Curtiss Tomahawk IIbs of 3 RAAF lined up shortly after arrival at an airfield in the Canal Zone of Egypt. IWM image E2677E.

The Sqn began it's move back to the Western Desert (W.D) for operations against the Luftwaffe on 4th Sept 1941 with it's Tomahawk IIb airframes. This last section covers the Tomahawks while still painted in the Temperate Dark Green/ Dark Earth/Sky (Dupont equivalents) colours before they were repainted into the more appropiate 'Desert Scheme'. This repainting happened fairly quickly so not many images exist of airframes in the old Temperate scheme up in the W.D.

AK378 'Go Getter Gertie'

AK378 was an original 3 Sqn airframe received back in May 1941. A number of pilots made claims in it but it was the personal airframe of 'Woof' Arthur. When the unit first moved back to the Western Desert in Sept 1941 it was still in the Temperate scheme as per the image and drawing attached (later it was repainted into the 'Desert scheme). The name 'Go Getter Gertie' (most easily seen on the detail 'pullout') was in Red and the diving female figure in White.

Image Alan Rawlinson.

AN355 'R 'Snifter'

Alan Rawlinson's next 'personal' airframe after AM386 'Sweet FA' was AN355 which carried a 'Snifter' emblem on the port cowl and the individual code 'R' at the time of the photos. It was received by 3 Sqn RAAF on 5 Sept 1941 (day after they started moving back to the Western Desert) and he took it up to replace the damaged AM386. Having intervied him back in the 1980s I have quite a few images of it.

Images Alan Rawlinson.

This batch of images were mainly taken while he was doing a fly-over in AN355. Images Alan Rawlinson.

AN355 'R 'Snifter' Lindsay Knowles

Alan Rawlinson was posted as an instructor to No. 71 Operational Training Unit in the Sudan in October and Lindsay Knowles who returned at this time from a similar attachment took over ownership of AN355. The following AWM images show Knowles with 'R' 'Snifter'. The airframe details are indentical to when Alan Rawlinson was flying it.

Lindsay Knowles and AN355 as shown in AWM images 010164, 010171 & 010212.

That is virtually all the images I have of Temperate painted airframes from this period. This one of an unknown machine coded 'K' does appear to be an example.

And finally there is this one with a 'ship of the desert'. AWM 008151.

2 major sources of info used to prepare this article are:
a. Paul McGuirness's Tomahawk history article at https://3sqnraafasn.net/subpages/3Sqn%20Association%20Tomahawk%20History%20by%20Paul%20McGuiness.pdf . A highly detailed run down on 3 Sqn P-40B operations, a lot of work went into this.
b. 'http://www.adf-serials.com.au/tomahawk.htm' - the ADF Serial page on RAAF P-40Bs.

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