The Mysterious Plane That Made 127 Kills Without Ever Being Seen

Subscribe to Dark Skies: bit.ly/dark5skies
The first operational U.S. aircraft specifically designed as a night-fighter was the P-61 Black Widow. Created in 1940 by Northrop Aviation, in collaboration with the British Royal Air Force, the P-61 was also the first aircraft designed to use radar.
With its mysterious appearance and name, the Black Widow ruled the night in the waning months of World War 2. It would even collect the last confirmed air-to-air kill on the last night of the war...
- As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas. -

[@jbryant4228]

One of the most famous uses of the P61 was in the raid at Cabanatuan where over 500 POWs were liberated. The P61 was used as a distraction so the Japanese guards wouldn't see the raiders crawling through the grass toward the camp.

[@roryschweinfurter4111]

Is that the one the movie. The Great Raid was based on? I've seen the movie several times but never known the P-61 was involved. Also I didn't know they were on the drawing board in 1940

[@robertbarlow6715]

Yes it was.

[@TaffenFelspar]

Great Book...

[@USAR8888]

I remember reading about that in the book Ghost Soldiers. Very gripping read. Cant recommend that book enough.

[@Berserker_4517]

@@roryschweinfurter4111he raid from the movie great raid which was the raid at Cabanatuan took place in early 1945. The P-61 was introduced in 1944.

[@denystull355]

My dad was in the Air Force while this plane was still in service and he absolutely loved it, he was a ground radar operator.

[@danieltull9583]

My dad also tracked some of the first jets on radar

[@tomterific390]

My dad flew B-29s in Korea. When he returned in 1953, and before he transitioned to B-47s, he did some ferry work, flying various aircraft around the world. One of the ferry missions in his logbook was to take a P-61 to Eglin AFB in Florida. When i asked him about it, he told me that the aircraft was likely going to be used for weapons testing--as a target. He wasn't absolutely certain about that, but I later read an account which seems to confirm that--Donald Lopez, a famous air force fighter & flight test pilot wrote in his memoir that he was stationed at Eglin at about that same time, and that lots of decommissioned WWII-era planes, including P-61s were among the targets for testing of new missiles.

[@lollardismontop1026]

@@tomterific390 I never knew they had b 29s in Korea mostly the b 17 and twin mustang

[@tomterific390]

@@lollardismontop1026 By the time WWII ended, both the the B-17 and the B-24 were obsolete, and had both been replaced by the B-29. Even before the Army Air Force became the U.S. Air Force, almost all '17s & '24s were in the scrap yards. The few that remained in service were used as target tugs, targets themselves as drones, air-sea rescue aircraft, and as squadron hacks-essentially routine utility operation, like delivering the mail and doing beer runs. I know there were some in theater--some of my Dad's old Kodachrome slides from 1953 show B-17s in the background at Kadena, but they have no gun turrets. As far as I know none were used in front line operational combat roles. And yes, Twin Mustangs were in Korea, but just a handful, for the simple reason that there weren't that many even in existence--less than 300 were produced in total, and the Air Force top brass viewed the potential Russian threat in Europe to be more important than the "police action" in Korea, so most foreign based F-82s, like most B-50s, were held back from Korea in case the Soviets got frisky in Europe.

[@DrJohnStevenson]

My father flew the Black Widow in combat missions in the Pacific.

[@michaeldye5257]

I’m glad one of these P-61s is being restored to airworthiness in my home state of Pennsylvania it looks great so far . The aircraft still has probably another half a decade or so left in its journey back to the air. It’s located in Reading PA at the Mid-Atlantic air museum.

[@warrenchambers4819]

It sure has taken along long long time. I wonder what's holding this iconic aircraft up so long? I do understand parts etc are difficult to obtain but so are those for the XP-82 twin mustang but it's done as is another B-29. CNC technology in machine work one with plans can make dam near any WWII aircraft now. I just really really want to see a P-61 fly again as that would be absolutely amazing. I fly an R/C P-61 currently and dam that's one bad ass looking bird.

[@dominicknatoli7494]

@@warrenchambers4819 The aircraft they recovered was from a mountain in SE Asia somewhere. It was something like 75-80 completely gone. That cant help. They have a website where you can read the planes history if you google it

[@BlueTrane2028]

I remember being a Kindergarten age kid in the '80s and the brochure said they expected it to be flying by the mid 1990s. Clearly things hadn't gone so well... but I'd rather it be right than rushed and crash...

[@alexandercymbor2095]

I am from Reading Pennsylvania, I heard from on of the people at Mid-Atlantic air museums that p-61 my fly in the 2022 wwii weekend.

[@DoomFoxofDeath]

I love seeing the progress they've made every year. Hope I'm there to see it fly again!

[@theheyseed]

Thanks for this video. My dad was a radar operator in one flying out of New Guinea. He spent a lot of time at the Mid Atlantic Air museum. He was a principal organizer for the Night Fighters association up until they disbanded due to so many members passing away. He joined them in 2004 and has been in Arlington Cemetery ever since. I have a model of that plane hanging in my office for decades.

