Northrop's product was the largest and heaviest fighter aircraft fielded by the US Army Air Forces during World War II, and one of the very few aircraft in the world at that time specifically designed as night fighters. This model can probably be considered the best heavy night fighter .
Design of the Black Widow began in the fall of 1940 under the influence of the German raids on London. It was supposed to create an aircraft equipped with a radar, capable of staying in the air throughout the night - at least 8 hours.
The project, designated NS-8A, was a twin-engine, twin-boom monoplane with a nose-mounted landing gear. The crew was supposed to consist of 3 people. (pilot, radar operator and gunner), and the armament consists of 4 20-mm cannons under the forward fuselage and 4 12.7-mm machine guns in the upper remote-controlled turret. The SCR-520 radar and Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines were chosen for installation on the aircraft.
In January 1941, Northrop received an order for two prototypes, and in March - for 13 pre-production YP-61 aircraft. The XP-61 prototype entered testing on May 26, 1942; pre-production vehicles were delivered in August-September 1943. The test results turned out to be quite satisfactory, which paved the way for the vehicle to mass production.
Main modifications of the Northrop P-61 “Black Widow”
R -61 A - produced since October 1943. The machine gun turret was installed on less than half of the vehicles, since it turned out that when the turret was rotated or the barrels were raised, buffeting of the tail surface occurred. The SCR-720 radar was installed - a further development of the SCR-520 station. The R-61A-1 series (45 vehicles) had R-2800-10 (2000 hp) engines, subsequent series - R-2800-65 (2250 hp). Some aircraft are equipped with underwing holders for a pair of 1005-liter PTB or 726-kg bombs. In total, 200 vehicles were delivered.
R -61 V - a number of improvements have been introduced, including an improved SCR-720C radar and a special night sight. The R-61V-10 series was equipped with the APS-13 tail protection radar, the R-61V-20 was equipped with an A-4 machine gun turret with more powerful guidance drives, and the R-61V-25 was equipped with an A-7 turret with a modified sight. A total of 450 vehicles were produced.
R -61 S is an aircraft with radically improved speed and altitude characteristics. Engines R-2800-73 (2800 hp). The number of suspension units has been increased to four - 2 under the center section, 2 under the wing consoles. In July 1945 - January 1946. 51 aircraft were produced.
P -61 G - unarmed weather reconnaissance aircraft. In 1945, 16 P-61Vs were converted.
F -15 A "Reporter" - reconnaissance version. In 1946-1947 36 units were produced.
F 2 T -1 - 12 P-61B aircraft, transferred in September 1945 to Marine Corps aviation. Used as training until April 1946.
The XP-61D (a development of the P-61C with different engines) and the XP-61E (a two-seat escort fighter) were tested, but not mass-produced
A total of 716 P-61s were built, including prototypes and pre-production vehicles.
Black Widow: The Last Turret Fighter
Night interceptors of World War II were for the most part daytime fighters, bombers, or multi-purpose vehicles adapted for the new role. Against this background, the American P-61 Black Widow not only became a rare example of a specially designed night fighter, but also turned out to be a very unusual aircraft in itself.
With the outbreak of World War II, the rapid growth in the number of British aviation and the need to make up for combat and operational losses required an increasing number of new aircraft, exceeding the capabilities of its own aviation industry, so supplies of equipment from the United States became quite important for Great Britain.
In the summer of 1940, among other types, the British purchasing commission was looking overseas for a night fighter capable of, if not replacing, then at least supplementing the few Blenheims in combat formation that were already beginning to become obsolete. However, the American industry could not offer anything better than the P-70, a fighter version of the Douglas bomber DB-7 Havoc/Boston, and John Northrop, president and chief engineer of the newly founded Northrop Aircraft, decided to take over the newly opened " market niche."
While on a business trip to England to discuss a contract for the production of Vengeance dive bombers, he simultaneously became familiar with the requirements that later became part of the F.18/40 specification, and in August 1940 he launched work on a fighter tentatively called the Shrike ( Shrike - "Shrike").
From a predatory sparrow to a poisonous spider
The preliminary design of American engineers turned out to be surprisingly similar to the P.97: the same two-boom design, chosen on the recommendation of customers (it was assumed that two tails would add stability when caught in the wake of an attacked bomber), the same set of offensive weapons from fixed guns in the nose and 4-machine gun upper turret. Unless the Yankee engines chose air cooling (2000-horsepower R-2800 “Double Wasp”) and installed a defensive aft turret.
However, the Shrike project was never completed, since the leadership of the US Army Air Corps also decided to build night fighters, and its commander, Major General Henry H. Arnold, spoke in favor of twin-engine, three-seat aircraft with two turrets. Initially, he wanted to get an aircraft based on the P-38 Lightning or the experienced naval XF5F Skyrocket, but it turned out to be impossible to modify these fighters so radically. This order was completed on October 22, and on November 5 she presented the NS-8A project to the military, in the outlines of which it was no longer possible to see the Shrike, but the future Black Widow.
1:8 scale model of the P-61 in the wind tunnel
The three-seat (pilot, gunner and gunner-radar operator) night fighter in the first version was supposed to carry four heavy machine guns in the bow and stern turrets with remote control. After receiving additional information on the “device for detecting enemy aircraft in the dark”
the fighter was made four-seater and the weapons were moved to the upper and lower turrets for four and two machine guns, respectively, and a radar was placed in the freed nose.
The modified project was presented to customers on November 14, but it also caused criticism, and in the final version on November 22, Northrop returned to a three-seat layout with a pilot in the front cockpit, a gunner in the middle and a gunner-radar operator in the aft. The lower turret was removed, but a pair of 20 mm cannons were placed in each plane of the wing. In December, the military nevertheless approved this proposal and on January 10, 1941, they signed a contract for the construction of two XP-61 prototypes and two purge models in 1:20 and 1:30 scales. The company made the third model, on a scale of 1:8, on its own initiative.
The United States has not yet participated in the war, but the procedure for launching production of new types of aircraft has already been significantly shortened, and exactly two months after the first contract, a second one was issued - for 13 pre-production YP-61s and one airframe for static tests.
By that time, the company barely had time to complete the “paper” part of the design, and the construction of the wooden model was completed only by the beginning of April. On April 2, a mock-up commission of the US Army Air Corps met for inspection, along with invited specialists from the Navy and Royal Air Force of Great Britain. Based on the results of the inspection, they approved the transfer of the guns from the wing to the lower part of the gondola, as a result of which it acquired a characteristically convex shape. The freed space was used to increase the capacity of the fuel tanks from 540 gallons (2045 liters) to 646 gallons (2445 liters), but even in this case, the required 6 hours of flight at cruising speed turned out to be unattainable, and therefore the commission required the possibility of carrying external tanks. The developers were also required to install elements of armor protection for the crew and, at the insistence of the British, flame arresters on the engine exhaust pipes.
The issue of using turbochargers was also raised, which, according to calculations, could provide an extra 50 mph (80 km/h) speed and 10,000 feet (3050 meters) altitude. For a night fighter, such an increase in performance was considered not to justify the reduction in patrol time, and the use of R-2800-25S engines with a drive supercharger was approved.
Within a month, the designers made the necessary changes to the working drawings, and then construction of the prototype began. The P-61 project was officially given AIB priority, i.e. “high but not vital”, which affected the supply of some scarce parts and materials. For example, instead of the designed Curtiss Electric feathering propellers, the more traditional Hamilton Standard had to be used, and the missing turret had to be replaced with a mock-up.
In general, the work was carried out very slowly, and it was still far from completion, but on September 1, 1941, the Air Force made a fundamental decision to launch the P-61 into production. The formal order of 100 copies, however, took place only on December 24, after Pearl Harbor. On January 17, 1942, the order was increased to 150 aircraft, and on February 12, instead of the previous contract, a new one was signed, already for 410 fighters. The plan called for the start of deliveries in April 1943, with the first 50 Lend-Lease aircraft being sent to England in April-May and the subsequent fighters being transferred to the US Air Force until January 1944.
The first XP-61 prototype with serial number 41-19509. According to the generally accepted version, it was precisely because of the matte black paint job of this aircraft that the nickname “Black Widow” stuck to it, which later became the official name of the fighter.
