The Northrop P-61 “Black Widow” was the first U.S. aircraft specifically designed as a night-fighter. It also carried radar equipment in its nose that allowed its crew to detect enemy aircraft in complete darkness and to fly into proper position to attack.

The U.S. became interested in developing a night-fighter as early as 1940. Northrop submitted plans for this type of fighter in November 1940. The plans called for a twin-engine aircraft that had the size and power to not only be well armed but could also be fitted with radar. The Northrop plan was enthusiastically accepted.

The U.S. ordered two prototypes in early 1941. The first prototype, the XP-61, flew May 21, 1942 and delivery of production aircraft began in late 1943. The “A” version was followed by production of the P-61B, which featured supports under the wings for either bombs or fuel tanks. The P-61C, manufactured in the summer of 1945, featured more powerful engines than earlier P-61s. This provided the P-61C with greater speed and the ability to operate at higher altitudes.

The first operational use for the P-61 Black Widow occurred in the Pacific theatre in late 1943 when three fighter squadrons were sent to the southwest Pacific area. The first Black Widow operational mission occurred on June 24, 1944 out of Saipan. The first kill involving a Black Widow occurred a few days later when a Black Widow, piloted by 2nd Lt. Dale F. Haversom and radar operator Raymond P. Mooney, shot down a Betty on June 30.

Before the arrival of the Black Widows, the Japanese night intruders were virtually immune from interception and therefore posed a serious problem for the American forces. So, interception was an early but important mission for the Black Widow. On typical missions, ground based radar would direct the Black widow to the area of its target. Then the radar operator on the Black Widow, using onboard radar, would direct the pilot to intercept the enemy aircraft. When the Black Widow was close enough to its target for visual identification, the pilot or the gunner would aim and fire the guns. The appearance of the Black Widow in the night skies over the Pacific was an unwelcome surprise for Japanese night raiders.

Another primary mission for the Black Widow squadrons was to protect B-29 bases on Saipan against night attacks. These aircraft flew combat air patrols and interception missions. They also helped rescue and assist B-29 crews that were shot down when coming back from raids on Japan.

Black Widows were also based in New Guinea and later in the Philippines. They flew night intruder missions against Japanese airfields and ground installations in the Philippines. The Black Widow also participated when U.S. forces invaded the islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

China-Burma-India Theatre
Besides the southwestern Pacific area, the Black Widow also served in the China-Burma-India (CBI) theatre. Similar to the missions on Saipan, the initial mission of the China-based Black Widows was to destroy Japanese night intruders. However, when enemy nighttime flying stopped, the mission of the Black Widows switched to a night intruder role. The Black Widows attacked Japanese ground installations in China and Burma in these missions.

The first Black Widow kill in the CBI theater occurred on October 30, 1944 when a Black Widow based in Kunming and flown by Captain Robert R. Scott and Charles W. Phillips, shot down a Japanese twin-engine aircraft.

European Theatre
The first P-61 arrived in Europe on May 23, 1944 and were initially based in England. Their first task was to hunt night-flying V-1 “buzz bombs.” Although it might not sound too risky because the P-61 crews didn’t have to worry about return fire, this type of mission was dangerous nevertheless. Perhaps the greatest danger that P-61 crews faced when attacking V-1s was to fly too close to the buzz bomb when attacking it and damaging their own aircraft if the bomb exploded when hit. The first “downing” of a V-1 by a Black Widow crew (pilot Herman Ernst and radar operator Edward Kopsel) occurred on July 16, 1944. The Black Widows would be vectored to intercept approaching V-1s by ground control. However, because the V-1 was slightly faster, the P-61 had to catch up to the V-1 by approaching it from behind and going into a slight dive.

Several P-61s moved to France following the D-Day invasion. Although the P-61 intercepted several night-flying German aircraft, most Black Widows were used in night intruder missions against trains, armor and other ground targets

Conclusion
The Black Widow did not have an impressive list of kills during the war. However, this is more due to its late entry into the war when the Allies had virtually complete control of the skies than its ability as a fighter. Therefore, few enemy aircraft remained in usable condition at this time of the war.

Over 700 P-61s were produced during World War II. Northrop produced 36 more Black Widows in 1946 as reconnaissance aircraft, which were called the F-15A Reporter. They were the last P-61s in service.

This short history was prepared by Scott Slaughter