[@dennisburdue5052]

What Group was your father in? Mine was in the 41st in New Guinea and the Philippines.

[@theheyseed]

@@dennisburdue5052 547th I think. Sadly anyone who could confirm that has passed away. He probably knew your dad.

[@IAmAFamel]

My grandpa was a gunner on a P-61 in Europe. He was shot down over Germany in April, 1945. It was never confirmed if he was hit by flak or if he hit a tree, but he saw the bailout signal and bailed out successfully with the rest of the crew. Unfortunately the pilot went down with the plane and never made it. He landed on the roof of a barn and broke his leg. Luckily it was in occupied territory, and the British 10th Scotts Guard picked him up and brought him to the nearest field station, located at a place called Bergen Belsen, recently liberated 3 days prior… I wish I was born sooner so I could talk to him about his experiences. Luckily my dad heard them, but only late at night at the American Legion Post, where he had to drag my grandpa back home for dinner. Can’t imagine being raised by that generation. Incredible men.

[@softeky]

@@My_Fair_Lady Yup... "if he was hit by flak or if he hit a tree," is the kind of misstatement a reality-confused ChatGPT would make.

[@EnsignFuntimes]

Fun fact the YF-23, competitor for the F-22, was nicknamed the Black Widow 2 after this amazing aircraft!

[@zackschilling4376]

Had to google it, great looking jet!

[@ratagris21]

They even painted the hour glass in red on the belly, but ticked off the top brass.

[@bedlamite42]

The hourglass wasn't intentional, they painted the tips of doors red as a safety measure, and when they closed the doors it became an hourglass.

[@ratagris21]

@@bedlamite42 but the brass didn't see it that way.

[@oxcart4172]

What kind of arse do u have to be to demand that a small diamond shape gets overpainted?

[@raulduke6105]

My Pops was an engine mechanic and just loved them

[@orangelemon9786]

That is so cool!

[@JT-in5le]

Loved who, the Nazis? Geez. That’s crazy.

[@shawnyoung1869]

@@JT-in5le he obviously means the plane genius. Also I get sarcasm but that wasn't even an attempt to add anything to the conversation piss off

[@JT-in5le]

Shawn Young ‘‘twas a joke, my man”. Easy sailor...put the gun down

[@shawnyoung1869]

@@JT-in5le ahh that's 100 percent my bad can't take common sense for granted nowadays everyone's looking to get offended over something. Well thank you for clearing that up for me and sorry once again. Enjoy youre evening

[@itsapittie]

The P-61has been one of my favorite aircraft ever since I built a model of one as a child. I read and watch videos about them every time I can.

[@marksides9757]

My grandad served as a crewmember on P-61s until the war ended in Europe. He was transferred to B-29s in the Pacific as a "flying sergeant".

[@oscargrouch7962]

One of my high school teachers was a P-61 mechanic in Europe. He would occasionally fly in the jumpseat on missions they were not expecting contact.

[@DeFaltaver2]

My memory of this plane was as a five year old living in Long Beach CA in 1944. Mom and Dad would fix a lunch on Dad's day off and we would pile into the car and park outside the airplane factories almost every weekend and watch the new planes coming out of the factories. One weekend, the doors opened and out came the most spectacular airplane we'd ever seen - it was shiny black with two engines and looked like a giant P-38. The propellers were turning and the sunlight shining through the overhead camouflaged netting and those yellow, spinning prop tips will never be forgotten!! It was better than any movie I had seen and still is imprinted in mind to this day at 83 years old!.

[@caralho5237]

Theres something primal about this plane that just tickles my brain. It just looks like a predator

[@infantryshooter]

That's an awesome story, thanks for sharing that! 🫡

[@RTmadnesstoo]

I love that story! Congratulations!

[@dareisnogod5711]

👍💙You lucky SOB; I was not born until 11-- 44, one of the best years to have been born; to have lived thru the 50s & 60s as a juvenile & young adult when America was a great place full of happy people looking forward to a prosperous future. Now, the USA is a dismal country with unhappy people & I have had to leave, for my own sanity. I feel sad.

[@bluskytoo]

very cool thank you, My father survived B-24s over Europe and was shot down on his last mission, he made it back and was then on his way to the Pacific to fly P-61s from Okinawa. He said the A-bomb saved his life.

[@Snaproll47518]

The last WW II veteran that I personally knew was a Black Widow pilot in the Pacific. I recall him saying how he loved the power of the two R2800 engines that allowed about any maneuver with ease. Harry passed away in 2010.

[@oscargrouch7962]

Despite their immense weight (the heaviest propeller fighter planes ever), Northrop P-61 Black Widows had impressive single-engine performance due to their being aerodynamically-clean.