Meanwhile, construction of the first prototype was completed. It was rolled out of the factory on May 8, 1942 and immediately began taxiing tests. On May 21, during a high-speed run, the car made its first jump, and on May 26, its first full flight.
Compared to calculations, the device became considerably heavier, exceeding 19,000 pounds (8620 kg) dry weight, but despite its bomber weight and dimensions - 66 feet (20.12 meters) span and 48 feet 11 inches (14.91 meters) length ) - showed certainly fighter maneuverability and high speed of 370 mph (595 km/h). For comparison, the main Soviet front-line bomber Pe-2 of the early series weighed 5863 kg, had a wingspan of 17.15 meters and a length of 12.24 meters! Considering its size, the P-61 turned out to be surprisingly flighty, forgiving many piloting errors - for example, it was extremely reluctant to go into a spin and quickly come out of it. Thanks to the developed wing mechanization, the fighter also had good takeoff and landing characteristics, which was extremely important for operations at night.
Literally the day before the first flight, the “order pool” for the P-61 was increased by 1,200 copies due to construction at one of the state-owned aircraft factories, but already in July this plan was canceled, and in return the January contract was renewed. The total order volume thus amounted to 560 units, and a year later, having assessed Northrop’s capabilities, the Air Force issued another order for 207 vehicles in order to fully utilize the company’s production capacity until the summer of 1945.
The only competitor
In the fall of 1940, specialists, as a private initiative, began developing a universal aircraft capable of replacing both the A-20 attack aircraft and the B-25 Mitchell and B-26 Marauder bombers. When it became known about the army order for a night fighter, such a modification was added to the project.
The interceptor was supposed to carry a crew of two (pilot and gunner-radar operator) and mixed weapons, consisting of a 4-machine gun upper remotely controlled turret and four directional guns in the ventral gondola. The front bomb bay was used to accommodate ammunition boxes, while the second was left unchanged.
On January 28, 1941, the project was presented to the military, enlisting their support. In mid-April, the future Invader passed a mock-up commission, and on June 2, the Air Force issued an order for the construction of two prototypes: the XA-26 attack bomber and the XA-26A night fighter, and a week later they supplemented it with the third version of the XA-26B (attack aircraft with 75- mm cannon). Negotiations on mass production began back in March, but the parties did not agree on the price and settled this issue for another six months, concluding a contract only in October.
The only prototype of the XA-26A night fighter with serial number 41-19505 was built on the basis of the A-26 Invader attack bomber. A rare photo showing not only the cannon nacelle, but also the machine gun turret
It was assumed that the first prototype would go out for testing in January 1942, but constant delays due to the fault of the company and its suppliers, who missed deadlines, and customers who took too long to choose the desired set of weapons, forced the plans to be adjusted several times. As a result, the XA-26 first took to the air only on July 10 of the same year.
With the same engines and similar weight and size characteristics, it turned out to be close to the XP-61 in terms of flight data, losing only in altitude and maneuverability. The main characteristics of the fighter version promised to deteriorate slightly due to greater drag, and most importantly, time had already been lost. In September, the developers were informed that the A-26A variant would not be mass produced, but they still completed the prototype. It took off on January 27, 1943, and indeed turned out to be somewhat inferior to the bomber and was unlikely to be a serious competitor to the P-61.
Pre-production batch
However, not everything went smoothly with the Northrop brainchild then either. The experimental version of the engine used on the XP-61 was characterized by disgusting reliability, and in July the aircraft was equipped with an R-2800-10 of the same power, which became the standard for subsequent copies of the night fighter. Problems discovered with retractable landing flaps of the Tsap type led to a complete redesign of the landing mechanization and control surfaces. Because of these changes, the second prototype could only be completed in November 1942.
In the process of working on the first copy of the XP-61, it lost its black night paint, and instead received yellow-painted engine hoods - a characteristic difference between experimental designs
From February to June 1943, the entire pre-production batch of YP-61 (factory designation NS-8B) left the factory. They simplified the design of the tail booms, eliminating the use of difficult-to-process magnesium alloys, and then slightly altered the vertical tail.
Initially, all aircraft built did not have radars, but in April 1943, the second prototype was equipped with the “black boxes” (authentic name for radar units, which were really black boxes) of the SCR-520A system. In the summer, one of the pre-production vehicles was equipped with the same locator, and later several more. From July to early September, all XP-61 and YP-61 passed Army acceptance, and some of them were immediately distributed to various Air Force research centers.
As usual, the result of these tests was a long list of complaints about the aircraft and proposals for its improvement. Among the main disadvantages were insufficient speed at high altitudes, short flight duration, and the hitherto undetected problem of tail buffeting, which began when the turret was turned or the barrels were raised. These problems had to be solved during serial production, which was in full swing.
The second YP-61 with serial number 41-18877 during testing at Wright Field, second half of 1943. The plane is already equipped with a radar, and only two machine guns were left on its turret in an attempt to reduce tail buffeting
In the correspondence between different units of the Air Force headquarters regarding the Northrop fighter in the summer and autumn of 1943, two main points can be traced: it is the best night fighter available in the United States, but the British Mosquito is still better, although the P-61 has an advantage in maneuverability and the presence of a turret. Therefore, you need to strive to get as many fighters as possible under Lend-Lease, while simultaneously bringing your own project to perfection.
Serial production: with or without a turret?
The first P-61A-1, which began production in October 1943, differed from the pre-production vehicles only by the installation of a more modern and advanced SCR-720A radar (a hybrid of the American transmitter from the SCR-520A and the British receiver from the AI Mk.VIII) and modified wind visors cockpits of the pilot and gunner. The lights became less streamlined, but did not produce optical distortion and had built-in armored glass. Things were going well, but soon the developer and supplier of the A-4 type machine gun turret informed its contractors that it was forced to suspend its production in order to focus on fulfilling contracts with a higher priority - such as the supply of weapons for the B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers. .
P-61A-1 with serial number 42-5507 during factory testing. Later this fighter was in service with the 419th Squadron
In anticipation of the inevitable, Northrop engineers tested the P-61A-1 version without a turret on the 4th production copy. In the two-seat version, without the turret and its remote control system, but with all the necessary wiring retained, the vehicle became 1,640 pounds (740 kg) lighter, and the absence of a protruding “hump” over the fuselage slightly improved aerodynamics. As a result, the speed increased by only 3 miles (4.8 km) per hour, and maneuverability and handling improved slightly. Starting from the 38th copy (February 1944), all P-61A began to be produced without a turret, but the submodification number was left unchanged, since the machine gun mount could be returned to its place at any time.
From the 46th copy, the P-61A-5 modification with R-2800-65 engines rated at 2250 hp went into production. in emergency mode, and by April it was possible to fulfill the requirement issued based on the results of the YP-61 tests to install a “Double Waspov” with a water injection system, and with the 81st copy, production of the P-61A-10 began with engines of the R-2800-65W model, equipped with such a system.
The eyes of the Black Widow are the SCR-720A radar. The photographer caught the moment of maintenance of the aircraft of the 6th squadron. Saipan, July 1944. The unpainted plexiglass of the radio-transparent radome, characteristic of the early Black Widows, is clearly visible.
According to calculations, water injection, provided that more efficient propellers were used, should have raised the Black Widow's top speed to 400 mph (640 km/h) at an altitude of 26,000 feet (7925 meters), but in practice the speed increase did not exceed 10 miles /hour (16 km/hour). It is possible that with special high-altitude propellers the aircraft’s performance would have been higher, but their deliveries began only in 1945.
Two months later, an opportunity was found to fulfill the requirement of the 1941 mock-up commission to increase the fuel supply, and from the 121st copy, every fourth “Black Widow” was produced with the possibility of mounting two gas tanks of 165 gallons (625 liters) or two bombs with a caliber of up to 1000 pounds ( 454 kg). Such aircraft were assigned the index P-61A-11.
The Black Widow's main weapon is a quartet of 20mm Hispano cannons. In the frame are the gunsmiths of the 419th squadron. Guadalcanal, June 1944
In August 1944, production of the P-61A ended after the construction of 200 copies: a total of 45 P-61A-1 (including 37 aircraft with turrets), 35 P-61A-5, 100 P-61A-10 and 20 P-61A-1s left the workshop. 61A-11.
