"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...

The Hawaiian Air Force had 64 P-40s and 20 P-36s in
commission that morning

Every air force that is surprised is overwhelmed. Pearl (nor Manila
either) isn't an example of how the U.S. army and navy aircraft fared
against the Japanese versions, but of how badly you fight when the
ammunition is locked up and you have been partying all night and, more
important, your tactics are premised on peacetime conditions.

As posted, the Wildcat pilots fought the Zero pilots to a draw over
the first six months. In Burma, the AVG in P-40Bs did better than
that. Neither plane (Wildcat nor Tomahawk) was anything to be ashamed
of, and the Zero and the Hayabusa were far from being invincible.



Nobody is suggesting they were, its a sinple fact that the IJN
had more A6-M Zero's available for combat on the morning
of Dec 7 1941 than the USAAF had P-36 and P-40 aircraft.
Even had they not been caught on the ground the odds were
against them.

Keith