Too Late for 1940 | Norway’s Lost Curtiss Hawks

When Norway sought to modernize its air force before the Second World War, it turned to the United States — and to one of the most advanced fighters of its time: the Curtiss Hawk 75.

Ordered in 1939, these sleek all-metal monoplanes were meant to defend Norwegian skies. But when Germany invaded on April 9th, 1940, the Hawks were still sitting in their crates — the most modern fighters Norway would never fly in combat.

In exile, the surviving aircraft found new purpose. In Canada’s “Little Norway,” Norwegian pilots trained on the Hawk 75A-8, preparing to fight for the liberation of their homeland. Some aircraft even found their way to Peru under Lend-Lease, ending a journey that spanned three continents.

This is the story of Norway’s lost fighter — from Kjeller to Canada, and finally, to South America.

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro
01:00 - Models & Specs
02:50 - The Hawk Before the War
06:48 - The Hawks of Little Norway
09:00 - Accidents & Fatalities
12:05 - Fate of the Hawks
15:09 - Outro

Sources:
NFF-kontakt. Oslo. 1974.
NFF-kontakt. Oslo. 1976.
NFF-kontakt. Oslo. 1984.
Bjørn Hafsten (multiple NFF articles)
Guhnfeldt, Cato. Fornebu 9. april. Wings, Oslo, 1990.

https://www.flyfabrikken.no/curtiss-hawk-75-a6

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_P-36_Hawk#cite_note-21

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_P-36_Hawk#Norway

Norsk Luftfartsmuseum
Forsvarsmuseet
Forsvarshistorisk museum
Norsk Teknisk Museum

Thumbnail: Fenrik Conrad Mohr
Flyfabrikken.no
DigitaltMuseum.no