[Ara1]

I remember reading an account where a P-61 shot down a He 177. If Eagles does an He 177 I'm buying everyone a steak and cheese.

[admin]

The final kill
Flight Journal, Winter 2003 by Lee Kendall

MY FIGHTER, LADY IN THE DARK, WAS THE 11 poster girl" for Northrop's P-61 Black Widow. It was famous because of its superb nose art and for making the final two aerial kills of WW II-both without firing a shot. Everyone agrees on this point, and Lady always gets the credit; as for the aircrews involved, the matter is less clear. The story of the two final kills isn't really complicated and has been written up many times, but important details always seem to be garbled. History is blurred after nearly 60 years. I'm about to turn 85, and it's time for a first-person account of Lady and those two end-of-the-War kills-especially the last one.

MY CREW AND I FLEW LADY ON THAT FINAL KILL; another crew flew Lady the night before and made the first of those two kills. The first one happened on the final night of hostilities; ours was the following night-the first night of official peace. Both happened without firing a shot, and in its wisdom, the Army Air Corps did not give either crew official credit for its kills. This has muddled the record mightily.

Throughout 1944 and past the end of the War, Lady was assigned to me and my crew. I was the pilot; Lt. John Scheerer was our radio officer (RO); S/Sgt. James Skiles was the gunner; and the crew chief was Sgt. Matthew J. Lux. We flew it through 179 hours, 55 minutes of combat patrol (54 patrols, including five night-intruder missions) with the 548th Night Fighter Squadron off Ie Shima, Two Jima and Okinawa. Lady was a P-61B, tail number 239408. That's the first error that often gets repeated; it was not AC number 239713-the number many writers have mistakenly combined with Lady's Varga-girl nose art (see sidebar, "LeRoy Miozzi").

[Elmer]

Originally Posted by Ara1

BTW I love your Patty Ann Mustang. Great work.

Great taste in diecast Ara! Patty Ann II is my EI favorite.

I can't quite believe everything I am reading on this thread is true... I keep pinching myself to wake from a great diecast dream!

[mhackl]

Thanks for posting that story. That may have saved us from putting the wrong serial number on a model.

[admin]

[mustangdriver]

That is a cool one as well.

[Hornchurch]

Originally Posted by admin

The final kill
Flight Journal, Winter 2003 by Lee Kendall


and for making the final two aerial kills of WW II-both without firing a shot.

Everyone agrees on this point, and Lady always gets the credit;

Admin,

Glad you tacked on the words " without firing a shot ".

Since I'd built the Airfix 1/72nd P.61 kit, as a kid, in the late 1960's
(only my 4th ever kit, which had 'Lady In The Dark' markings/decals).....
I'd been led to believe that she scored the last kill of W.W.II (guns, or not).

I've read two sources since (both recently) which apparently relate to several kills made several days AFTER 'Lady in the Dark's victory.

This happened THREE days after the official 'end' of the War (V.J. day),

.....so, perhaps it shouldn't count !!!!!!!!!!!


Rather astonishing, & suprising, but apparently........ On Aug 18th '45

2 x Convair B.32 Dominator's, engaged on a photo' recon' mission, were attacked by a formation of 14 x A.6-M Zero's & Ki.44 Shoki fighters.

The B.32 bomber, accredited with 'The Last Kill(s)' of W.W.II was......

serial No 42 -108532 , "Hobo Queen II" , which suffered extensive damage.

Apparently, 2 x Zero's destroyed, & 1 x Ki.44 damaged.

3 crew were wounded, 2 x Staff/Sgt's & 1 x Sgt photographer/gunners, one of whom was S/Sgt Anthony J. Marchione, who died in the last of the attacks (whilst being tended to by one of the wounded gunners).

It's recorded as the last aerial engagement of W.W.II & S/Sgt A.J. Marchione is recorded as the last Allied combat casualty of the War.

It happened outside the 'official' dates (i.e. after V.J. day), yet clearly, it's the same combatants fighting, with the under-handed Japanese trying to score some last minute-blood, within a conflict which had officially finished.

Similar thing happened over the R.Danube, involving 7 x Fw.190's attacking
2 x photo' recon' P.51 Mustang's, AFTER V.E. Day........

( Two of the Fw.190's came off worse, as, after they'd bounced the P.51's, they were killed, ploughing into the ground trying to escape their 'victim's' aggression & skill........ (2nd/Lt Robert Little, you're a star !!!!!)

In my opinion 'Lady in the Dark' should remain with the credit for 'the Last'.

Have any of you guys heard of that B.32 Dominator combat, & should it be considered 'the Last kill', or not ??????????
.

[mkvb]

The first one maybe interesting but I do like the second.

[planenutsfrog]

Sold ! Together with a P61 of course !

I would also probably buy at least 2 A26 : a strafer and a bomber. (+ a B26K ?)

Any chance for a French Air Force Invader among your regular issues mhackl (France was by far the largest foreign user of the type) ?

[Ara1]

Nice icon mkvb. Spit w/ sharks teeth. Cool.

I bet Eagles Int'l will offer the captured Typhoon as one of their custom finishes, ala their P-51 in German evaluation markings.

:Eagles International - Fine Die-Cast Replicas