Second World War aviation art prints of the Black Widow aircraft. Our collection of prints and original paintings of the Black Widow aircraft of World War Two.
The P-61 Black Widow built by Northrop was the first operational American military aircraft designed specifically to use the new technology of radar, The Black Widow twin engine, all-metal aircraft was used primarily as a night fighter by the United States Army Air Force squadrons in all theatres of world war two. It replaced earlier British-designed night-fighter aircraft that had been updated to incorporate radar when it became available. The P -61 Black Widow of the 548th NFS aircraft Lady in the Dark on the night of 14th August 1945, was unofficially credited with the last Allied air victory before victory over Japan was declared and the end of world war two.
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the USAAFs first modern fighter aircraft which was specifically designed from the start to serve in the night fighter capacity. Designed by Jack Knudson Northrop, this aircraft was quite innovative. The Armys initial requirements for this night interceptor made no mention of radar, but stated that the aircraft would carry a device which would locate enemy aircraft in the dark. The P-61 indeed utilized radar, and about seven hundred of these large twin-engine aircraft were built. The recommendation to pursue development of an aircraft of this type came about from the recommendations of a special commission which visited Great Britain during the Battle of Britain. The commission identified the need for an effective night fighter capability to deter enemy night bombing raids. Although the first prototype flew in May of 1942, the Black Widow did not enter front-line service until 1944. The P-61 was the largest and most powerful fighter aircraft of WW II. .........
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first U.S. aircraft designed specifically as a night fighter, and this P-61B was credited with the last two aerial kills of the World War II. Lady in the Dark was the most famous Black Widow of the 548th Night Fighter Squadron. Her nose art included a cat with a flashlight in one hand and a gun in the other, which was the emblem of the 548th, and the lady herself who made quite a striking contrast against the fighters black paint. The P-61B flew its missions after dark, but it was often launched at sunset, a fact I used to my advantage. I wanted to show the aircraft at its best. The colors on the horizon, on the plane, and in the moon make the image majestic and mysterious.
Item Code : AX0061
The Last to Fight by Craig Kodera. - Editions Available
The Black Widow is a formidable creature. It lurks in the dark, carefully chooses its moment of attack and strikes unseen, cutting down its prey with deadly certainty. Northrop could not have chosen a more apt name with which to christen their new night fighter when the P61 Black Widow entered service in the spring of 1944. The first aircraft designed from the start as a night fighter, the P61 had the distinction of pioneering airborne radar interception during World War II, and this remarkable twin engined fighter saw service in the ETO, in China, the Marianas and the South West Pacific. Under the command of Lt Col O B Johnson, one of the P61s greatest exponents, the 422nd Night Fighter Squadron was the leading P61 outfit in the ETO, destroying 43 enemy aircraft in the air, 5 buzz bombs and hundreds of ground based vehicles, becoming the most successful night fighter squadron of the war. Flying a twilight mission in his P-61 Black Widow on October 24, 1944, Colonel Johnson and h.........
Born and raised on the Kings Ranch in Texas, Leonard Hall, the first airborne radar observer in the USAA-F and co-founder of the Night Fighter School, earned an engineering degree from Texas A&M before joining Shell 011 Company as a seismologist. Holding a reserve officers commission, Hall was called up in 1941. Early in 1942, Hall (at that time a Captain) and Lt. Col. Don Brummel, a reserve officer and commercial airline pilot, were selected to organize and train night fighter crews for the United States Army Air Force. Hall was a dual rated officer, having completed both Pilot Training and Combat Observer schools. Brummel and Hall were sent to Orlando, Florida to establish a Night Fighter School. There first reaction to their new assignment was .. "What's a night fighter?" They were soon to find out. Shortly thereafter the two young officers were sent off to England to learn everything they could from the RAF. The British had developed a fairly crude airborne radar system called "Trigger," and was attaining limited success in intercepting German night bombers. The RAF was awfully busy at the time, and Hall and Brummel had to largely train themselves. They were given access to several radar-equipped aircraft including a Bristol Beaufighter, a Havoc (A-20) and a Mosquito. Learning an entirely new combat technique was an exciting, but at times life threatening, experience. Most military pilots at that time were not very experienced at either night or instrument flying. As one of the RAF night flyers, Bill Gunston stated in his book Night Fighters... "All flying is uplifting and exciting. Flying to fight other flyers is more exciting still, but flying and fighting at night reaches the pinnacle of human experience that are touched but rarely." Returning to Orlando, Hall and Brummel had radar equipment installed on some A-20s, re-christening them P-70s. As the school began to receive instrument-rated pilots and radar officer recruits, Hall flew as both an instructor pilot and radar officer instructor. All the night fighters were volunteers. C.C. Smith, who would become an ace flying the P-61, was one of Hall's first students. The converted A-20 was eventually replaced by the Northrup P-61 Black Widow. Hall and Brummel performed some of the early evaluation of this aircraft. Later, both were asked to volunteer for service in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS.) Following the War Hall served as Project Officer for experimental aircraft, Technical Air Attache to Great Britain, and was involved in the flight test and acceptance on the B-58 supersonic bomber. After his retirement from the Air Force, Hall joined NASA, where he served under Werner von Braun during the Apollo Program. His decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, three Air Medals, two Purple Hearts, the Legion of Merit, and a Presidential Citation. He currently resides in Southern California with his wife LaVern.