In service with the Air Force
When experimental and pre-production Black Widows were distributed to various air bases for testing and research in September 1943, three YP-61s were assigned to the 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group (NFOTG), which was responsible for crew training. army night fighters.
For two months, only instructors flew the new aircraft, and in November, cadets began to be introduced to the new fighters. Starting with the 422nd Night Fighter Squadron (NFS), pilots of all newly formed units mastered the P-61 during training.
YP-61 with serial number 41-18888 is one of three pre-production Black Widows that were in service with the 481st Air Group in the fall of 1943. In the background is the AT-11 Kansan trainer, which was used to train radar operators
Serial vehicles also went to the 481st Air Group, and after its disbandment in January 1944, to the 319th Air Wing formed in its place, but the bulk of the Black Widows went to storage bases, and then to front-line air depots.
In Europe, American units could be replenished with British aircraft, so priority in supplies was given to the Pacific Theater of Operations, where in April 1944 they collected a stock of several dozen vehicles, and from May 1 they began to transfer them to combat units.
Pacific Islands
At that time, there were four squadrons operating in the Pacific: the 418th and 421st with the 5th Air Force in New Guinea, the 6th Squadron with the 7th Air Force in Hawaii, and the 419th Squadron with the 13th Air Force on Guadalcanal. . The last two units began to receive new equipment at their location, and a batch of “Black Widows” for the 5th Air Force was unloaded in Brisbane, Australia, where the pilots of the 421st squadron arrived at the end of the month to pick them up.
P-61A assembly in Hawaii, April 1944
Representatives provided assistance in retraining the crews. The company's chief pilot, John W. Myers, during transport and demonstration flights, emphasized the full fighter aerobatic qualities of the P-61, which were strikingly different from the typical bombing capabilities of the P-70 familiar to pilots. However, despite all the enthusiasm for the new fighter, combat pilots immediately pointed out the need to improve its altitude and speed characteristics.
By that time, the Japanese had already stopped raids on Guadalcanal, but it was there that the Black Widow had the opportunity to make its first combat mission: on May 31, the crew of the commander of the 419th squadron, Major Emerson Y. Barker, went hunting for a heavy flying boat from Rabaul, but failed to detect the enemy.
Delivery of P-61A-1 Black Widows to Guadalcanal, early May 1944
On June 8, the 421st Squadron began flying combat missions from Wakde Island (New Guinea), and on June 24, the 6th Squadron began patrol flights on Saipan—it also achieved its first confirmed victory. On June 30, 2nd Lieutenant Dale F. Haberman with operator Flight Officer Raymond P. Mooney, following commands from the ground, went out to intercept a double target, which turned out to be a G4M Betty bomber escorted by a fighter. A6M "Zero" at over 23,000 feet (7,000 meters). The American interceptor was lower, but the pilot managed to shoot the bomber from the pitching position, and then dived away from the pursuit of the fighter, dodging the routes at the commands of his partner who was watching the rear hemisphere.
The winners flew one of the "crazy" P-61A-1s, but most of the early Pacific Black Widows were of the turret variant, and the crews actively used this weapon in dogfights. Judging by the descriptions, the shooters began shooting if reaching the target was not very successful for an immediate attack in a “fighter” way, and also joined the battle when the target began to maneuver intensively, trying to evade pursuit.
For the flight to Saipan, the aircraft of the 6th Squadron were equipped with modified ferry gas tanks from B-24 Liberator bombers instead of turrets. Pictured is a P-61A-1 with serial number 42-5524 immediately upon arrival at Saipan, June 21, 1944
The crews considered the lack of machine guns on late-production aircraft to be a disadvantage and, whenever possible, tried to move serviceable turrets from decommissioned fighters to new ones. In addition, at the request of the 6th Squadron, engineers developed a fixed installation for machine guns, which could be placed in place of the missing turret, covered with a similar shaped fairing. This modification was then carried out by a fairly large number of late P-61As and subsequent early P-61Bs in the 7th and 13th Air Forces, as well as single copies in the 5th Air Force.
In August 1944, the 418th Squadron, which had previously fought for two months as a night assault squadron on B-25H gunboats with 75-mm cannons, and now received “Black Widows” - most of them, began rearmament with the P-61. P-61A-10. During the fall and winter, Allied forces in the Pacific Islands were replenished with four new P-61 squadrons: the 547th in the 5th Air Force, the 548th and 549th in the 7th Air Force, and the 550th in the 13th Air Force. also flying primarily P-61A-10s.
An improvised machine gun mount mounted by gunsmiths of the 6th Squadron on the "crazy" P-61A-1 with serial number 42-5524. Saipan, July 1944
Old and new units fought over the Marianas, New Guinea, Palau and the Bismarck Sea, but the most intense fighting awaited them during the Philippine Campaign. There, the night fighters had to be based in the range of not only bombers, but also enemy fighters, and act not only on the main profile, but also participate in dawn, sunset, and even regular daytime patrol flights over troops on land and ships in coastal waters.
On daytime missions they repeatedly encountered Japanese single-seat fighters. In these battles, the Black Widow showed its best performance, including as a turret fighter: the presence of a mobile firing point on the vehicles of the 421st squadron turned out to be of great help in battles - both during intensive maneuvering and when repelling sudden attacks.
P-61A-5 with serial number 42-5562 from the 421st squadron is one of the few “Black Widows” of this submodification that ended up in the Pacific Ocean
There, in the Philippines, P-61 crews began to use the “intruder” tactics in its American version, which involved not so much hunting for air targets as night assault operations. For such tasks, later versions of the Black Widow would have been better suited, providing the ability to mount additional gas tanks or bombs, but they remained in rear depots: the flip side of low losses in previous campaigns was the too slow renewal of the aircraft fleet in combat squadrons.
The solution to this problem was field modifications. Most known cases date back to 1945, but the first improvements began at the end of 1944. For example, maintenance personnel from the 547th Squadron, which had previously conducted front-line testing of P-38s equipped with the Navy's APS-4 radar, were able to adapt parts from the Lightning in November to mount fuel tanks under the wings of all three of their P-61s. In a report based on the results of a three-month “intruder”, this home-made version is characterized as “a very good long-range night fighter”
.
In total, the Black Widow crews of the 5th, 7th and 13th Air Forces scored 38 air victories in 1944, including about 20 on aircraft with turrets
"Black Widows" in Western Europe
The first P-61s arrived in Europe a little later and in smaller numbers than in Hawaii, but they all belonged to the later P-61A-5 variant. In the second half of May 1944, “Black Widows” began to arrive at the 422nd squadron, and in mid-June - to the 425th. The other squadrons involved in the war with Germany - the 414th, 415th, 416th and 417th - then flew Beaufighters in the Mediterranean theater of operations.
P-61A-5 with serial number 42-5547 from the 422nd squadron, photographed in England in the summer of 1944. On July 15, on this plane, 2nd Lieutenant Hermann Ernst and Flight Officer Eduard Kopsel opened the account of P-61 victories in Europe, shooting down a V-1 projectile.
The crews of both “English” squadrons have already become familiar with the Black Widow during training. The pilots were pleased with the aircraft, but the command of the 9th Air Force had a completely different opinion about it: they declared the inability of the units entrusted to it to provide reliable cover for ground troops and even demanded the urgent rearmament of squadrons with Mosquito.
A special commission, which arrived from the United States at the end of June, was tasked with understanding the situation. She organized a two-week exercise that involved three P-61s from each of the American squadrons and six Mosquito Mk.XVIIs from the 125th Squadron of the Royal Air Force. On July 5, we conducted a head-to-head comparison of the two types of fighters. “American” turned out to be slightly faster and faster at all tested altitudes up to 20,000 feet (6100 meters), and was also definitely more maneuverable than its competitor. However, there were rumors that the British pilot was advised by his commander not to squeeze everything possible out of the plane, so as not to end up in a situation where scarce fighters of new modifications would have to be given to the allies instead of replenishing his own squadron.
