As some of you may
know that my dad was a WWII Army Air Corps Night Fighter pilot and flew with
the decorated 415th Night Fighter Squadron. While he did all of his work in Europe, these
fellas were trying to win the dark over the Pacific. Here below is an interesting story of their
development.
The Development of (Navy) Night
Fighters in World War II
By Colonel William C. Odell, U. S. Air Force (Retired)
January 1989
Naval History Magazine
Volume 3 Number 1
Modern warfare took on a new dimension
with the innovation of radar; one of its most effective applications was in
aerial combat.
Radar was in its infancy at the
beginning of World War II, but already an essential part of Britain's air
defense system. When England's small, but gallant, force of Hurricanes and
Spitfires made daylight bomber attacks too costly, the Luftwaffe turned to
night raids. To counter this, the Royal Air Force (RAF) employed hastily
modified Bouton-Paul Defiant aircraft to fly at night. This handful of
planes-cooperating with radar-equipped ground control intercept (GCI) stations,
antiaircraft fire, and searchlights- was the key element of the infamous
"Killer Belt" night defense system. With darkness no longer a safety
screen for German bombers, night attacks against Britain were curtailed. The
men of the RAF who fought and won the desperate Battle of Britain in the latter
half of 1940—hailed by Winston Churchill as the few towhom so many owed so
much—were the world's first night fighter pilots.
U. S. forces ran up against their first
major night operational problem on Guadalcanal in 1942. The Japanese kept
battle-weary Marines sleepless around the clock with "Washing Machine
Charlie," a night-flying nuisance aircraft whose purposely unsynchronized
engines churned out a throbbing, annoying sound. Haphazardly dropping flares or
casually-aimed bombs at random intervals guaranteed that the fatigued
Leathernecks would have a nervous,tense night.
Possessing neither the experience nor
the proper equipment to combat enemy night operations, the hard-pressed Americans
improvised with what they had. U. S. Army Air Forces pilots, flying
Douglas-built A-20s, attempted to catch "May tag Charlie" with
disappointing results. They achieved limited success using Lockheed P-38s in
concert with ground-based searchlights and antiaircraft fire. The Navy lacked
any equipment to offer to this effort. Drawing upon the RAF's experiences and
the brief Army evaluations, the Navy began a crash course to build its night
fighter program.
From the start, the Navy's requirements
were fundamentally different, since Navy planes and equipment had to meet
performance standards suitable for carrier use. While land-based air units
could accept heavier aircraft which were large enough to accommodate an
on-board radar operator, the Navy designed its program, Project Affirm, around
single-seat, carrier-type fighters.
Work began on 18 April 1942 at the
naval air station at Quonset Point, Rhode Island. The research effort was to
experiment, develop, and evaluate all information relative to night fighting
equipment and tactics. Project Affirm was headed by Commander W. E. G. Taylor,
a reservist and former RAF Eagle Squadron member. Taylor had intimate knowledge
of early British radar and had seen night fighting brought to its highest
development in England.
The Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, whose radiation laboratory had conducted extensive studies on radar
propagation, provided invaluable assistance. It undertook the task of modifying
or producing tailor-made electronic gear to meet the Navy's exacting
specifications. Meanwhile, the Chance-Vought Corsair (F4U-I) was selected as
the best available aircraft. When the first Corsairs were finally procured,
experiments began to determine performance limits, devise tactics, and develop
operational procedures.
On 10 April 1943, less than a year
after Project Affirm was instituted, VF(N)-75 was commissioned as the first
night fighter squadron of the U. S. Navy. Commanded by Lieutenant Commander
William J. Widhelm, the squadron was composed of 18 pilots, six ground
officers, and 30 enlisted men. The manning was largely experimental, too, with
personnel gleaned from what was available; in 1943 spare people and spare parts
were at a premium. Of the pilots, only five had any instrument flying
experience. Three had checked out in Corsairs. Three were qualified only in the
Grumman F4F Wildcat, a plane fast becoming obsolete. The balance had flown
nothing more advanced than the North American SNJ, the workhorse trainer of all
U. S. military flying schools.
Operational necessities reduced tile
size of the original squadron almost before everyone got to know one another.
Six pilots and aircraft and 11 enlisted men were detached and sent to the South
Pacific on I August 1943. This group, still under Commander Widhelm, retained
the VF(N)-75 designation and went into combat as a shore-based unit in the
Solomons. Their primary mission was to clear the skies of "Washing Machine
Charlie," and they were successful in short order. Lieutenant Hugh D.
O'Neil, USNR, flying out of Munda, New Georgia, was vectored to the Japanese
Betty bomber, which was promptly dispatched off Vella Lavella on Halloween
night.
