WIX Exclusive! Beijing P-61 True Identity

[Randy Wilson]

Django - I have a copy of "Northrop's Night Hunter P-61 Black Widow" by Jeff Kolln in my library. What can I help with? I'll try and do a bit of research on this serial this evening and get back if I find more info.

Randy

[Randy Wilson]

OK, from the previously referenced book, page 181, Appendix B, Individual Aircraft Histories. Note: there are 742 individual aircraft histories in this appendix:

533. c/n 1234 P-61B-NO 42-39715
Available 2/6/45. Accepted 2/5/45. To Newark, NJ for deployment 2/16/45. It left the U.S. by transport 2/26/45 for India. To the 427th NFS 3/3/45. At the end of the war the Communist Chinese came to one of the forward airfields and ordered the Americans out, but they had to leave their aircraft. It has been reported that ther had been three P-61s taken and some time later the Chinese wrecked two of them. This aircraft survived and is currently on display at the Bejing Institute of Aeronautical Engineering in Bejing, China. Stricken 12/31/45.

Hope this is of some help.

Randy

[Randy Wilson]

A quick check shows one new or like new copy of the above P-61 book available here at list price:

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&tn=Northrup%27s+Night+Hunter&x=0&y=0

for those that are interested.

Randy

[Django]

Thanks Randy!

Still seems like no one to date has figured out any operational history yet. Is there a 427th NFS association that might shed some light?

[Cvairwerks]

Djang: I found some stuff on Wikipedia about the 427th. You would have to chase some of the details down via USAF Historical to verify, as Wikipedia isn't always accurate. A quick synopsis is that the 427th went to Europe enroute to the Russian front. Got temporarily assigned to fly in the Med theater. Subsequently they were transferred to the CBI theater. Due to some transport problems and delays, they ended up swapping a/c with the 426th and started to replace the 426th at variouis locations. The 427th ended up in CBI in late Sept 44., and were deactivated in Oct 1945.

[the330thbg]

so who updates this on the WIX registry?