[@davidfindlay6841]

A P-61 squadron flew off the same strip as my Dad's P-38 group at Lingayen,Luzon,PI.They did a great job of stopping the nightime bombing raids.

[@woppysue]

My father was an aviation torpedoman in the Pacific during World War II. He said he got to see these planes a few times. He was a big fan. I remember him telling me about them when I was a boy as we built a model of one together.

[@JustJohn505]

I remember going to the national air and space museum and geeking all over this plane, my parents where so confused lol

[@battleoid2411]

AF museum was the first time I ever knew this thing existed, after seeing a massive fighter the size of a b25 then reading about how badass it was, its been my favorite ww2 plane ever since

[@chuckkline2970]

It is my favorite. Sooooo cool looking.

[@christianletzerich6523]

Very epic, Jack Northrops designs are amazing

[@tonzelle2720]

Fokker G 1 was his template then...

[@zoomanderson]

My grandfather used to meet up with a group of old men in the mornings to have coffee and shoot the breeze. I got to go with him a handful of times, and there was a guy in this group that was about 10 years older than the others. I was really into planes at the time and I had found out that he had been in WWII. I asked him what he did in the war and he said he had flown P-61 night fighters. I shut up and just listened; he told stories about how dangerous it was. More importantly, he told one story about being attacked by planes without propellers. His crew had been one of the first to encounter the ME262 jet fighter.

[@kdpape]

if you love the P61, you should read 'Queen of the Midnight Skies' by my dad, Garry Pape. I grew up watching my dad study everything about this plane - so many amazing memories

[@kellybray1718]

My dad was with the 419th Night Fighter Squadron known as the Black Spiders. He flew the P-61 on many combat missions out of New Guinea. RIP dad.

[@jayabramson6702]

My father was an armorer for the P61. He loved that plane. I must have built a dozen or more models as a kid. The squadron insignia was designed by Walt Disney Studios (547th NFS). The first time I saw the Widow at the Smithsonian I literally had tears in my eyes. But the damn Enola Gay blocks getting a good picture!!! I did make a contribution in dad’s name to NAAM towards restoration and in return received a credit card piece of unusable skin from the aircraft. It’s a cherished piece.

[@D_U_N_E]

Armorer in what way??

[@jayabramson6702]

He serviced the 20mm cannons and .50 Caliber machine guns.

[@butchs.4239]

Curiously, the P-61 at the USAF museum sits adjacent to Bockscar, the B-29 that dropped Fat Man on Nagasaki.

[@jayabramson6702]

Poor thing can’t catch a break!!

[@toddbrooks2063]

@@butchs.4239 What's so curious about it !! Get a life ..

[@Jules_73]

My grandpa was the gunner in a black widow over the Pacific in the war. I still have his bomber jacket as well as all the books and documentation from his training. Really cool stuff!

[@johnbailey3351]

Great video! My father was a radar mechanic in a Night Fighter squadron and he kept the radar systems on P-61's operating.

[@CShivery]

The P-61 was also used for the first manned ejection seat firing test. I read an article about it in Air and Space Magazine as a kid in the late 80's/early 90's.

[@danzervos7606]

The P-61 achieved about the same number of kills in Europe as in the Pacific. The turbocharged P-61C was not deployed. It had a top speed of 430 mph at a higher altitude than the P-61A or B. At least two British books claim that the Black Widow with its innovative spoilerons was the most maneuverable fighter in the war. There is a claim that a P-61 engaged three FW-190s and downed two of them, the third escaping. The P-61 was used for intruder attacks and could carry 4 x 1600 lb bombs on shackles under the wings. During the Battle of the Bulge the Black Widow was about the only plane that could fly in the foul weather - but there was a shortage of planes.

[@duane8620]

The P-61 is one of my favorite warbirds, such style, tech, power and one hell of a gorgeous plane.

[@Xterror15]

Grandfather flew on one in the pacific and specifically over “the hump.” Understanding was that he was reactivated after the war during the insurrection in Pakistan.

[@828enigma6]

Imagine being on a routine night bombing mission with no concerns at the time, when suddenly your aircraft is struck by 20mm cannon HE shells from an enemy you never had any idea was there, that was for all intent and purpose invisible to you. Would have to be discouraging, assuming you survived.

[@roryschweinfurter4111]

I've always heard that the Messerschmitt 110 was the first specifically designed night fighter

[@jerryhayden8720]

That was a good video. My dad was the navigator radar man in a P 61 in the later part of the war in the Pacific theater. When I was a youngster I thought the P 61 was really neat but my favorite was similar in design. The P 38 was my dream machine. Ya know how it is when you're a kid. I would dream about flying in them and my dads' stories would bring life to those dreams. I'm sure glad he made it home especially since I wouldn't be here if he didn't. My brother was/is the WWII baby and I was born in the fifties. I really enjoyed dads' stories but as you can imagine mom hated them. I understand now. Oh well. I sure miss dad. He was a good man.

