tan color which weathered and faded to a pinkish color in a very short time which was referred to as Desert Pink (or more commonly known, Ti.... er female breast Pink). http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/general_discussion/f/9/t/55421.aspx

Why, yes it was. Per Dana Bell's Air Force Colors, Vol. 2, ETO & MTO 1942-45 it was ANA 616 Sand (a.k.a "Desert Sand"). He lists that FS 30279 is a good match for 616 although 616 was bit darker than 30279.

ANA 616 was later reclassified ( I don't recall the date.) to ANA 26 Sand. Mr. Bell noted that 26 was also a bit darker yet more and pink.

BTW, P-40s were flown off of carriers at least one other time although I don't recall when.

Fun as that would have been in a P-40, did you know P-47s also did so? 33rd FS flew off of USS Sargent Bay to the Marianas in July 1944.

Thanks for the great answer's; I knew it was an interesting subject!

To me this is a quite well known matter, because it was so rare to see USAAF aircraft taking off from carriers. As far as I remember it were P-40 Warhawks, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs. Oh, and of course B-25 Mitchell ..... Except for the P-40, all other actions took place in the PTO, I think.
And from RN carriers Spitfires took off towards Malta.

Torsten