Joining up in 1942, Bob Tierney arrived in Europe with the 422nd in 1944. Flying the P61 he flew his first combat mission on July 7th 1944, and during his tour completed a total of 53 combat missions, of which 16 were train strafing missions in Germany. On one occassion Pilot 1st Lt. Paul A. Smith and R/O 1st Lt. Robert E. Tierney followed a German aircraft to the ground, the German plane playing a game of tag, always staying safely ahead of the P–61, but never attempting to lose it either. After nearly thirty minutes of chase, Smith and Tierney found themselves at low altitude flying through a killing field of light German antiaircraft guns supported by searchlights. Having lost their port engine, the 422d Night Fighter Squadron (NFS) crew nursed the damaged Black Widow back to their home base. Though the P–61 bore eighty-seven holes, the Germans were unable to claim their prize. 1st Lts. Paul A. Smith and Robert E. Tierney became the first U.S. night aces the day after Christmas, shooting down two Ju 188s. First Lieutenant Bob Tierney finished the war an ace with 15 air victories. He retired from active duty in 1945. On one occassion Pilot 1st Lt. Paul A. Smith and R/O 1st Lt. Robert E. Tierney followed a German aircraft to the ground, the German plane playing a game of tag, always staying safely ahead of the P–61, but never attempting to lose it either. After nearly thirty minutes of chase, Smith and Tierney found themselves at low altitude flying through a “killing field” of light German antiaircraft guns supported by searchlights. Having lost their port engine, the 422d Night Fighter Squadron (NFS) crew nursed the damaged Black Widow back to their home base. Though the P–61 bore eighty-seven holes, the Germans were unable to claim their prize.
Enlisting in 1940, Herman Ernst arrived in the ETO with the 422nd during the build up to D-Day. He quickly got into action with his P61 Borrowed Time, shooting down a buzz bomb on his first combat mission. He finished the war an ace with 5 air victories and over 70 combat missions including hazardous ground support missions in the Battle of the Bulge. He retired Lt Colonel in 178.