The Black Widows of 422 Squadron fly to Normandy. The leader in the flight is P-61A-5 No. 42-5564, the right wingman is P-61A-5 No. 42-5536, the left wingman is P-61A-10 No. 42-5573
Be that as it may, in July the tone of correspondence between Air Force headquarters in Europe and the United States changed dramatically. The Black Widow was already considered the best type available, fully suited to the task of fighting the Junkers Ju 88, Dornier Do 217 and Heinkel He 177, and the future version with water injection and outboard fuel tanks was previously rated higher than the latest British night light. Mosquito Mk.30.
Meanwhile, the P-61A-10 aircraft, which arrived in mid-June, replenished both squadrons to their normal strength, and on July 15, American night fighters were involved in the hunt for V-1 projectile aircraft. That same night, 2nd Lt. Herman E. Ernst and operator Flight Officer Edward H. Kopsel of the 422nd Squadron reached the target, but were unable to carry out the attack because the stern was destroyed during the dive. glazing cone. The next night, the same crew intercepted the V-1 again, and this time managed to open the P-61's record of victories in Europe.
The first production P-61A-10, #42-5565, was photographed flying over France in September 1944 while serving with No. 422 Squadron.
In the last days of July, the 422nd Squadron left the bombing aircraft alone and moved to the continent to cover the troops in Normandy. On the night of August 4, her crews reported the first detected enemy aircraft, a day later they conducted the first air battles, and on August 7, 1st Lt. Raymond A. Anderson with operator 2nd Lt. John U. Morris Jr. Jr.) won the first “aircraft” victory of the unit. On the same night, another crew established in practice that in a maneuverable battle the Black Widow was able to confidently stay on the tail of the lighter Messerschmitt Bf 110, but the battle itself almost ended in disaster: during one of the maneuvers the planes caught their wings and lost control. The fate of the enemy remained unknown, but the Americans returned safely to base.
There were no turrets on the European P-61s and there were no plans for them, so the 425th Squadron came up with the idea of transplanting the operator into the gunner's cockpit so that he could not only look at two radar screens, but also help the pilot with visual target acquisition. A project for such modernization was prepared by a representative in Europe. The command initially refused the modification, but after testing the first illegally modified aircraft, it still gave the go-ahead for modification of the rest of the squadron's aircraft.
P-61A-10 with serial number 42-5569 from the 425th squadron. France, September 1944
The 425th Squadron remained in the English air defense until mid-August, and then moved to Brittany. Then both squadrons began to move west following the advancing troops. In September, the 422nd settled in Belgium, and the 425th in the Paris (later Reims) area, and two “Mediterranean” squadrons on Beaufighters were then based in Southern France - the 415th and 417th.
That same month, 9th Air Force headquarters decided to engage both Black Widow squadrons in a free-range hunt for enemy rail and road transport, as constant attacks by Allied bombers and fighter-bombers forced the Germans to shift all transport activity to the dark.
422 Squadron pilot 1st Lt. Paul A. Smith and his P-61A-5 serial number 42-5544, which he flew with operator 2nd Lt. Robert E. Tierney
The crews began carrying out such missions from the turn of September-October 1944, but the very first flight along the strike profile took place in the summer: on August 27, a tank officer appeared at the airfield of the 425th squadron, who reported about the Germans making a breakthrough and requested air support. After thinking a little, the commander took the squadron into the air, ordering all operators to be left on the ground. According to the report of the 86th Mechanized Reconnaissance Squadron, the attack on the single-seat “Black Widows” was quite successful: someone even managed to blow up the ammunition supply of a German battery, but one of the planes, in low-level flight, crashed into a telephone pole and crashed. The pilot died.
With the replenishment of equipment in Europe, things were then worse than in the Pacific Ocean, and in five months of fighting the 425th squadron received only a few new P-61s, and the 422nd was even worse - only one “Black Widow” and several bombers - A-20J attack aircraft. Spare parts also turned out to be in terrible short supply, and they were obtained by removing them from wrecked cars. As a result, at the end of the year, only four serviceable fighters remained in service in the 422nd squadron and six in the 425th.
The results of the combat work of two “European” squadrons armed with “Black Widows” in 1944: 36 aircraft and 9 projectile aircraft were shot down
"Black Widows" for the Russian front
Perhaps the most confusing combat path fell to the lot of the 427th Squadron: originally intended for the Burma Front, it unloaded in French Morocco in early August 1944 along with a set of “Black Widows” modification P-61A-10. For two weeks, the unit’s personnel assembled and flew fighter planes, and then received an order to move to Ukraine in a roundabout way through Iran to cover the Poltava air hub. The B-17 Flying Fortresses landing there as part of shuttle operations in June suffered serious losses from night raids by German bombers, and the Soviet Air Force did not have enough night fighters with modern radars to counter it.
But not a single P-61 appeared on the Soviet-German front: at an intermediate stop in Cairo, the squadron received a new assignment to Italy, as part of the 12th Air Force. On August 28, the crews arrived at the site and began training under the guidance of more experienced colleagues from the 416th squadron, and on September 9 they began combat duty in the air defense of Naples.
Over the course of two weeks, the squadron pilots sounded the alarm several times, but only in two cases were the perpetrators actually German planes. Both times, the interception failed: in the first case, the radar failure prevented the target from reaching, and in the second time, the interceptor came under fire from its own anti-aircraft gunners. Already on September 22, the 427th Squadron ceased combat operations and began preparations for a long-distance flight to the Burmese front, to the 10th Air Force.
CBI: China, Burma and India
The appearance of night fighters in China was associated with the beginning of combat operations of B-29 bombers, whose forward bases in Chengdu needed to be protected from Japanese raids. In June 1944, they decided to send 426 and 427 squadrons to the China-Burma-India theater of operations (China Burma India - CBI), but while the first went directly to India, the second made a detour through North Africa and Southern Europe.
P-61A-10 with serial number 42-5615 from the 426th squadron. Under the cockpit canopy is a mark of the victory won on November 21, 1944 by the crew of Captain John J. Wilfong and 2nd Lt. Glenn E. Ashley.
In early August, the personnel of 426 Squadron went ashore in Bombay, but then waited quite a long time for the arrival of the P-61A-10 allocated to them. The squadron was able to assemble and fly the first four Black Widows only by the beginning of October. On October 5, these vehicles flew to Chengdu, where they found the air echelon of the 427th squadron. Veterans of the Italian front handed over the missing eight fighters to their comrades, and they themselves, with the remaining four Black Widows, returned to India for a subsequent flight to the Burmese sector of the front.
Reinforced to full strength, No. 426 Squadron immediately went on combat duty, and on October 29, Captain Robert R. Scott and Flight Officer Charles W. Phillips intercepted and shot down a Ki-48 Lily bomber. Just before the end of the year, the only night fighter squadron of the 14th Air Force was able to chalk up two confirmed aerial victories. In parallel with covering the B-29 bases, she also maintained a detachment in Kunming to provide air defense to the Air Force headquarters, but luck never smiled on the pilots there.
P-61A-10 with serial number 42-5628 from the 427th squadron. The presence of a "drop" radio half-compass was mandatory for the "Black Widows" on the CBI
Meanwhile, in Burma, the advance party of the 427th squadron arrived at its assigned base in mid-November, but due to the generosity shown earlier by the commander, as well as the unpreparedness of the airfield for active operations of heavy aircraft, the unit was able to resume combat sorties only in mid-December. At the same time, the detachment of this squadron replaced its neighbors to cover the headquarters of the 14th Air Force. By the end of the year, the crews sent there managed to make two sorties to intercept Japanese aircraft, but due to the low level of training of the personnel at the ground guidance stations, they were unable to reach the attack line.
Thus, the best American night fighters of World War II in 1944 managed to show up in all major theaters of combat and in seven months scored 76 confirmed aerial victories over enemy aircraft, and also shot down nine V-1s.
