The American WWII ace and his C-47 shootdown

[3393RP]

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The pilot in the photo posted below is WWII ace Louis Curdes, who was one of just three pilots in the war to shoot down a German, Italian, and Japanese aircraft. He was also credited with the "kill" of an American C-47 transport in the Pacific.

Curdes was strafing an airstrip on an island that was occupied by the Japanese, and his wingman was shot down and ditched in the ocean. While he circled his wingman, Curdes saw a US Army C-47 setting up for a landing on the island. Unable to raise the other pilot on the radio to warn the crew not to land, he carefully shot out both its engines. The C-47 diched near the raft of his wingman, and Curdes saw the life raft of the C-47 join his wingman's.

Unable to contact rescue aircraft, he returned the next day followed by a PBY Catalina, which landed in the water and rescued the eleven C-47 occupants and his wingman. When they returned to base, Curdes discovered a nurse he had gone out with two days earlier was a passenger on the C-47. They married in 1946, and were together until Curde's death in 1995.

That's why he has a US flag on his aircraft next to the marks signifying his other shootdowns.

There's a replica of his aircraft, Bad Angel, at the Pima Air & Space museum.

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[Zeldman]

And may or may not have been awarded a DFC for shooting down the C-47. Still an interesting read. I bet he took a lot of gruff for that one American victory.

Interesting name for the crew chief.

 

[SkyDog58]

He got lucky with the C-47. He could have very easily sent that crew to their death. Shooting out both engines without possibly causing a fire or damaging flight controls involved a lot of luck.

 

[MauleSkinner]

He got lucky with the C-47. He could have very easily sent that crew to their death. Shooting out both engines without possibly causing a fire or damaging flight controls involved a lot of luck.

Omce might be more luck than skill, but the fact that he did it a second time with the other engine tips the balance the other way, IMO.

Seeing the need, and coming up with the idea and the plan is probably the bigger part of the heroism.

 

[Sac Arrow]

He got lucky with the C-47. He could have very easily sent that crew to their death. Shooting out both engines without possibly causing a fire or damaging flight controls involved a lot of luck.

I think they were already on their way to death.

 

[Hank S]

Interesting name for the crew chief.

At that time, "Buck" was a natural nickname for someone named Wheat.

Wonder if he was related to Bill Wheat, longtime Mooney engineer and test pilot from early 60s until about 2010-2011???

 

[SkyDog58]

Omce might be more luck than skill, but the fact that he did it a second time with the other engine tips the balance the other way, IMO.

Seeing the need, and coming up with the idea and the plan is probably the bigger part of the heroism.

But after he shot out the first engine, you’d think that the C-47 crew would be trying evasive actions which would make an accurate shot at the second engine more difficult thereby requiring even more luck.

I think they were already on their way to death.

Not all Japanese POWs were summarily executed. So death was not certain. Though I get your point.

But hey, all’s well that ends well.