Oris Baker Johnson was born in 1920 in Ashland, Louisiana. He graduated from high school in Natchitoches, Louisiana in 1935 and entered Louisiana State Normal College where he majored in chemistry and physics. After receiving his bachelor of science degree in 1939, he taught for one year in Mer Rouge, Louisiana. Oris Baker Johnson entered the Army Air Corps in November 1940 as an aviation cadet and received pilot training at Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Randolph and Kelly fields, Texas. He graduated, receiving his wings in July 1941. He then served as a pilot at several air bases in the United States. He assumed command of the 422nd Night Fighter Squadron and took them into combat in Europe. The squadron was equipped with the P61 and under his command they received the Presidential Unit Citation for their combat service during the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944. He led the squadron throughout its combat operations in Europe. After the war he was assigned to the Tactical Air Command, and in July 1946 was transferred to Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. Oris Baker Johnson was assigned in August 1947 to Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, where he served in the Fighter Branch and later as chief of the Air Defense Division. During the Korean War in April 1951, he was assigned to Headquarters Far East Air Forces in Tokyo, Japan, and became director of requirements, Directorate of Operations. He returned to the United States in October 1953 to begin a series of assignments with Aerospace Defense Command (then Air Defense Command) and took command of the 501st Air Defense Group at OHare International Airport, Chicago. In January 1956 he was assigned to Air Defense Command Headquarters at Ent Air Force Base, Colorado, where he served initially as chairman of the Distant Early Warning Operations Warning Group and then as special assistant to the deputy for operations. In August 1957 General Johnson was reassigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force and served in the Directorate of Operations and as chief, Weapons Systems Division in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Air Defense Systems. During 1960 under the U.S. Air Force-Royal Air Force exchange program, he was a student at the Imperial Defence College in London, England. After completing the course, he assumed duty in December 1960 with Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Wiesbaden, Germany. During this tour of duty he served as the assistant deputy chief of staff for operations. In August 1963 he returned to the United States as commander of the Washington Air Defense Sector based at Fort Lee, Virginia. In February 1966 General Johnson returned to Ent Air Force Base as director of operations for North American Air Defense and Continental Air Defense Command and in August 1966 he assumed command of the 9th Aerospace Defense Division, ADC. The division became the Fourteenth Aerospace Force in July 1968. He became commander of the 313th Air Division, with headquarters at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, in August 1969. General Johnson again was assigned to Aerospace Defense Command in September 1971 in the position of deputy chief of staff material, Aerospace Defense Command. General Johnson retired on the 1st of August 1973. His military decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Presidential Unit Citation Emblem, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Ribbon, French Croix de Guerre with star, and the Belgian Fourragere. Major General Johnson passed away on 14th September 1999.
Robert Graham was a highly skilled radar operator on the P61, the first American fighter to be equipped with radar. Posted to England he served with the 422nd Night Fighter Squadron. Robert Graham and his pilot R A Anderson in their P61 Double Trouble had 5 confirmed victories and 65 combat missions. They also participated in the Battle of the Bulge, providing ground cover. He retired as Major in 1965.
Max Stanley's first employment as a professional pilot was by Lockheed as a co-pilot ferrying newly built Hudson bombers from the Burbank factory to the East Coast. These aircraft were then shipped by boat to England. With the advent of America's Lend Lease Program, Lockheed loaned Max to Pan Am where he spent two years as a Captain shuttling all types of twin-engine aircraft from Miami across the South Atlantic to British forces in Africa, Egypt and India. When Pan American terminated its ferry operations, Max was employed by United Air Lines as a Captain of four-engine cargo/passenger aircraft flying the route from San Francisco to Australia. In early 1943 Max resigned from United and accepted an offer of employment from Northrop as an experimental test pilot. His war time work included serving as the primary test pilot on the P-61 Black Widow program, where he made the first flight in all variants accept the XP-61. He also recorded first flights in the Northrop F-15, the Trimotor Pioneer, and the Trimotor C-125 Raider. Max also participated as a test pilot in the F-89 Scorpion and T-38 Talon programs. His most significant test pilot assignments involved his participation in Jack Northrop's Flying Wing program. Max made numerous flights in the N-9M, which was a 1/3 d scale model of a large flying wing bomber. When the first full size aircraft was ready, the X13-35, Max was selected as Chief Test Pilot of the huge flying wing for the Contractor Phase 1 Test Program, and began preparing for the first flights. As the program evolved, Northrop's designers converted the B-35, which was powered by four huge piston engines, into the Y13-49, which was powered by eight early jet engines. Max was also selected to be Northrop's Chief Test Pilot on the B-49. During the course of this program Max would set a World Record for jet aircraft with a non-stop, unrefueled flight of 3,950 miles in a little over 9 hours, while carrying a simulated 10,000 pound bomb load. Once the Air Force accepted delivery, Max turned over primary test pilot chores to his Air Force counterpart on the program, Bob Cardenas. Max' next assignment was with the SM-62 Snark missile program where he served as the Chief Pilot for the numerous manned aircraft which were used during the development and testing of the missile. Max Stanley is a Founding Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and he served for several years as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots Scholarship Foundation. Max is also a member of the Caterpillar Club, having qualified on two occasions. After a twenty-eight year career at Northrop, Max is generally known as the "Dean" of Northrop test pilots.