[@ret7army]

people complaining about the way you speak ... ignore them, I hear you just fine. Furthermore, your delivery is unique and distinctive. I appreciate that. Thanks for bringing up an article about one of my favorite aircraft of all time. I didn't know that it was too slow to catch other aircraft like the Me410, pity that they hadn't made it faster. I also found it interesting from reading the comments that the flat black paint glowed around the edges when illuminated by search lights and the gloss black didn't, very interesting thanks and HT to "Yeah it's me" in the thread

[@michaelhowell2326]

This thing is my favorite prop powered combat airplane of all time. It's beautiful like a dancer but punches like a heavyweight.

[@garrington120]

Not a patch on the DH 98 Mosquito !!

[@bryanschwertner3585]

My dad was a Cpl in the 51st Combat Military Police (77th ID). One of hundreds of tasks while on Okinawa during that battle was to transport one of the crew of a P61 along with reconnaissance footage to another location. I had never heard of the plane before he talked about it in the 70s and 80s. He referred to it as the P61 Night Fighter. This one was outfitted with recon camera equipment. He also saw prints and blowups from the missions and I was probably more impressed by his take on the film used.

[@barrylitchfield250]

My father-in-law, Edward Cwalinski, served in the Army during WWII, and was stationed in Hawaii at Ft Shafter. He was present at the attack on December 7th, 1941. Actually, he served from 1936 through 1959. In his momentos collected during the war he ended up with the squadron flag of the 418th Night Fighter Squadron that served in the Pacific. Frank Sheldon's name is on the flag, along with a P-61 over a red circle in the center of the white background (Silk Japanese flag). The locations that the 418th Night Fighter Squadron were also listed on the flag. Manila, Kwajalein, Guam, Okinawa, Hickam Field, Saipan, Clark Field, and Atsugi, Japan. I donated the flag to a privately owned military museum near Royse City Texas. Formally called "FUBAR motor pool" , but was changed to "Military Heratage Museum of North Texas" to satisfy the snowflakes that complained about the former name. If there was a way I could attach a photo of the flag, I would do it here. I'll gladly provide a photo to anyone who wants it, but I'll need your email or cell phone to text it to you. Barry Litchfield

[@brianjschumer]

Would love to see it.. [e-mail]

[@timeforbigchange9417]

That P61 has to be one of my favorite aircraft. Awesome Dark Skies for the break down information of how important this beautiful thing was.

[@redram5150]

During the 80s, the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum recovered a P-61 from a mountaintop in New Guinea which crashed there during WWII. They tore it completely apart and have been dutifully rebuilding it ever since. Hardly any remain, so the project has been slow. Their quality of work is fantastic though

[@jonathanstein1783]

Yes, "The Widow's Web" online shows the progress they've been making with this aircraft. Considering the condition in which they found it, they've so far done an amazing job of bringing her back to life.

[@thunderpuppy6719]

My dad was in an air recon unit that operated out of liberated German airfields in WWII. Many times, they shared the airfields with P-61 Black Widows. I have a picture of my dad standing under the fuselage of one. At 5'8", he stood perfectly upright. They were large planes. He told me they would shake him out of his bunk when they landed in the wee hours of the morning. For that reason alone, he wasn't a fan of sharing the airfields with them.

[@GrinnenBaeritt]

I discovered that this was one of the types based and operated from my local airport (Hurn, Dorset, UK) during the war. Always loved the design, since i first saw it (as an Airfix model back in the 70's)..

[@briandamage5677]

I believe this plane is actually the first purpose-built night fighter. The HE 219 Owl for example was designed before used successfully as a night fighter.

[@johnosbourn4312]

The P-61 was the only aircraft from the Allies that was designed, and built from the wheels up as a Night Fighter, whereas the HE-219 was the only enemy fighter designed from the wheels up, as a Night Fighter. Japan also fielded a puropose built Night Fighter: The Nakajima Irving, as well.

[@briandamage5677]

@@johnosbourn4312 No, the HE 219 wasn't built from the outset as a night fighter. It came from 'projekt 1060', a multipurpose design that was intended to be either a heavy fighter, recon plane or torpedo bomber. The Nakajima J1N was initially built as a bomber escort fighter.

[@ThatGuysProject]

Not to mention the Baeufighter and me110

[@briandamage5677]

@@ThatGuysProject And? Neither of which were purpose-built night fighters - you know, the point of the original comment?

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@@ThatGuysProject neither were built specifically as nightfighers.

[@chrisgoodwin2919]

My foster mother showed me a black widow sitting in a field, covered blackberry bushes near the airport in Santa Rosa california, that was 24 years ago, ive looked for it many times since, i nener saw it again, i hope it is being restored somewhere

[@samuelmorado70]

I was in California in 84 to 88 and I wish I had known about this

[@mikemckenzie8230]

The Wright Patterson AF Museum in Dayton Ohio has one on display - awesome looking!