Continuation
Technical characteristics of the Northrop P-61 “Black Widow” aircraft of the P-61A-5 modification
- Engines: Pratt & Whitney R-2800-65
- power, hp: 2250
- Wingspan, m: 20.13
- Aircraft length, m: 14.92
- Aircraft height, m: 4.32
- Wing area, sq. m.: 61.53
- Weight, kg:
- empty aircraft: 9518
- takeoff: 12530
- maximum takeoff: 14710
- Maximum speed, km/h:
- near the ground: 515
- at an altitude of 6100 m: 590
- Rate of climb at the ground, m/s: 11.55
- Practical ceiling, m.: 10100
- Flight range, km (with PTB): 1615 (3040)
Combat use of Northrop P-61 "Black Widow"
For the first time, R-61s went into battle in the Pacific theater of operations. At the end of 1943, the 418th, 419th and 421st night IAE were sent there, the main task of which was to cover the bomber bases on the island. Saipan. However, the first combat missions took place only in June 1944. In addition to Saipan, P-61 squadrons also fought in New Guinea and the Philippines, and participated in the landings on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Although the Black Widow was a dedicated night fighter, it was also used for other missions, such as search and rescue operations and, in the Philippines, as a night bomber. Since October 1944, P-61s operated in Burma - here, in particular, the 426th AE fought with them.
In Europe, the first P-61s appeared in May 1944. The 422nd and 425th night IAE, part of the 9th Air Force and stationed in Great Britain, were engaged in night interceptions of V-1 cruise missiles. The Black Widow could only catch up with such a target in a shallow dive. After the Allied landings in Normandy, the P-61 began to be used for night attacks on railroads and other targets. Basically, strike missions were also carried out by the 414th and 415th AE, operating from Sardinia and Corsica.
In total, 14 squadrons flew the P-61 in the US Army Air Forces. Since 1948, the P-61s have been designated F-61s, and the F-15A reconnaissance aircraft have been designated RF-61Cs. In the same year, the replacement of the Black Widows with new F-82F Twin Mustang night fighters began. The last F-61s served until 1952.
The Black Widow was practically not supplied to other countries - only one P-61A was transferred to Great Britain for testing, and the Kuomintang government of China received three of the same aircraft.
Career "Widow"
Career "Widow"
At the beginning of the Second World War, the American night fighter forces were completely worthless in terms of quality, this was mainly due to the late start of the development of night fighters and fighter guidance radars. In turn, the delay in the development of specialized night interceptors was due to the lack of combat experience in the use of such aircraft - unlike in Europe, the air war in the Pacific Ocean and in China was fought mainly during the day in good weather - Japanese aviation did not operate at night. At the same time, in Europe, after the failure of daytime raids on Britain, the Luftwaffe switched to night operations. However, the command of the American 8th Air Force insisted on the need to have night interceptors in service, expecting a sharp increase in Japanese aviation activity at night. Opinions were divided regarding the type of night light: some advocated for the P-61, while others considered it more correct to use the English night fighters Bristol Beaufighter or De Havilland Mosquito, already tested in battle.
Before the start of mass production of the P-61 (the Americans were armed with “precocious” night fighters - a limited number of Lightning modifications of the P-38M adapted for night operations and a specialized model of the A-20 Havoc bomber. These aircraft were used, with the exception of certain “ experimental" cases, in the States for the preparation and training of crews.
The Midnight Mickey crew, pilot Captain Myrlie McCumber, and radar operator Lieutenant Daniel Hinz, fill out a flight sheet after completing the mission. On the side of the fuselage, under the canopy cover of the cockpit visor, a small Japanese flag is painted - a mark of the Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bomber shot down on the night of December 26, 1944.
Most P-61As were delivered to combat areas in the Pacific Ocean by sea, and the wing planes of the aircraft were undocked before transportation. The picture shows the unloading of transport on Guadalcanal, a pair of "Widows" intended for 419 NFS.
Black Widow flight of 6 NFS in flight over the Pacific Ocean, early 1945. In the foreground is the SLEEPYTIME GAL II aircraft of Captain Ernest Thomas.
The night fighter program in the United States began in earnest in the spring of 1942. Responsibility for its implementation was assigned to the Air Defense Directorate of the Department of Defense, which was headed by Colonel Gordon P. Civil. Before the United States entered the war, Sibyll was in Great Britain, where he became familiar with the organization and combat work of British air defense, which operated effectively both in repelling day and night raids by German aviation.
The first area of “combat” operations of American night fighters was not the Pacific Ocean, not the British Isles, but sunny Florida. The USAAF command assembled several fighter squadrons at the Orlando airbase. An Air Defense Operational Training Center was established in Orlando, and one of its units was Division X, a night fighter unit. Division X was led by Major Brummel, and soon Brummel and Captain Hull were sent to gain experience in Great Britain. After returning from overseas, enriched with new knowledge and ideas, Brummel and Hull took part in the final stage of development of the XP-61 aircraft.
P-61A tail number "421" from the 421 NFS in flight over Tacloben Island. The identification insignia of the 421 NFS aircraft included a small yellow number "3" on the vertical tail and yellow stripes around the tail booms.
Gunsmiths from 6 NFS install machine guns on a Jap Batty aircraft, Kagman Point Field, Saipan. The machine guns were mounted fixedly, with a cap from a standard turret mounted on top of them; externally, the fighters modified in this way did not differ from the serial P-61A, equipped with A-4 turrets.
A P-61A from the 421 NFS taxis to the airfield on Biak Island, August 1944. The 421 NFS aircraft did not have any special identification differences.
In the summer of 1943, the center received the first aircraft equipped with on-board radars; the very first was a flying antique - the B-18 Bolo bomber, converted into a flying laboratory for radar testing. Several P-70 fighters appeared behind the Bolo. The first YP-61 arrived in Orlando in mid-September 1945, but it did not have a radar!
However, after a short period of time, the Center received real night lights - serial P-61A. The next stage in the development of American night fighter forces was the formation of three squadrons: the 418th, 419th and 421st. The squadrons were intended for operations in the southwest Pacific. Three types of aircraft entered service: R-38, R-70 and B-25, almost a collection. In 1944, the squadrons received the P-61; pilots and radar operators had previously only seen this aircraft in photographs. The machine turned out to be very difficult to master in the field.
Problems with mastering the new technology began to subside after crews who already had experience operating the P-61A began arriving at the squadrons from Orlando. Meanwhile, training of flight personnel for another squadron of night fighters began in Orlando. Gradually, the crews trained in the States to fly on “Widows” were replaced in combat units by less trained pilots and radar operators, who mastered the new equipment right on the spot.
The photo of the P-61A fighter was taken in the Pacific Ocean in 1945; on the side of the fuselage, an outline of a person of easy virtue is drawn in white paint. Black Widow fighter flights were scattered across many islands in the Pacific Ocean.
The Jap Batty was one of the first fighters of the 6 NFS to be deployed to Saipan in June 1944. This aircraft was used to shoot down at least two Japanese aircraft over Saipan.
"BORROWED TIME" - P-61A serial number 42-547 of 422 NFS. Lieutenant Hermann Ernsto was the first P-61 commander to achieve victory in the European Theater of Operations. On the night of July 15-16, 1944, he shot down a V-1 over the English Channel.
In 1944, the night fighter crew training center moved closer to where the aircraft were manufactured - to Hammer Field Air Base, located in the vicinity of Frisno, pcs. California. Operationally, the center became part of the USAAF IV Fighter Command, 4th Air Force. Night fighters were in service with the 348th, 349th, 420th and 424th squadrons; later, crew training also began on the basis of the 423rd and 425th squadrons. In addition to Hammer Field, nightlights flew from Salinas, Delano, and Bakers Field airfields. Only the 422nd Squadron remained in Florida. On the basis of this squadron, purely theoretical training was carried out, and the material part of the squadron capable of taking off into the air was represented by the only light aircraft, the Piper L-4.
After three months of intensive training, the personnel of the squadrons began to prepare directly for combat operations. The units were transferred closer to the theater of operations and consolidated into the 319th Airlift Wing, which was commanded by Colonel Ralph A. Snavely. To train crews in California, the 450th Aviation Base Unit (AAFBU, Army Air Force Base Unit) was again formed; squadrons of the unit were designated by letters of the Latin alphabet (A, B, C, etc.) or a letter and a number (T-1, T-2...). Spare crews were trained at the 451st AAFBU base, air gunners at the 441-UAAFBU base.
"TACTLESS TEXAN" - P-61A serial number 42-5577 of 422 NFS. The plane was damaged while landing at Maupertu airfield, France: the right main landing gear was broken, the propeller blades were bent and the right wing tip was crushed.
A P-61A pilot from the 422nd NFS shot V-I from too short a distance - the fighter was damaged as a result of the explosion of the projectile aircraft. The "Widow" flew straight through the fireball, which turned into a flying bomb, as a result of which the fabric covering of the fighter's rudders was burned.
