Two completely different airplanes by two different manufacturers. The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk (also known as Kittyhawk by the RAF and Tomahawk) was a development of their P-36 Hawk fighter. They took the Hawk and put an Allison V-1710 inline engine on it.
It wasn’t a bad aircraft, but it gained a poor reputation because it wasn’t as good a dogfighter at the Japanese Zeros it fought against in the early Pacific war. But, the Flying Tigers proved that it could be a very effective weapon if flown correctly...it was faster than the Zero, handled better at high speeds, and was rugged. So they didn’t try dogfighting with Zeros. They would dive down, make surprise passes, and dive away when things got too hot.
The P-40 was used extensively in North Africa. It was slightly outmatched in many areas by Messerschmitt Bf 109s that it faced, but in the right hands, it was competitive. In fact, new ones in improved versions were built right up through 1944 and it served on the front lines in the Pacific for the entire war.
You’re thinking about the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, which is the massive, rugged “Juggernaut” with the big R-2800 radial in the front. The Thunderbolt started off as a high-altitude interceptor and wound up as an excellent ground-attack aircraft because it was incredibly tough and could carry a lot of ordnance.
}:-)4
My mistake. I was think P-47. Thanks.