diff -r 95da47ddebe0 Lib/test/test_array.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_array.py	Mon Aug 06 00:46:05 2012 +0200
+++ b/Lib/test/test_array.py	Mon Aug 06 01:00:55 2012 +0200
@@ -1051,6 +1051,20 @@ class UnicodeTest(StringTest):
 
         self.assertRaises(TypeError, a.fromunicode)
 
+    def test_buffer_format(self):
+        import ctypes
+        a = array.array('u', 'xyz')
+        view = memoryview(a)
+        self.assertEqual(a, view)
+        self.assertEqual(view, a)
+        sizeof_wchar = ctypes.sizeof(ctypes.c_wchar)
+        self.assertEqual(struct.calcsize(view.format), sizeof_wchar)
+        if sizeof_wchar == 2:
+            self.assertEqual(view.format, 'H')
+        else:
+            self.assertEqual(view.format, 'I')
+
+
 tests.append(UnicodeTest)
 
 class NumberTest(BaseTest):
diff -r 95da47ddebe0 Modules/arraymodule.c
--- a/Modules/arraymodule.c	Mon Aug 06 00:46:05 2012 +0200
+++ b/Modules/arraymodule.c	Mon Aug 06 01:00:55 2012 +0200
@@ -2417,12 +2417,17 @@ array_buffer_getbuf(arrayobject *self, P
     view->format = NULL;
     view->internal = NULL;
     if ((flags & PyBUF_FORMAT) == PyBUF_FORMAT) {
-        view->format = self->ob_descr->formats;
+        if (self->ob_descr->typecode == 'u') {
 #ifdef Py_UNICODE_WIDE
-        if (self->ob_descr->typecode == 'u') {
-            view->format = "w";
+            assert(sizeof(Py_UNICODE) == sizeof(unsigned int));
+            view->format = "I";
+#else
+            assert(sizeof(Py_UNICODE) == sizeof(unsigned short));
+            view->format = "H";
+#endif
         }
-#endif
+        else
+            view->format = self->ob_descr->formats;
     }
 
  finish: