The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was one of the most important early World War II fighters, developed from the Curtiss P-36 Hawk. First flown in 1938, the P-40 lacked the high-altitude performance of later fighters like the P-51 Mustang, but proved durable, reliable, and effective in a variety of theaters, including North Africa, China, and the Pacific. It became especially famous in the hands of the American Volunteer Group—the “Flying Tigers”—whose shark-mouthed P-40s became iconic symbols of the air war against Japan. More than 13,000 were built, and though eventually outclassed, the Warhawk played a vital role in carrying Allied air forces through the early years of the war.