Military - In brief

 

The 6th NFS based on Guadalcanal received their first P-61s in early June, 1944. The aircraft were quickly assembled and underwent flight testing as the pilots transitioned from the squadron's aging P-70s. The first operational P-61 mission occurred on June 25. On June 30, 1944, the P-61 scored its first kill when a Japanese G4M Betty bomber was shot down.
In England, the 422nd NFS finally received their first P-61s in late June, and began flying operational missions over England in mid-July. These aircraft arrived without the dorsal turrets so the squadrons' gunners were reassigned to another NFS that was to continue flying the P-70. The first P-61 engagement in the European Theatre occurred on July 15 when a P-61 piloted by Lt. Herman Ernst was directed to intercept a V-1 Buzz Bomb. Diving from above and behind to match the V-1's 350mph speed, the P-61's plastic rear cone imploded under the pressure and the attack was aborted. The tail cones would fail on several early P-61A models before this problem was corrected. On July 16, Lt. Ernst was again directed to attack a V-1 and, this time, was successful, giving the 422nd NFS and the European Theatre its first P-61 kill.
Throughout the summer of 1944, P-61s operating in the Pacific Theatre would see sporadic action against Japanese aircraft. Most missions ended with no enemy aircraft sighted, but when the enemy was detected they were often in groups, with the attack resulting in multiple kills for that pilot and radar operator, who would jointly receive credit for the kill. Since pilots and radar operators did not always fly as a team, the kills of the pilot and radar operator were often different. On some occasions a pilot with only one or two kills would fly with a radar operator who was already an "ace."
In early August 1944, the 422nd NFS transferred to Maupertus, France, and began meeting piloted German aircraft for the first time. A Bf 110 was shot down, and shortly afterwards, the squadron's commanding officer Lt. Colonel O. B. Johnson, his P-61 already damaged by flak, shot down a Fw 190. The 425th NFS scored its first kill shortly afterwards
In October 1944, a P-61 of the 422nd NFS, now operating out of an abandoned Luftwaffe airfield in Florennes, Belgium, encountered a Me 163 attempting to land. The P-61 tried to intercept it but the rocket plane was traveling too fast. A week later, another P-61 spotted a Me 262, but was also unable to intercept the jet. On yet another occasion, a 422nd P-61 spotted a Me 410 Hornisse flying at tree top level but, as they dove on it, the "Hornet" sped away and the P-61 was unable to catch it. Contrary to popular stories, no P-61 ever engaged in combat with a German jet or any of the late war advanced Luftwaffe aircraft. Most Luftwaffe aircraft types encountered and destroyed were Ju 188s, Bf 110s, Fw 190s, Do 217s and He 111s, while P-61 losses were limited to numerous landing accidents, bad weather, friendly fire and flak. Apart from an attack on a Bf 110 that turned against them, there were no reports of a P-61 being damaged by a German aircraft, and apart from one accidentally shot down by a RAF Mosquito, none were confirmed to be destroyed in aerial combat.
The absence of turrets and gunners in most European theatre P-61s presented several unique challenges. The 422nd NFS kept its radar operator in the rear compartment. This meant the pilot had no visual contact with the R/O. As a result, several courageous pilots continued flying their critically damaged P-61s under the mistaken belief that their R/O was injured and unconscious, when in fact the R/O had already bailed out. The 425th NFS had a more novel solution. They moved the R/O to the former gunner's position behind the pilot. This gave the pilot an extra set of eyes up front, and moved the plane's center of gravity about 15 inches forward, changing the plane's flight characteristics from slightly nose up to slightly nose down. This improved the P-61's overall performance.
By December 1944, P-61s of the 422nd and 425th NFS were helping to repel the German offensive know as the "Battle of the Bulge," with two flying cover over the town of Bastogne. Pilots of the 422nd and 425th NFS switched their tactics from night fighting to daylight ground attack, strafing German supply lines and railroads. The P-61's four 20mm cannons proved highly effective in destroying large numbers of German locomotives and trucks.
By spring 1945, German aircraft were rarely seen and most P-61 night kills were Ju 52s attempting to evacuate Nazi officers under the cover of darkness.
The 422nd NFS produced three ace pilots, while the 425th NFS claimed none. Lt. Cletus "Tommy" Ormsby of the 425th NFS was officially credited with three victories. Unfortunately Lt. Ormsby was killed by friendly fire moments after attacking a Ju 87 on the night of March 24, 1945. His radar operator escaped with serious injuries and was saved by German doctors.
In the Pacific Theater in 1945, P-61 squadrons struggled to find targets. One squadron succeeded in destroying a large number of Kawasaki Ki-48 Lily Japanese Army Air Force twin engined bombers, another shot down several G4M Bettys, while another pilot destroyed two Japanese Navy Nakajima J1N1 Irving twin engined fighters in one engagement, but most missions ended with no enemy planes sighted. Several Pacific Theater squadrons finished the war with no confirmed kills at all. The 550th could only claim a crippled B-29 Superfortress, shot down after the crew had bailed out, leaving the plane on autopilot.
It is widely believed that the last two enemy aircraft destroyed before the Japanese surrender were both downed by a P-61 of the 548th NFS. This aircraft, known as "Lady in the Dark" was piloted by Lt. Lee Kendall, gaining its victories over a Ki-43 on the night of August 14/15, 1945, and a Ki-44 on the next night. However, this is incorrect; these were the last aircraft detroyed by a USAAF fighter; the last Japanese aircraft destroyed in World War II were by a Convair B-32, "Hobo Queen Two," which destroyed two A6M Zeros on August 18, 1945.
On January 30, 1945 a lone P-61 performed a vital mission that was instrumental in the successful effort of the U.S. Rangers to free over 500, Japanese held, allied POW's at the Cabanatuan prison camp in the Philippines. As the Rangers crept up on the camp a P-61 swooped low and performed aerobatic maneuvers for several minutes. The distraction of the guards allowed the Rangers to position themselves, undetected, within striking range of the camp. The riveting story of the rescue and the role of the P-61 is told in the book Ghost Soldiers (by Hampton Sides) and in The Great Raid, a movie based upon the book.
In the Mediterranean Theatre, most night fighter squadrons transitioned from their aging Bristol Beaufighters into P-61s too late to achieve any kills in the "Black Widow."
Had the P-61 appeared in theater several months earlier, the situation would have likely been different. Though the plane proved itself very capable against the majority of German aircraft it encountered, it was clearly outclassed by the new aircraft arriving in the last months of WWII. It also lacked external fuel tanks that would have extended its range, and saved many doomed crews looking for a landing site in darkness and bad weather. External bomb loads would also have made the plane more adaptable to the ground attack role it soon took on in Europe. These problems were all addressed eventually, but too late to have the impact they might have had earlier in the war. The plane proved very capable against all Japanese aircraft it encountered, but saw too few of them to make a significant difference in the Pacific war effort.

