"P-61A-10-NO Black Widow c/n 814, Ship #42-5582 “Little Aubrey” on the starboard (more famously worn by 422nd NFS Ship #42-39672) & “Two O’clock Jump” (after 1939 Swing hit of that name by Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and Harry James) on the port side was accepted by the USAAF on April 22, 1944, flown to the Sacramento Air Depot on April 29th and to Newark, NJ for deployment overseas on May 20th. Ship #42-5582 departed the U.S. for England on June 1st and was assigned to the to the 425th Night Fighter Squadron on June 24th with pilot Lieut. James Thompson and radar observer Lieut. Joseph E. Downey. This aircrew received credit for one V-1 downed on August 8, 1944.
The left wing and fuselage of the aircraft was slightly damaged on December 24, 1944 when it was hit three times by friendly flak over Trier, France. The aircraft was damaged again on December 30th when Lieut. Walter Stacey and R/O Lieut. Stephen F. Mason came in for a landing and the nose wheel collapsed. Luckily minimal damage occurred due to the the frozen, snow-covered runway. Lieut. Graig J. McSpadden and R/O Flight Officer Anthony F. Pavidis were at the controls on March 17, 1945 when they taxied the aircraft off the strip onto a double hardstand, following the lineman's directions, resulting in the left wingtip hitting the nose section of parked Ship #42-5586. On April 18, 1944 the fiberglass nose cone imploded during flight.
Lieut. Cletus Ormsby and R/O Lieut. Davis Howerton were flying Ship #42-5582 out of Etain, France on a combat patrol of the Third Army Front when they spotted a Junkers Ju-87 Stuka at 8,000 feet and had maneuvered into position to fire when their aircraft was struck by an AA shell. It exploded under Lieut. Howerton's seat breaking his legs and causing wounds to his buttocks. After multiple tries, he was able to bail out, landing in a tree about four miles from Darmstadt. He fell out of the tree and was found by four German civilians, who carried him to a house and having made a litter, carried him four miles to a hospital in Darmstadt. It was believed that the explosion killed Lieut. Ormsby due to the steep dive of the aircraft after being hit."
Sources:
MACR 13328 (Fold3).
Northrop’s Night Fighter P-61 Black Widow, Jeff Kolln, Specialty Press, 2009
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