Subject: Number Sixty-One in the Series--Northrop P-61 Black Widow (4 of 10)

From: [email-masked]
Date: 16 Mar 93 16:00:36 GMT

>From [email-masked]

The first operational use of the P-61 Black Widow was in the Pacific 
theatre.  The 418th, 419th and 421st Night Fighter Squadrons shipped 
out to the Southwest Pacific Area late in 1943.  The first operational 
mission by Black Widow took place out of Saipan on June 24, 1944, and 
the first kill was made on June 30, when a Black Widow piloted by 6th 
Night Fighter Squadron members 2nd Lt. Dale F. Haversom and radar 
operator Raymond P. Mooney shot down a Betty.  The Black Widows flew 
numerous missions against Japanese night intruders, which were a real 
nuisance to American forces and which up to this time had been 
virtually immune from interception.  On typical missions, the Black 
Widow would be directed to the vicinity of its target by ground based 
radar.  The onboard A/I radar under the control of the radar operator 
would then be used to direct the pilot to close with and intercept the 
the enemy.  As soon as the Black Widow had gotten close enough to its 
target to make a visual identification, the guns would be aimed and 
fired by the pilot or by the gunner.  The appearance of the Black Widow 
in the night skies over the Pacific was a rude and unpleasant surprise 
for these night raiders.  

One of the primary missions of the Black Widow squadrons was the 
protection of B-29 bases on Saipan against night attacks, and these 
aircraft flew combat air patrols and interception missions.  They also 
aided in the rescue of many crippled and lost B-29s trying to return 
from raids on Japan.  

Black Widows were also based in New Guinea and later in the 
Philippines.  In the Philippines, Black Widows flew night intruder 
missions against Japanese airfields and ground installations.  The 
Black Widow also participated in the invasion of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.  

The Black Widow also served in the China-Burma-India theatre.  The 
first Black Widow kill in that theater took place on October 30, 1944, 
when a Kunming-based Black Widow flown by Capt. Robert R. Scott and 
Charles W. Phillips of the 426th Night Fighter Squadron shot down a 
Japanese twin-engined aircraft.  The initial mission of the 
China-based Black Widows was to destroy Japanese night intruders, but 
as enemy nighttime flying ceased, the Black Widows went over to night 
intruder missions, attacking Japanese ground installations in China 
and Burma 

The first P-61 arrived in Europe on May 23, 1944.  The Black Widows 
were initially based in England, and their first assignment was to 
chase night-flying V-1 "buzz bombs".  The Black Widows would be 
vectored to intercept approaching V-1s by ground control.  Since the 
V-1 was a little faster than the P-61, the Black Widow had to approach 
the V-1 from behind and go into a slight dive in order to catch up 
with it.  The first Black Widow V-1 "kill" took place on July 16, 
1944, credited to pilot Herman Ernst and radar operator Edward Kopsel 
of the 422nd Night Fighter Squadron.  One of the greatest dangers 
involved in killing V-1s was the possibility of getting too close to 
the flying bomb when one fired at it, running the risk of damage to 
your own plane if the bomb exploded when hit.  

After D-Day, many Black Widows moved to France.  Although several 
interceptions of night-flying German aircraft were made, most Black 
Widow missions were night intruder missions against trains, armor, and 
other ground targets 

Units using the P-61 included: 

6th Night Fighter Squadron, Seventh Air Force - Guadalcanal, New 
Guinea, Saipan, Iwo Jima 

414th Night Fighter Squadron, Twelfth Air Force - Algeria, Sardinia, 
Corsica, Italy 

415th Night Fighter Squadron - Italy, Corsica, France 

418th Night Fighter Squadron, Fifth Air Force - New Guinea, 
Philippines 

419th Night Fighter Squadron, Thirteenth Air Force - South West 
Pacific 

421st Night Fighter Squadron, Fifth Air Force - New Guinea, 
Philippines 

422nd Night Fighter Squadron, Ninth Air Force - England, France, 
Belgium, Germany 

425th Night Fighter Squadron, Ninth Air Force - England, France 

426th Night Fighter Squadron, Fourteenth Air Force - India, China 

427th Night Fighter Squadron - Italy, India, Burma, China 

547th Night Fighter Squadron, Fifth Air Force - New Guinea, 
Philippines 

548th Night Fighter Squadron, Seventh Air Force - Saipan, Iwo Jima 

549th Night Fighter Squadron, Seventh Air Force - Saipan, Iwo Jima 

550th Night Fighter Squadron - New Guinea, Philippines 

The Black Widow did not rack up an impressive list of kills.  Its 
entry into the war was relatively late, at a time when the Allies had 
already established almost complete control of the air.  Consequently, 
enemy aircraft were at this time relatively few and far between, even 
at night.  Nevertheless, there were a few Black Widow aces.  In 
accounting for Black Widow aces, there is a complication since the 
aircraft had more than one crew member.  Does only the pilot get 
credit for the kill, or does the radar operator get credit as well? 
What happens if the pilot has had different radar operators on 
different missions? What if a radar operator has had more than one 
pilot? In the European theatre, there was an additional complication 
because some of the Black Widow kills were against unmanned V-1 'buzz 
bombs".  Should these V-1s kills be included in the count? If V-1s are 
included, and if both pilots and radar operators are to be given 
credit for the kill, in Europe, there were two sets of pilots and 
radar operators who achieved six victories.  These were the pair 1st 
Lt. Herman E. Ernst (pilot) and 2nd Lt. Edward H. Kopsel (radar 
operator) and the pair Lt. Paul A. Smith (pilot) and Lt. Robert E.  
Tierney (radar operator).  One V-1 is included in the count for each 
pair of crew members.  All of these crew members were from the 418th 
Night Fighter Squadron.  The leading Black Widow crew in the Pacific 
was the pair Major Carrol C. Smith (pilot) and Lt. Philip B.  
Porter (radar operator) of the 418th Night Fighter Squadron, who 
destroyed five Japanese aircraft.  

So far as I am aware, the Black Widow never served with any foreign 
air forces.  

Sources:

  Northrop P-61 Black Widow--The Complete History and Combat Record, 
  Garry R. Pape, John M. Campbell and Donna Campbell, Motorbooks 
  International, 1991.  

  The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, Orion, 1987.  

  Warplanes of the Second World War, Fighters, Volume 4, William Green, 
  1964.  

  American Combat Planes, Ray Wagner, Third Enlarged Edition, Doubleday, 
  1982.  

  United States Military Aircraft since 1909, Gordon Swanborough and 
  Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.  

Joe Baugher       AT&T Bell Laboratories    2000 North Naperville Road 
		  Naperville, Illinois 60566-7033.   (708) 713-4548