[@hokep61]

There are only 4 known to exist. One at the one of the Smithsonian, one at Wright Patt. museum in Dayton. One at Mid continent and the final one in China. Rumors of more in China, but nothing confirmed. It is possible, my Dads plane, as were others of the 427th were left behind at wars end.

[@KPX-nl4nt]

The Northrop P-61 may have been the first aircraft designed from the ground up to use radar, but the Bristol Blenheim was the first to be fitted with radar. Additionally, the world’s first night fighter was the B.E.2c not the P-61. If you guys at Dark Skies would like some assistance concerning research I am an aviation historian and would gladly offer my services free of charge.

[@camrsr5463]

One of my favorite planes of WW2.

[@ivebeenbamboozled9210]

ARC 170 Starfighter is designed after this aircraft.

[@juancruzmarolda7726]

Both are awesome fighters in their own right

[@duncanmcgee13]

Arc*

[@battleoid2411]

@@duncanmcgee13 ARC** It's an acronym, Aggressive ReConnaissance

[@SvenTviking]

Juan Cruz Marolda The Starfighter was a great research aircraft. Lousy warplane.

[@juancruzmarolda7726]

@@SvenTviking starfighter here was mant as in a Star Wars starfighter, not the real plane starfighter

[@michaelpalerino5276]

My father was a radar technician in a P-61 squadron. He said his craft had no turret with quad .50. He said the turret would cause buffeting. Most aircraft that retained the turret would keep if locked forward. His squadron would chase German aircraft that would come in at night to drop mines (usually) into harbors like Antwerp, Belgium, which the allies were struggling to clear to open supply lines closer to the front.

[@grogery1570]

I just finished the book "Night Fighter" it is written by a British radar operator in WWII. The most impressive fight he was involved in was one where they chased a Heinkel, never got into a position to fire on it, the German pilot was just too good. It crashed trying to get away, the Mosquito chasing them wasn't ready to that close to the ground. So a kill was awarded without a shot being fired!

[@afoolandhismoneychannel]

Watching the video at 0.75 speed actually slows the narration down enough to understand it. Winning!

[@aro4098]

The narrator himself should slow down to 0.75.

[@jimmbbo]

At .75 it sounds like he just finished a bottle of Gentleman Jack

[@danieldunn6284]

It does work but he sounds a little drunk

[@ganjaman59650]

I was searching a documentary about this one just yesterday, great timing.

[@davido9208]

Lol so was i

[@davido9208]

And the only ones I found were from the 1940's

[@dominicsanchez2972]

Looks like your FBI Agent is looking out for you 😂😂😂

[@ganjaman59650]

@@davido9208 yes this is basically the only recent one available.had to search it cause it's so op(op if you can play your role, or get the bast of the capability of the craft) in warthunder; even if this channel only get sponsored by gaijin for crossout, for some strange reasons...war thunder would be such a better choice for this channel...

[@bettyschnauber8238]

"TIMIMG" you say. lol

[@Rolkatsuki]

This became my favourite WWII plane when I came across it in Heroes Of The Pacific.

[@chrisgoodwin2919]

When i was about 11 my foster mother took me to the area where she grew up, in santa rosa california, a couple miles from the charles shultz air Museum.(Santa rosa airport). She had taken me out for a drive in a rural area and she took me to a p-61 blackwidow sitting out in a field covered with blackberry bushes, she siad they used to play on it when she was a kid, ive looked for it since then many times, but its gone, i really hope it was restored and loved, and not scrapped

[@Pastshelfdate]

When I was a kid, I was fascinated with the Black Widow. It really looked impressive. I didn't know it was at the struggling edge of technology, and that it saw such limited service. I wonder how much its presence may have discouraged axis night flights. Could the P-61 have been a victim of its own early success?

[@eflanagan1921]

Too large too heavy too expensive too few and too late .

[@GCMS]

He called it a Nighttime fighter jet at 2:10 and it threw me out of it. Love you videos bro. Keep them up.

[@erikerice9068]

It's so not fair the P-61 didn't get the chance she deserved to prove herself in combat.

[@hellbent9672]

My fav aircraft, thanks for covering it :)

[@OddawallWood]

I had a customer at a Northrup factory near LAX. He told me that during World War II he built P-61s. He told me that he had seen gun camera video that showed P-61's attacking Japanese ships and cutting them in half.

[@eaglewolffox6275]

The twin boom design makes the night fighter look like a P-38 Lightning on steroids.

[@charlesweber4419]

Thank you.. I built, I think the Revell model, when I was a teenager. It hung above my bed until college.

[@Wombat1916]

@rogerwilco99 Only 40 aircraft! My first collection was just over one hundred aircraft. My father managed to damage and destroy some and I was chivvied into disposing of the rest. My current collection is around 350 aircraft, with around 30 ships and the final few 1/9th scale motorcycles and a few odds and sods of other models!