A radar operator poses on the ladder hatch of his Black Widow.
A total of 14 squadrons, armed with the P-61 Black Widow, took part in the fighting. The first was the 6th Night Fighter Squadron (6 NFS, Night Fighter Squadron), converted into a night fighter squadron from the 6th Fighter Squadron on January 18, 1943. The squadron was part of the 7th Air Force. 6 NFS received its first P-61 aircraft on May 1, 1944, during which time the squadron was based at John Rogers Field, Hawaii. From September 1944, the squadron operated on Saipan and Iwo Jima, returning to Hawaii in October. In 1947, the squadron was transferred to the States, where it received new equipment, after which it changed its name to the 339th Fighter Squadron. The first commander of the 6th Night Fighter Squadron was Major Victor M. Map, the last during the war was Captain George W. Mulholland. The first night victory was credited to the squadron on the night of June 20, 1944. In total, the squadron crews won 15 night victories during the war. The crew consisting of Lieutenant F. Haberman, Lieutenant R.P. Money and Private P.J. Farilly contributed four victories to the general pot, two night victories each for the crew of Lieutenant F.S. Eaton, Lieutenant J.I. Kitcham and Sergeant W.S. Anderson, as well as crews commanded by Lieutenant M.W. Camber and Captain I.R. Thomas. Several crews scored one night victory each.
The 414th Squadron was next to receive Widows, with the squadron's first P-61 arriving on December 20, 1944. At this time, the squadron was based at Pontedero and was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Carroll H. Bolender. The first night victory was added to the unit’s combat account on February 2, 1945. In total, the squadron’s crews shot down five enemy aircraft, in addition, the crew of Captain A.L. “distinguished himself.” Jones, who destroyed the Beaufighter. The end of the war found the squadron at the Belgian airfield of Florennis. At the end of April, the squadron moved to Germany to the Strossfeld airfield. In the summer of 1947 it was reorganized as the 319th Fighter Squadron.
Three P-61As from the 425 NFS in flight over France, summer 1944. All aircraft have different colors. "Husslin' Hussey", P-61A-5 serial number 42-5536, painted in a dirty olive/neutral gray scheme; “Lovely Lady”, P-61A-10 serial number 42-5573, is painted gloss black, but the fuselage below the radar radome is light; "Jukin' Judy", P-61A-5 serial number 42-5564, all gloss black, with a shark's mouth painted in red and white on the forward fuselage.
Lady GFN was the personal aircraft of Lieutenant Paul Smith, one of two P-61 pilots with five victories to his name. Smith shot down a Me-410, a He-111, a Ju-88 and two Ju-188s. In addition, Smith has one V-1 aircraft and five trains to his credit. Flying with Smith was radar operator Robert Tierney.
"Jukin' Judy" parked at Iten airfield, France, spring 1945. The shark's mouth remains, but the intrusion stripes have been washed away, although traces of them appear on the shiny black surface of the airframe.
TENNESSEE "RIDGE RUNNER" - P-61A of the 422 NTS Capt. John Anderson (radar operator James Morgan). The photo was taken at Chatedan airfield, France, late 1944.
“WAKY W. ABIT” broke the landing gear when landing at the Florinnes airfield in Belgium, late 1944. After this accident, the car was restored, but when the nose of the fuselage was crushed during the second unsuccessful landing, the car was written off.
P-61A from 422 NFS, Scourton, UK. The entire vehicle is painted in high-gloss black, with intrusion stripes applied to the lower surfaces of the wing planes and tail booms. Aircraft from only two night fighter squadrons, the 422nd and 425th NFS, flew the invasion stripes.
The 415th Squadron was formed in February 1943, the unit received its first P-61 fighters in March 1945. Then the squadron was based in France at the Saint-Dizier airfield and was part of the 9th Air Force. The squadron was commanded by Major Harold F. Augspurger. The unit did not take part in the battles and, accordingly, had no victories. It was based in Germany until October 1945, when the squadron was returned to the United States. In September 1947, the unit switched to new equipment and was reorganized into the 449th Fighter Squadron.
The crews of the 418th Squadron from the 5th Air Force were more fortunate. Formed in April 1943, the squadron received its first P-61B in September 1944. Then the squadron was based at the Holland airfield, which was not even in Europe, but on the island of Papua New Guinea. The squadron was commanded by Major Carroll S. Smith. The unit was then based at Morotai Atoll (link on Uekdi Island), Minodoro and eventually Okinawa. The 418th Squadron remained in Okinawa until October 1945. During the fighting, the crews of the "Widows" from the 418th Squadron scored 18 victories (the first on the night of October 7, 1944). The crews of lieutenants A.R. have three victories each. Sourba and B.S. Tompkins. After reorganization and re-equipping with new equipment, the unit was reorganized into the 4th Fighter Squadron in 1947.
Technicians used a strong ladder to climb onto the wing plane of a P-61A fighter from the 422nd NFS. Scourton airfield, UK, summer 1944
"Snuggle Bunny" - P-61A-10 serial number 42-39385. The aircraft was in service with the 547 NFS, photograph taken in 1945 at Lingayen Air Base, Philippines. The niches of the main landing gear of the P-61A aircraft were closed with one flap, the P-61B with two.
On board the fuselage of the P-61A-11 fighter, serial number 42-39378, there is a nude picture of a girl. The plane belonged to 414 NFS, the photo was taken in the summer of 1945 at the Farz airfield in Germany. Below the cockpit canopy on the side of the fuselage there are marks on three downed enemy aircraft and eight combat sorties.
The 419th Night Fighter Squadron of the 12th Air Force was formed in April 1943, the Black Widows entered service with the squadron in May 1944. The squadron operated in separate units scattered across various bases on the islands for almost the entire period of its combat career. Pacific Ocean - New Guinea, Admiralty Archipelago, Morotai, etc. The headquarters were first on Guadalcanal, then on Middelburg Island, the end of the war found the headquarters at the Puerto Princesa airfield, Philippines. At the time of receipt of the P-61 fighters, the squadron was commanded by Major Emerson I. Baker, at the end of the war - Lieutenant Colonel Norman H. Jacob. The first and only victory was won on the night of August 5, 1945 by the crew of pilot Lieutenant D.M. Dissirt, radar operator 1st Lieutenant L.K. Thompson and air gunner Sergeant F.A. McCormack. The squadron remained in Puerto Princesa until January 1946, when it was transferred to the States. In February 1947, the squadron was disbanded.
The plane with its own name “DOUBLE TROUBLE” (P-61A serial number 42-5565) was flown by Lieutenant Robert Bolinder. The picture was taken in the summer of 1944 over France. The vehicle, serial number 42-5565, was the first P-61A-15 produced by Northrop. Lieutenant Bolinder laid claim to four downed Luftwaffe aircraft: Fw-190, Bf.110 and two He-111.
Dramatic shot of Bob Bolinder's The Widow, with the intrusion stripes clearly visible. The command of the 8th Air Force ordered that invasion stripes be painted on all night fighters; in fact, they were painted only on the 422nd and 425th NFS aircraft.
The P-61A of the 13th Fighter Command commander, General Early Barnis, was unpainted. Instead of a turret, a fuel tank from a B-24 bomber is installed, and a drop-shaped fairing of the automatic radio compass antenna is visible in the lower part of the fuselage.
The 421st Squadron (5th Air Force), formed on May 1, 1943, also fought in the Pacific Ocean. In January 1944, the squadron arrived at Milne Bay airfield (New Guinea Island), and was later transferred to Najab airfield. The unit was commanded by Captain William T. Bradley. The squadron also operated mainly in separate units, scattered throughout New Guinea, then throughout the Philippines, at the end of the war the headquarters was located at the Marcelino airfield, about. Luzon. Shortly before the end of World War II, the squadron arrived in solemn ceremony at Clark Field airfield, the main American base in the Philippines. Here she remained until November 1945. The first victory was credited to the 412th squadron on the night of July 7, 1944, the P-61B crew consisting of pilot Captain O.M. Wolf, radar operator Lieutenant B.N. Elline and one of the two gunners (which could not be precisely determined, Sergeant K. Washery or Sergeant D.H. Trabing, was shot down by a Japanese aircraft. This crew shot down four of the 13 enemy aircraft credited to the squadron. In 1947, the 421st Night Fighter Squadron was reorganized as the 68th Fighter Squadron.