In depth

 

Pacific Theatre

 

Fifth Air Force

• 418th Night Fighter Squadron (1943-1947). Operated in New Guinea, Philippines, Okinawa. After inactivation personnel, equipment and aircraft assigned to 4th Fighter Squadron (All Weather).
• 421st Night Fighter Squadron (1943-1947). Operated in New Guinea, Philippines, Okinawa. After inactivation personnel, equipment and aircraft assigned to 68th Fighter Squadron (All Weather).
• 547th Night Fighter Squadron (1944-1945). Operated in New Guinea, Philippines, Okinawa.

Seventh Air Force

• 6th Night Fighter Squadron (Formerly 6th Pursuit Squadron) (1942-1947). Operated in Hawaii, Guadacanal, New Guinea, Iwo Jima. After inactivation, personnel, equipment and aircraft assigned to 339th Fighter Squadron (All Weather).
• 548th Night Fighter Squadron (1944-1945). Operated in Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa.
• 549th Night Fighter Squadron (1944-1946). Operated in Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa.

Thirteenth Air Force

• 419th Night Fighter Squadron (1943-1947). Operated in New Guinea, Phillipines.
• 550th Night Fighter Squadron (1944-1946). Operated in New Guinea, Phillipines.

European Theater

Ninth Air Force

• 422d Night Fighter Squadron (1943-1945). Operated in England, France, Belgium, Germany.
• 425th Night Fighter Squadron (1943-1947). Operated in England, France, Germany.

Twelfth Air Force

• 414th Night Fighter Squadron (1943-1947). Operated in Algeria, Sardinia, Corsica, Italy, plus detachment to Belgium. Reassigned to Shaw AAF, South Carolina, 15 Aug 1946 and inactivated 16 Mar 1947. Personnel and aircraft were reassigned to the 319th Fighter Squadron (All Weather) and flown to Howard Field, Canal Zone.
• 415th Night Fighter Squadron (1943-1947). Operated in Algeria, Italy, Corsica, France, Germany. Reassigned to Shaw AAF, South Carolina, 13 Jul 1946 and reassigned to Alaskan Air Command, 19 May 1947. Inactivated on 1 Sep 1947, personnel and aircraft assigned to Alaskan Air Command 449th Fighter Squadron (All Weather)
• 416th Night Fighter Squadron (1943-1946). Operated in Italy, Corsica, France, Germany. Inactivated 9 Nov 1946 and personnel, equipment and aircraft assigned to 2d Fighter Squadron (All Weather).
• 417th Night Fighter Squadron (1943-1946). Operated in England, Algeria, Tunisia, Corsica, France, Germany. Inactivated 9 Nov 1946 and personnel, equipment and aircraft assigned to 5th Fighter Squadron (All Weather).
• 427th Night Fighter Squadron (1944). Operated briefly in Italy. Programmed for assignment to Poltava, Ukraine on the Soviet Eastern Front, instead reassigned to Tenth Air Force in China-Burma-India Theater.

