CURTISS P-36 HAWK WINGTIP RELIC FROM THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR

Wingtip from a Curtiss P-36 Hawk airplane. Approx. 26 1/2 x 15 x 8 1/2 in. With modern label providing historical context. 

An extraordinary relic connected to the attack on Pearl Harbor, this wingtip comes from a Curtiss P-36 Hawk originally delivered to Hawaii in February 1941. Ten months later, when Japanese forces struck Pearl Harbor, five aircraft from that group succeeded in getting airborne and were credited with shooting down two Japanese Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero fighters. As such, the present piece is linked to one of the most dramatic and consequential opening moments in American air combat during the Second World War.

Though the P-36 saw comparatively limited combat service with United States forces during World War II, it occupies an important place in aviation history. It was the principal fighter of the French Air Force during the Battle of France and is perhaps best known today as the immediate predecessor of the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. With its retractable landing gear and all-metal construction, the P-36 represented a major step forward in fighter design and helped usher in a new generation of modern combat aircraft.

Note: This lot cannot be packaged and shipped in-house. Successful bidders winning items marked as being packaged and shipped by a third-party service are responsible for paying the third party directly. We are happy to offer complimentary drop-off service to local third-party packing/shipping companies in Columbus, Ohio. 

[World War II, WWII,  FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt,Dwight D. Eisenhower, Adolf Hitler, Allied, Axis, George S. Patton, Air Force]