[@dub2536]

I made a model kit of this aircraft in the early 1980s as a child. My favorite propeller-powered aircraft is the Focke Wulf 190 D. When I assembled the kit for the black widow it captivated my imagination and I consider it to be a beautiful aircraft. Great video. Peace!

[@joshuamcneal]

Thanks for posting. My grandfather worked at Northrop from 1940-1986, I always have had an interest in all Northrop aircraft as a result.

[@starsiegeplayer]

First time I saw a picture of this plane I said " THAT is a pursuit fighter??" Learning more about it's unique capabilities gave me a new respect for this oddball "fighter."

[@007TruthSeeker]

The book, "The Great Raid" about the first and most successful mission by the Army Rangers toward the end of WW II, rescuing hundreds of POWs in a Japanese field prison in the Philipines, mentioned that the rangers asked for an aircraft to fly above the prison while they crawled across the bare ground around it, to reach a ditch where they could hide until nightfall. A P-61 was sent and simply flew around in mock attacks against the base while the rangers successfully crawled hundreds of yards in the open to the ditch. Not a single Japanese eye glanced around to see them crawling; they were all riveted on this new, strange-looking aircraft for about half an hour.

[@007TruthSeeker]

For the movie by the same name and about the same story, they couldn't find an airworthy P-61, so they used a B-25, I believe, which was unfortunate since the Japanese were familiar with it, and would probably not have given it their complete and undivided attention for such a long time. I had hoped that this video would mention that, since it was the due to the P-61's novel appearance and strange long nose that the Japanese were enthralled by it.

[@stevecastro1325]

I always loved this plane, even though the top speed of the B model was pedestrian compared to other similar types. The “C” model at 430 mph top sped was what was really needed, but, again, arrive too late. With the heavy gun argument and ability to carry 6 inch rockets or four 1600 pound bombs, It could have excelled in the ground attack role, but had too much overlap with the B-25 and B-26, & The other types could do level bombing as well, since they had proper bombsight equipment.

[@juancruzmarolda7726]

This is one of the coolest aircraft of WW2

[@atticus9907]

Your channels are great. You can tell you put alot of time and effort into research for these videos,keep up the good work.

[@Thomas_TdK]

It is almost perfect, the many mistakes are annoying

[@MrCrackerjack121]

I once met a man that was a piloted this plane. I was too young to remember much of the conversation, but he was a cool dude.

[@drosera88]

0:27 Yeah that's pretty terrifying. Imagine seeing that behind you in the black of night.

[@turbowolf302]

I just love this airplane. It's a night fighter, it has radar, it has 4 20mm cannons(4x20 blaze it), it CAN have 4 .50 caliber machines. Its radar is so complicated it has a guy, just sitting in the nose, solely to work the radar. The Pilot sits in the stepped up part of the cockpit. Plus, I just love twin-boomed aircraft. They just look sexy. I used to have a model of this.... I wish I still did.

[@nicholasmazzarella2720]

I also build this model and fell in love with the airplane. One of the coolest looking fighters of the war.

[@johnleach7879]

If the commentary was spoken a bit slower we might understand it.

[@sterling557]

You can reduce the speed of the video by clicking the settings "cog" if you want

[@JimmyTownmouse]

My great uncle (grandfather’s brother) flew the P-61 with the 419th in the Pacific during 1944. He was killed August 1944. Returning from an early morning mission, he and another aircraft were landing in a strong crosswind after several inches of rain. He landed successfully and was parked off the side of the strip. But after the other pilot touched down, somehow his plane veered to the side and struck my uncle’s canopy with the wingtip. He was 22. It must have been hard for his parents losing their son on the other side of the globe. But what really chokes me up is thinking how his squadron mate piloting the other plane must have felt.

[@afterburner2869]

A few years ago while I was in a store, I noticed this beautiful young girl with a tattoo of a P-61 on the back of her shoulder. I thought that to be a very unusual tattoo for a young woman to have so I asked her about it and she said her grandfather had flown one in the war and it was her way of celebrating him. She said she was surprised I had noticed it. I told her there are two things that never escape my notice, beautiful women and warbirds. We both had a good laugh!

[@shaundevrisky349]

Did you get her phone number? :)

[@panchopistola8298]

Wow way to be a creepy old man .

[@CraigGood]

I had a model of this plane when I was a kid. One of the most badass-looking planes of the war, it's always been a favorite.

[@jeffrains9569]

Same here. Dad painted blue sky and clouds on the ceiling so I could hang them flying!

[@jeffreyskoritowski4114]

This is the most important fighter you've never heard of.

[@paraphidd]

I think that if this plane hadn’t been delayed so much, it would have been a much more impactful aircraft. In the areas it *was* used, it did decently well for an obsolete aircraft. Either way, a fantastic model to build.

[@DrScalpel29]

As far as I know this video is the first comprehensive story on KZbin about this weird looking airplane. Thx for that. More and more I think about to buy the RC Version of this hottie. 😁 Really a masterpiece of US aviation engineering 👍

[@edhilferty9287]

APRIL 5, 1948 off Barber Point HI, my uncle was kill in a collision between two P61's on night maneuvers, he was in the USMC.