China-Burma-India Theatre

• Tenth Air Force/Fourteenth Air Force
  • 426th Night Fighter Squadron (1944-1945). Operated from India (10th AF), and China (14th AF).
  • 427th Night Fighter Squadron (1944-1945). Reassigned from Twelfth Air Force in Italy. Operated from India and Burma (10th AF), and China (14th AF).

Training Units

• Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics

481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group

348th Night Fighter Squadron (1943-1944). Operated from Orlando AAB, Florida (1943); Salinas AAB, California (1944).

420th Night Fighter Squadron (1943-1944). Operated from Orlando AAB, Florida, (1943), Kissimmee AAF, Florida (1943), Dunnellon AAF, Florida (1943), Hammer AAF, California, (1944)

Postwar P-61 squadrons

Note: The P-61 (Pursuit) designation of the Black Widow was changed to F-61 (Fighter) on 11 June 1948.

• Air Defense Command
  • 2d Fighter Squadron (All Weather). Formed from equipment and personnel of 416th Night Fighter Squadron in November 1946 at Schweinfurt, Germany. Assigned to 52d Fighter Group (All Weather). Reassigned to Mitchel AAF, New York in June 1947. Transitioned to F-82 Twin Mustang at McGuire AFB, New Jersey in October 1949.
  • 5th Fighter Squadron (All Weather). Formed from equipment and personnel of 417th Night Fighter Squadron in November 1946 at Schweinfurt, Germany. Assigned to 52d Fighter Group (All Weather). Reassigned to Mitchel AAF, New York in June 1947. Transitioned to F-82 Twin Mustang at McGuire AFB, New Jersey in October 1949.
  • 317th Fighter Squadron (All Weather). Assigned to 325th Fighter Group (All Weather) at Mitchel AAF, New York in May 1947 and assigned P-61s. Reassigned to Hamilton AAF, California in November 1947. Reassigned to Moses Lake AFB, Washington in November 1948 where it transitioned to F-82 Twin Mustangs.
• Caribbean Air Command
  • 319th Fighter Squadron (All Weather). Formed from equipment and personnel of 414th Night Fighte  Squadron. Ground echelon of unit formed at Howard Field, Canal Zone in March 1947; air echelon acquired P-61 aircraft at Shaw Field, South Carolina and flew them to Howard. Squadron was assigned to the 6th Fighter Wing. Later transitioned to F-82 Twin Mustang in December 1948.
• Alaskan Air Command
  • 449th Fighter Squadron (All Weather). Formed from equipment and personnel of 415th Night Fighter Squadron at Adak Air Field, Aleutian Islands, Alaska on 1 Sep 1947. Later transitioned to F-82 Twin Mustang in mid-1948.

Far East Air Force

• 4th Fighter Squadron (All Weather). Formed from equipment and personnel of 418th Night Fighter Squadron in August 1948 at Naha Air Base, Okinawa. Assigned to 347th Fighter Group. Transitioned to F-82 Twin Mustang in 1948.
• 68th Fighter Squadron (All Weather). Formed from equipment and personnel of 421st Night Fighter Squadron in August 1948 at Bofu Air Base, Japan. Assigned to 8th Fighter-Bomber Wing. Almost immediately transitioned to F-82 Twin Mustangs.
• 339th Fighter Squadron (All Weather). Formed from personnel and equipment of 6th Night Fighter Squadron in February 1947 at Johnson AB Japan. F-82 Twin Mustangs between 1947 and 1950. Note: The 339th was the last USAF squadron equipped with F-61s.
• 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron. Flew F-15A (RF-61C) Reporter (1947-1949) from Johnson AB, Japan. Aircraft reassigned to 82d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron until inactivated on 1 Apr 1949

Continental Air Forces

• 57th Reconnaissance Squadron
• 58th Reconnaissance Squadron. Performed Weather Reconnaissance training at Rapid City AAF, South Dakota (July 1945-Jan 1946).