Bombing up a Fighter Bomber

A P-40N Kittyhawk of No. 450 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, is loaded with bombs in readiness for the next operation. Amourers are rolling a bomb trolley under the fuselage and hoisting a 500-pounder to the bomb rack; two 250-pound bombs were carried under the wings, its total capacity a thousand pounds. Some Kittyhawks were lightened by various means, such as removing the guns from the wings. A drop tank was often fitted under the fuselage in place of a bomb for long flights, such as a return escort for Allied aircraft including pro-Allied Italian S.M 82s to Yugoslavia, together with other long-range operations. The red nose is indicative of Allied single-seat aircraft operating in the southern Europe and Balkans theatre during 1943-45.