[@wisecoonie]

I don't suppose there are many model builders here who remember or, for that matter, know of François Verlinden, but he is (was?) a master model builder back in the 80s. He was almost the inventor of the drybrushing and shading techniques which are now commonplace among model builders. He was also the first to make lifelike, almost photographic looking diorama's. A genius of his craft. In one of his books, I found a diorama depicting a model of the P61 Black widow. To me, it was such a odd-looking, not to say ugly, plane with that double level canopy and strange bulbous nose. Still, it looked the part in its night black livery. Impressive! Really intriguing, not in the least because it was shown without much background information.It was the diorama which impressed me most and the one I still remember today, even if all those beautiful books were ditched when i lost interest in model building. Nice to find a video on the subject here.

[@a-hvlogs2046]

I wonder how the crew did with the radar scanning them from 4 feet away every second..

[@GH-oi2jf]

It probably didn’t transmit backward.

[@gregzsidisin]

These videos are great, but I always need to play them at 75% speed due to the fast, intense narration. But lots of good info in them.

[@paulweisgerber7654]

Yeah, me too. It’s just too rapid-fire to absorb much.

[@beatsbydrew8930]

I’ve always loved the P-61, something about it visually just works for me

[@captainclone1367]

No mention of the P-61'a enhanced maneuverability due to the use of wing spoilers in concert with the ailerons! There are tails of P-51's bouncing P-61's over LA and then finding this big twin sitting on their tails, P-51's got their clock cleaned. Also that the P-61's turret was only used on the first batch of P-61's because the same turret was used on the B-29 and it had priority. Oh, BTW the P-61 never flew off Wake Island. Wake was never recaptured and not reoccupied until after the surrender.

[@mvaron2546]

Dear Mr. Skies, You talk too fast at times.

[@annoyed707]

He's talking in a dive.

[@maximuskay1]

I like it

[@NocturnalNews]

He speeds up his voice On every video if you slow down the speed it sounds somewhat normal. I’ve been editing videos for years now and it’s a built-in feature on every editing app or software so I’m pretty sure that’s what he’s doing

[@phdtobe]

You can slow down the playback speed.

[@Card1ax]

dude why do you talk so fast. plays better @ -.25 speed

[@BD-bditw]

It is indeed a pity that so many of these KZbin uploads are spoiled by the narration. Why so damned fast? This is why, generally speaking, that the Brits have far better speech for this kind of thing. Many a time I skip these uploads because of this flat out speed of talking. Why the rush? Slow down, cool it, relax for God's sake.

[@iunnox666]

He talks fast with huge pauses in between. I play at +25 and the pacing is much better.

[@idcanthony9286]

My grandfather was a radar operator in the 422nd. He flew on Jukin Jody that’s shown at 11:00.

[@fracro327]

My uncle was an electrical engineer and gunner on the P-61. He told me that the turret guns had limits or blocks to prevent the gunner from shooting off wing tips on low passing shots.

[@CharliMorganMusic]

This is my favorite plane in War Thunder. It's so beefy and it shreds everything. It's so simple to fly: be higher than everyone, dive, shoot, climb again.

[@skull3374]

Dark skies your the best teacher of ww2 AIRCRAFT!

[@reagantumurbaatar9244]

what aabout real engineering

[@skull3374]

@@reagantumurbaatar9244 idk.

[@hybirdbeast9324]

Idk about that there’s a lot of mistakes with with information

[@skull3374]

@@hybirdbeast9324 my grammar is not that great That why.

[@hybirdbeast9324]

Gerber Lopez I’m talking about the channel not you.

[@chipbrandstetter]

Your content is great. Your edits engaging, your footage always works with your narration. Top shelf work.

[@nmgg6928]

Hey just a fun tidbit the photo you used in your thumbnail is actually my grandfather flying his black widow. After his death one of his buddies from way back when reached out to our family because he took that photo of my grandpa flying and had the negatives. I just really love that one of the most used pictures of the black widow is my grandpa and wanted to share ❤

[@jeffyoung60]