Formed on August 1, 1943, the 422nd Night Fighter Squadron operated as part of the 9th Air Force. The squadron received P-61 fighters in May-June 1944. At this time, the squadron was based in Great Britain at Charmy Down and Scourton airfields.
P-61A-10 serial number 42-39349 from 427 NFS, Myitkyina, Burma, January 1945. The black paint has peeled to the metal in many places.
"TABITHA" - P-61A-10 serial number 42-5569, the machine belonged to 425 NFS. The photograph was taken at Columieuses airfield in France in September 1944. This aircraft crashed during landing on October 27, 1944, after which it was written off.
Sergeant Lawrence Lambert became the first American to experience an ejection seat. The platform for testing the seat was the P-61B aircraft serial number 42-39496 “Jack in The Box”. The first test firing of the seat in flight took place on August 17, 1946, and the ejection was successful.
Throughout the war, the squadron was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Oris B. Johnson. Until July 25, 1944, the squadron's main base remained Scourton, but individual units operated from Horn-a-Ford airfield. At the end of July, the squadron was relocated to Europe, first to the Mapirt airfield (France), then to the Chatudan airfield. In early September, the Belgian airfield at Florennis became the main operational base. Here the squadron was reinforced by a flight from the 414th Night Fighter Squadron operating in Italy. In April 1945, the 422 NFS was already based in Germany, at the Strassfeld airfield. The squadron personnel met the end of the war in Europe at Landensaltz airfield, Germany. At the end of 1945, the squadron withdrawn to the USA was disbanded. The first victory was achieved by the crew of a P-61 from the 422nd NFS on the night of July 16, 1944, but it was not a manned aircraft, but an unmanned V-1 missile aircraft. The first "real" German aircraft was credited to the squadron on the night of August 7, 1944. 422 Squadron has the most impressive record of victories of any unit fielding P-61 fighters: 43 aircraft and five V-1 bombers. At least three crews scored five victories each, these crews were commanded by Lieutenants H.I. Ernst, R.A. Smith and I.D. Akstill. Two more crews scored four victories, two - three, and five - two.
In addition to the 422nd Squadron, the 9th Air Force also included the 425th Night Fighter Squadron, formed on December 1, 1943. The squadron was commanded until February 1945 by Captain Leon G. Lewis. The squadron received its first P-61 fighters in June 1944, the first victory (V-1, as in the case of the 422nd NFS) was won on the night of August 5, 1944, the first manned enemy aircraft was shot down on Christmas night 24 December 1944 No. 425 Squadron crews operated from the British bases Charmy Down and Scourton along with aircrew from the 422nd NFS.
Anyone can offend an artist - I want to believe that the crew appreciated the work of the guy who painted the inscription “LITTLE AUDREY” and a figurine of a naked beauty on board the fuselage of the P-61B-15, serial number 42-39672, and a figurine of a naked beauty, Florinnes airfield, Belgium, spring 1945. Airplane belongs to 422 NFS.
The "Widows" flight is led by the "WANDA 'ER/FRAN" fighter - P-61B-15 serial number 43-9757. All aircraft belong to 418 NFS. The photo was taken in the summer of 1945 over Okinawa. The name “WANDA'ER/FRAN” is written in yellow paint, the spinners of the propellers are white and blue.
An all-black P-61B fighter from the 422nd NFS is photographed at forward airfield Marston in France in 1945. The vehicle's name is written on the side of the forward fuselage: "LITTLE AUDREY".
Four P-61B fighters from the 548 NFS at Le Chima airfield, March 10, 1945. On all aircraft, the propeller spinners and engine nacelle skirt doors are painted red, and red stripes are painted around the forward parts of the fuselages.
Austin refueling a P-61B-15 "BLACK MAGIC" fighter from the 414 NFS, Pantedora airfield, Italy, 1945. The plane was flown by pilot Rip Bolender.
P-61B fighter from the 427th BFS, Burma, 1945. The black paint is very peeling.
Before moving to France in August 1944, the squadron was based at Stoneman Park airfield. In France, it was based at the airfields of Vanny, Le Mousty, Coulommis, Prognis and Etain. In April 1945, the squadron operated from an airfield located in the vicinity of Frankfurt and ended the war at Fürz airfield. After relocating to the United States, the squadron was reorganized into the 317th Fighter Squadron. While flying the Black Widow, the 425 NFS crews shot down ten enemy aircraft and four V-1 flying bombs. The greatest success was achieved by the crew of Lieutenant W. A. Andrews (radar operator Sub-Lieutenant Dezh. I. Kleikheinz) - two victories.
A pair of P-61B-15s from the 414 NFS in flight over the Mediterranean. If you look closely, you can see light spots on the upper surfaces of the fighter wing planes - an intense coating of soot from engine exhaust, common to all variants of the P-61.
“Lady in the Dark” - P-61B from the 548 NFS, Le Chima airfield, 1945. The last P-61 victory in World War II was not won on this machine.
Perhaps the most famous "Widow" was the "Lady in the Dark" aircraft from 548 NFS. The fighter shot down at least two Japanese planes; it is interesting that the crew did not waste bullets or shells on destroying the Japanese: fleeing from the bloodthirsty “Widow,” the Japanese pilots found peace in the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
The 426th Night Fighter Squadron was part of the 14th Air Force. The formation date of the squadron is considered to be January 1, 1944. In August 1944, the squadron was transferred to India; until October, the unit’s aircraft were based at the Madhaiganji airfield, but the second link operated from various Chinese airfields such as Kunming, Hsian or Ankang. During the entire period of combat operations, the squadron was commanded by Major William S. Hillriegel. The first Japanese aircraft was shot down by the squadron crew on the night of October 29 (commander Lieutenant H.W. Hayes, radar operator Flight Officer R.S. Broke). On November 5, 1945, the squadron was disbanded.
The 52nd Fighter (All-Weather) Group received the second P-61 fighter in air defense. The group included the 2nd All-Weather Fighter Squadron (formerly 416 NFS) and the 5th All-Weather Fighter Squadron (formerly 417 NFS). In June 1947, the 2nd Fighter (All Weather) Group was transferred from Germany to the United States to Mitchell Field Air Force Base. The 325th All-Weather Fighter Group was based in California at Hamilton Field.
Ground personnel roll the P-61B-20 fighter serial number 43-8275 "LITTLE TEXAS KING" into the parking lot of the Mitchell Field airfield. NY. The aircraft belongs to the 52nd All-Weather Fighter Group. The aircraft of the 52nd group had white fuselage noses and white stripes around the tail booms. No 52 F(AW)G fighter was equipped with a fuselage machine gun turret.
F-61B-20 fighter serial number 43-82278 from the 325th All-Weather Fighter Group, Hamilton Air Force Base, USA. California. Both squadrons of the 325th Group, the 317th and 318th, were re-equipped with F-82 Twin Mustang fighters shortly before moving from California to Washington State.
The 427th Night Fighter Squadron was formed on February 1, 1944, and the unit received Black Widow fighters in September. The unit operated in the European Theater of Operations. Until May 20, 1945, the squadron was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James S. Michel. The unit was transferred to the Pacific Theater of Operations and disbanded in October 1945, at which time Major Thomas N. Wilson commanded the squadron. The 427th Squadron's first operational base was the Italian airfield of Pomigliano, where the unit spent most of September. Then it was transferred to India, in October the squadron arrived at Barrackpour airfield, a month later the crews of 427 NFS were already flying from Pandaveswar airfield. Separate units operated from the bases of Myitkyina (Burma) and Kunming (China). Then again - the Indian base of Kisselbarri, where the squadron found the end of the war. For the first time after the end of the war, the squadron was based in China at the Liichou airfield. Over the entire period, the unit had virtually no contact with enemy aircraft, so the list of combat victories of 427 NFS remained pristine.
