I was watching the Military Channel the other day and they were showing a “Top 10” on fighters. One thing caught my eye that disturbed me and I cannot figure out how this could be. I also saw this on another program but cannnot recall it at the moment.
ANYWAY,
While discussing the P51, they show a short clip with a Pilot and his flags on the side included: Multple Swastikas(undertably German planes), 1 other type, I’m assuming possibly Italian or some other Axis power craft, a Rising Sun(Japanes). The last flag in his lineup was an America Flag.
Does this mean that, in some time, this American Pilot, flying an American combat fighter, shot down one of his own. AND TOOK CREDIT FOR THE KILL??? The name on the side of the plane was Capt L.E. Curdes and the name BuckWheat beneath it. I’ve Googled and came up short.
What say you all. CAn someone come up with an explanation on this?
The only thing I can think of is that maybe he crashed or bailed out of an airplane and painted on the flag as a reminder. If he had shot down one of his friendly planes, it would have resulted in an inquiry and if he had taken cradit, probobly an dishonory discharge.
I have seen this before, it is usually done as a sort of joke, when a pilot crashes or otherwise destroys his own aircraft, or when they collided with another a/c on the ground. I read one story where a pilot crashed or destroyed 3a/c, and his superior officers joked about giving him an iron cross!
If memory serves me correct the story behind the American kill marking is this;
When Capt Crudes was stationed in the Pacific he shot down a C-47 to prevent it from landing on an enemy airfield. All the crew of the C-47 was rescued. That is why there is an American flag on the side of his aircraft. I can’t remember were I read that but I do remember the story behind the kill marking. The marking was put there in humor, not to claim a kill.
I have heard that markings like this were sometimes used to denote the destruction of equipment that had been captured by opposing forces. But not in this case it seems.
You are correct Reddog, he shot down the C-47 to prevent it from landing on a Japanese airfield. Why they were going to land on an enemy airfield, I don’t know. But, they painted an American flag on the plane as a joke and I guess it stuck. He tried to claim the title as ‘double ace,’ but, they wouldn’t allow the American kill. I’m sure he was not the first fighter pilot to down an aircraft on his team, American bombers were bad about shooting at American fighters in the heat of combat, and, yes, they did shoot them down.
There was an incident onboard The USS Bouge CVE 9 WHERE the pilot of a TBM-3 Went over the crash barrier and struck 2 planes on the aft part of the deck.
For destroying 3 planes he was awarded a MOCK Iron Cross.
I read one case of a marine pilot at Henderson field who joked that not only was he a triple ace, but he’d be an Japanese ace too, because he had ditched 5 planes in combat.
I had read somewhere that a P-51 had caught sight of a captured B-24 that the Germans were using to infiltrate the bomber formations and shot it down. That info could be old, faulty, a rumor. I just remember reading that somewhere…or I may have dreamt it. Can’t be sure
The 8th AF actually started using the color and symbols of the day system to prevent intruders from infiltrating the bomber formations. If an intruder did not have the proper colored symbol (X, O, square, etc) on the fuselage, it would be fired upon by the bomber crews and the escort fighters.
It could be that he found an American aircraft being tested or operated by the Germans and managed to shoot it down.
Does anyone know the story of these markings on F-4 #463? I caught it as it visited our base with a couple other ships. They left shortly after I got the shot and I had to respond to an emergency call so I wasn’t able to ask. Look just to the right of the first star. So far I have not found anybody who can explain it.
I remember a TV show or perhaps a movie that dealt with the Germans using captured American bombers to cause problems. My best speculation is an episode of the old 12 O’clock High series. Not sure if the stories of that series were based on actual events.
after they were stood down as missiles, they were converted to Drones, similar to the QF-102 program, the Military needed a higher speed drone than the Firebees could provide
if you zoom in, you will see that is the shape of a Bomarc in flight,it isn’t chatted about much, but, “both sides” of the Fighter vs Drone training war kept score, the Fighter with kill marks, and the Drones with Mission Survived markings
There is a book out now about U.S. aircraft in German service. I’ve read of a '47 ghosting a flight of 190’s with a '51 in the middle of them and not trying to get away. There is also a story of a P-38 in Italy that was attacking B-24’s until that was shot down by P-51’s. U.S.S.R. used 190D’s because they liked and feared them so much. But they did put red stars on them. So the stories are out there. Some true, some are up to the reader to decide. You are not dreaming.
When I was stationed at VAW-120 in Norfolk, VA one of our E-2C Hawkeyes clipped a deer who made the rash decision of trying to cross the active runway during flight ops.
A deer silhouette was dutifully painted on the nose of the aircraft.
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