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Black Widow
Cranston Military Prints  By Subject Aviation Art World War Two  Black Widow |
| 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. |
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| Text for the above items : |
Twilight Conquest by Nicolas Trudgian. 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 his radar operator have picked up a formation of three Fw190s, stealthily closing on their quarry in the gathering dusk, O.B. makes one quick and decisive strike, bringing down the enemy leader with two short bursts of fire. Banking hard, as the Fw190 pilot prepares to bale out, he brings his blazing guns to bear on a second Fw190, the tracer lighting up the fuselage of his P-61. |
Bite of the Black Widow by Stan Stokes. 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 Black Widows bite was mean because of its four cannons and four machine guns. With a wingspan of sixty-six feet and a length of nearly fifty feet, this large aircraft was powered by twin 18-cylinder Double Wasp radial engines, capable of 2,000-HP each. The B model of the P-61 was capable of speeds in the 365-MPH range, and had an incredible range of 3,000 miles. This great range gave the P-61 added benefits in the Pacific theater of operations. The P-61 utilized 4-bladed, variable pitch props, and incorporated a tricycle landing gear configuration. With its distinctive double tail configuration, the Black Widow had a roughly similar appearance to the P-38 Lightning, which was sometimes utilized in the night fighter role prior to the P-61 becoming available. The XP-61 prototype took to the air in May of 1942, and the aircraft exhibited a maximum speed of 380 MPH. Despite good results from the initial flights, the P-61 took a long time to enter production. In July of 1943 the Army organized the 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group at Orlando Field in Florida. This unit completed service tests on pre-production Black Widows, and was responsible for training flight crews. In his spectacular moon-lit painting entitled Bite of the Black Widow, aviation artist Stan Stokes depicts the P-61 flown by Major Carroll C. Smith of the 418th Squadron of the Fifth Air Force. Smith was one of two pilots in WW II to attain ace status in the Black Widow. Smith obtained a total of seven night victories. His first two were obtained while flying a night-fighter version of the P-38. Four of Smiths victories in the P-61 came on two missions during one evening in December 1944. |
The Last to Fight by Craig Kodera. 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. |
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This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com
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