In spite of two, 1,900 horsepower engines, the P-61 Black Widow's top speed was only 360 mph. What was really called for would be something in the range of 400 mph or better. The P-61 boasted an awesome, devastating array of four, Hispano 20mm cannon and four, Browning M2 0.50 heavy machine guns in a rotating top fuselage turret. Unsolved continuing buffeting problems often led to the field removal of the top turret carrying the four 0.50 caliber machine guns. The loss was inconsequential as the four 20mm cannon were more than sufficient for the P-61's night mission. Later someone had a better idea of taking the venerable P-38 Lightning and installing a radar pod under the nose and stuffing an unfortunate radar operator in a highly cramped rear pod position. It was so cramped that a special plexiglass hood had to be fabricated with a dome space on top so that the top of the radar operator's head could be covered. But few were ever manufactured. The U.S. Navy deployed its own successful night fighter F6F-5N Hellcat with the radar pod mounted outboard of the left wing. Later a night fighter version of the F4U-4 Corsair emerged just at war's end. The Corsair was faster than the Hellcat. It mounted the same radar pod outboard of one wing but unlike the Hellcat, in order to balance the aircraft better, one of the 0.50 caliber machine guns and ammunition were deleted from that same wing. Five M2 heavy machine guns were still considered sufficient to down the lighter built Japanese aircraft. Possibly the best U.S. propeller night fighter goes to the twin engine Grumman Tigercat which just barely missed WW2 but saw service in the Korean War. Initially armed with four, M2 heavy machine guns in the nose and four 20mm cannon in the wing roots, the night fighter version deleted the machine guns in order to house the radar in the nose section. The Tigercat saw limited service in Korea before being withdrawn in favor of the new jet engine FD-2 SkyKnight.

[@audioman8650]

This guy needs to try de-caff. Sounds like the guy that used to do the old micro-machines commercials.

[@yfelwulf]

Germans were using Radar on the Heinkel Owl long before this was built.

[@PenzancePete]

yfelwulf The Heinkel 219 "Uhu" didn't enter service until June1943 and then only in very limited numbers. The R.A.F. were using radar equipped Mosquito night fighters from April 1942. Introduced in October 1943 the P-61 was late to the party and wasn't the first radar equipped night fighter but was the first American radar equipped night fighter.

[@Rhino1277HotRails]

Me110 and Ju88 way before that and Beaufighter

[@cryogenics6681]

In the 1950s aircraft magazines, movies and daydreams filled my mind...any wonder why I joined the Air Force?

[@Jkoogler1]

My grandfather's brother worked with Mr. Northrop to start his company. The P-61 was his favorite airplane that they developed.

[@edwinstafford287]

Why does this sound like it's been artificially sped up?

[@mink1097]

Edwin Stafford because it most likely was.

[@aviationfilms5601]

Ah yes *THICC FLYING SPIDEY BOI*

[@davidzheng7568]

how do you do you keep pumping out quality content week after week?

[@leerogers6423]

Quality ? This is a badly researched lazy parody.

[@russfultz3362]

Skillz!

[@dimasakbar7668]

Pcp, it shows its mark in the video too.

[@supercrew63]

My grandfather was a radar/radio man on the P61 in ww2...

[@gingrinch]

Only four left today, one at the Air & Space Chantilly museum. Glad they weren't all scrapped.

[@shsober]

I was able to sit in the cockpit of that aircraft (among others including Enola Gay) when it was waiting to be restored in Suitland, MD.

[@michaelprocter1298]

Pity it was late into service, it still a mean looking plane from the great Jack Northrop company.

[@duanesamuelson2256]

To me it always had a strong resemblance to Lockheed P 38 . Which was designed in 1937. Form follows function and available technology. As I recall there was also a p38 which was also a night fighter which had a state of the art (for that time) radar with the operator squeezed in behind the pilot

[@mtacoustic1]

The P-61 had one major design flaw - The pilot was exactly in-line with the propeller discs. During a ditching or gear-up landing, the pilot was usually killed by shed propeller blades. The P-61 was also exceptionally maneuverable for such a large aircraft; by virtue of wing spoilers operating in concert with the ailerons.

[@therealaim-9xmissile]

The Mother of Stealth Fighters! One of my favorite planes from the WW2 era, she’s unique and powerful and what I love most is that she packs a hell of a punch using firepower and technology!

[@casualchad627]

Just unlocked this in War Thunder, interesting to hear the history behind it

[@690_5]

Welcome to the club of the best twin engined fighter in the game. It's genuinely overpowered when spaded.

[@jameson1239]

As a bomber pilot I hate the damn thing as even in cloud it can still see me

[@yogibearthebear6774]

Jameson 123 what bomber do you fly?

[@jameson1239]

Jack Wilson in warthunder I fly the PE-8 Yer-2 and PE-2 irl I don’t have a pilots license

[@The1trueJester]

Wanna talk about the GOAT of its tier! The P-61 is a beast, I love flying it when I smurf down to its tier

[@dcbadger2]

Arguably it's greatest contribution was as a dedicated reconnaissance aircraft, the F-15 / RF-61. It would fly many recon missions during Korea, providing valuable intelligence on troop movements.

[@nicholasyost8400]

A beautiful airplane! The Lady In the Dark shall always remain on of my favorite planes! Thanks for remembering her! So many people forget this plane ever existed and we'll sadly never see this plane fly again. Thank you Dark Skies for not forgetting the Lady In the Dark! To Northrop, I hope you never forget! Why have so many forgotten the Lady's bite? Why is she never spoken of except by the few? Even D.C. only had a mere model to remember! They forgot Project Thunderstorm! They forgot everything you did in WW2! Well we won't forget all you did!