"Mu Joan" - FP-61 fighter from the 339th All-Weather Fighter Squadron, Misawa Air Base, Japan, 1949. By 1949, only a few airworthy F-61s remained in the Far East, but they were soon replaced by "Twin Mustangs" "
F-61 fighter jets awaiting repairs in a hangar at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. In 1947, the 449th All-Weather Fighter Squadron was stationed in Elendorf. The Air Defense Command operated P-61/F-61 aircraft before a significant number of all-weather jet interceptors and piston-powered Twin Mustangs entered service.
The US Marine Corps aviation received 12 P-61B aircraft in September 1948; in the Marine Corps the aircraft were designated F2T-1. They were used to train crews of Grumman F7F Tigercat night fighters. The F2T-1 aircraft were withdrawn from service in August 1947.
The 547th Night Fighter Squadron existed for two years: formed as part of the 5th Air Force on March 1, 1944, disbanded on February 20, 1946. Until July 21, 1945, it was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel W.S. Odill, from November 1945 - Captain W.S. Binky. The squadron received P-61 fighters before Christmas 1944, when it was based on Oui Island. A little later, the squadron was transferred to the Philippines (Lingayen/Luzon), with individual units operating from bases in Leyte and Mindoro. The end of the Second World War found the squadron at full strength at the Lingayen base, Philippines. In October 1945, 547 NFS were returned to the United States. The squadron's first victory was recorded by the crew under the command of Lieutenant A.D. Byurkyu (RLM operator, sub-lieutenant B.B. Bax on the night of December 25, 1944, just a day after receiving the P-61. In total, the 547 NFS had six victories.
In addition to the 6 NFS, the 7th Air Force had two more night fighter squadrons armed with P-61 aircraft. One, the 548th Night Fighter, was formed on April 10, 1944, commanded by Major Robert D. Cartis. The squadron existed relatively short-lived - on December 19, 1945 it was disbanded. The unit received brand new Black Widows in September 1944, during which time the squadron was based in Hawaii at Hickam Field and Kipapa Gulch airfields. In December 1944, elements of the squadron arrived in Saipan. The remnants of the squadron were transferred to the Saipan area in January 1945. In March, the squadron moved from Saipan to Iwo Jima, and in June to Ie Shima. The first Japanese aircraft recorded in the squadron's combat record was the crew of the Black Widow, consisting of pilot Lieutenant B.J. Bouscardin and radar operator Sub-Lieutenant J.R. McQueen on the night of June 22, 1945. In a short period of time, the crews of the 548 NFS shot down four Japanese aircraft. The squadron's stay in the Pacific ended in December 1945.
Aircraft of the 325th All-Weather Fighter Group were based at Mitchell Field in May 1947. New York, then the group was relocated to California at Hamilton Field airfield. The group included three squadrons, but only two of them were armed with P-61 fighters. Pictured is a P-61B-20 from the 318th Squadron on approach to Hamilton Field, 1948.
This crashed P-61B fighter was discovered in the mountains of Indonesia by specialists from the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Museum in 1989. The remains of the aircraft were successfully evacuated, and since then the Widow has been awaiting restoration. There are plans to restore the aircraft to flying condition.
A P-61B fighter from the collection of the Chinese Air Force Museum in Beijing, one of two surviving P-61Bs. There is evidence that the Chinese are not averse to selling the rarity for the ridiculous amount of $2 million.
The second, 549 NFS, was part of the 7th Air Force. This squadron also did not exist for long - less than two years, from May 1, 1944 to February 5, 1946. The unit received P-61 fighters in October 1944, until February 1945 the squadron was based in Hawaii (Kipapa Gulch airfield), in February she was transferred to Saipan. One element of the squadron operated from Iwo Jima; on March 20, the entire squadron arrived at Iwo Jima; it remained here until January 1946. The 549 NFS’s combat record includes the only victory won on the night of June 23, 1945 by the crew of Flight Officer D.W. Jindrew.
The last squadron to serve in World War II equipped with Black Widow aircraft was the 550th NFS of the 5th Air Force. The squadron was formed on June 1, 1944, and received “Widows” in January 1945. A year later, the 550th NFS was disbanded. The squadron was commanded by Major Robert A. Taylor. It was based on the islands of Middelburg, Morotai, the Philippines, and the islands of the Sulu archipelago. Over the entire period of combat activity, the crews met the enemy in the air only a few times and did not shoot down a single aircraft.
A total of 14 squadrons, armed with Northrop P-61A/B Black Widow night fighters, took part in the hostilities. The squadrons were part of the 5th, 7th, 9th, 13th and 14th Air Armies. The Widows crews shot down 127 enemy aircraft and 18 V-1 flying bombs. Four crews can claim the title of aces - they have five victories each. Four crews scored four victories, five - three, two crews shot down two aircraft and one V-1 each, fifteen crews shot down two enemy aircraft and 43 - one each. Another crew shot down two V-1s.
The XP-61C prototype was subsequently converted into the XP-61D variant. The vehicle was originally a production P-61A, but equipped with Pratt & Whitney R-2800-77 engines producing 2,800 hp each. A total of two XP-61C prototypes were built; on both vehicles, only the engine cowlings were painted (yellow).
One of the differences between the P-61C aircraft and the “Widows” of previous modifications was the air brakes, which replaced spoilers. The installation of air brakes made it possible to significantly reduce the turning radius, and it also became easier to maintain speed during a dive.
Very few P-61C fighters entered service with USAAF or USAF combat units. Pictured is P-61C serial number 43-8351 from the 325th All-Weather Fighter Squadron, Hamilton Field. P-61C aircraft were supplied with fuselage machine gun turrets, but in 1948 all turrets were removed in order to reduce the weight of the aircraft.
In Europe, the activity of Luftwaffe aircraft at night remained quite high until the very end of the war, so the P-61 was used exactly in the role for which it was intended - night fighters. Only in 425 NFS were several aircraft equipped with Lightning pylons to carry unguided HVAR missiles; these aircraft were used for night attacks on railway trains.
In the Pacific Ocean, the situation was completely different - the Japanese practically did not fly at night at all. The headquarters of the 5th and 13th Air Armies decided to redirect P-61 fighters to night attacks on ground targets and close air support for units of the US Army and Marine Corps. Powerful cannon armament, concentrated near the center of mass of the aircraft, made it possible to hit ground targets effectively and with high accuracy. Pylons were mounted under the wings for hanging missiles, bombs and napalm tanks. The mass of a single widow's salvo was approximately equal to the mass of a light cruiser's salvo. In the spring and summer of 1945, P-61 fighters were used in the Philippines to support ground troops, mainly during daylight hours. Particularly noteworthy are the actions to provide support to the Rangers, who, under the cover of darkness, were able to capture an American prisoner of war camp in the province of Cubanatuan on the island of Luzon. As a result of the operation, 411 Americans were released from captivity, whom the Japanese had held since 1941.
Shortly after the end of the war, Black Widow aircraft entered service with reorganized fighter groups. The name of the groups changed from night fighter to all-weather fighter. The 52nd All-Weather Fighter Group (AWFG, All-weather Fighter Group) was based in the continental United States. Consisting of the 2nd and 5th Squadrons, 325 AWFG (317th, 318th and 319th Squadrons). In the Pacific (Japan and the Philippines), the 51 AWFG (16th, 25th and 26th squadrons) and the 347 AWFG (4th, 68th and 339th squadrons) operated. The last units to operate the F-61 (in 1947, the fighter designation in the United States was changed from P, Pursuit, to F, Fighter) were the 68th and 331st squadrons. The P-61 aircraft were removed from service with these units in May 1950, just a few days before the outbreak of the Korean War.
Unfortunately, the Black Widow aircraft did not receive even a fraction of the fame of the Mustang or the Flying Fortresses and is little known to the general public.
The pilot of this P-61C, serial number 43-8339, from the 449th All-Weather Fighter Squadron, kissed the ground very well upon landing at Ladd Field, Alaska. They removed valuable weight from the plane and then dragged it to the aircraft dump in the far corner of the air base. The car was later completely scrapped.
The F-61C aircraft, which were based at Hammer Field in California, were used to train Twin Mustang crews. The anti-icing systems (including the rubber coating of the wing tips and stabilizer) and the fuselage machine gun turrets (the hole under the turret is sewn up with a metal sheet) were removed from these “Widows”.
Pictured is one of the P-61Cs involved in the Thunderstorm tornado research program.