The continued successes of night
fighters from VF(N)-75 and from a Marine squadron, VMFCN)-531, commanded by
Lieutenant Colonel Frank H. Schwable, soon caused a reduction in enemy attacks
as more and more night-flying Japanese aircraft failed to return home. As
shore-based U. S. night fighters proved their worth and the war turned in favor
of the Allies, night fighting activity turned to the offensive.
On 25 August 1943, Project Affirm was
divided into two parts. The development phase was moved to Naval Air Station
Patuxent River, Maryland, where it continued research and testing or'
experimental and operational hardware. Pilot training was placed under a new
organization, the Night Fighter Training Unit (NFTU), with Commander Taylor in
charge. This unit was located at Naval Auxiliary Air Facility Charleston, Rhode
Island, where night training could be carried on with minimal interference to
daytime operations.
Project Affirm had verified that a
qualified naval aviator needed more than ordinary flying skill to become a
competent night fighter pilot. Desire and the ability of an individual to
function effectively in an unconventional environment were equally important.
Accustomed to full use of all one's senses, a psychological adjustment is
necessary when one sense is impaired or denied. Some individuals experience
panic ranging from mild to severe when subjected to extended periods of
complete darkness. Severe claustrophobia can also occur. While the night flying
trainees were not superhuman, it was clear that they had to possess certain
attributes of stability and be highly motivated.
There was no question among the NFTU
instructors that night fighter proficiency required constant practice and
special flying techniques. It took very little to convince pilots learning to
fly F6F Hellcats off carrier decks at night that they couldn't do it relying
solely on instinct. Before climbing into a cockpit, night fighter trainees were
taught to understand aircraft instruments, to fly by them, and to trust them.
A safe night approach to a flight deck
showing only the minimal marker lights requires keen ability to use flight
instruments precisely. Even more challenging is the need to maneuver an
aircraft on instruments in order to follow exacting ground controlled
instructions to complete interception of an unseen enemy target that is taking
evasive action. These maneuvers involve abrupt changes in altitude, violent
turns, and sudden fluctuations in airspeed.
Flight training commenced in Douglas
SBD dive-bombers equipped with airborne radar. These served as flying
classrooms in which the instructors could provide one-on-one training in night
intercept work. The trainees then moved on to Hellcats in which they practiced
ground controlled intercept moves on their own. They also completed an air
schedule that included a series of heckler, zipper, and intruder missions.
Ground training was intensive and
directed toward two practical purposes. It was designed to teach the students
how to use radar and to convert their previously acquired knowledge as naval
aviators to nighttime applications. All ground school work was night-oriented.
Pilots learned to identify aircraft and ships, to work navigation problems, and
to perform normal duties while wearing red-lensed goggles to simulate realistic
conditions.
Emphasis was placed on functional
electronics instruction through use of a radar-equipped Link trainer. In it,
pilots gained experience in making split-second responses to GCI directions and
interpreting visual indications shown on the cockpit scope. Each Link exercise
ended with the gratifying report of a "splash." After the trainer
hop, pilot and radar officer held a critique of the mock mission. GCI officers
who directed this training also gave communications lectures,increasing the
contact between both groups. Since success for the night fighter resulted only
when the fighter director and pilot worked as a team, complete cooperation was
essential.
The program encouraged night fighter
trainees to fly as much as possible. The pilot who logged the most night flying
hours each week was presented with a desk model of his Helical. Long weekend
passes were held out as an incentive to log more hours.
Eventually the Night Fighter Training
Unit was expanded into the Night Attack and Combat Training Unit (Atlantic).
Its mission was enlarged to encompass night carrier landing training. To
accomplish this, the air station at Charleston was converted into a close
approximation of a carrier at sea. At sundown, activities came into full bloom.
The entire station remained blacked-out through the night. Runway lights,
aircraft wing tip lights, control tower illumination, ready rooms, and even
heads were dimly lit to preserve pilots' night vision adaptation. Nothing was
overlooked in the effort to duplicate the atmosphere of realistic carrier
operations. A catapult for night launchings and deck arresting gear for
recoveries were installed on one runway. Landing signal officers were assigned
as instructors to conduct bounce drills and to give lectures on night landing
techniques.
Having completed the course at
Charleston, the night fighter pilot spent several days on an escort carrier off
the Quonset Point area in order to complete carrier qualifications. He then
shipped out to Naval Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii, where Night Attack and
Combat Training Unit (Pacific) provided the final operational polishing prior
to posting to a fleet unit. Twenty-nine weeks of hard training had gone into
the finished product: a first-class Navy night fighter pilot.
In January 1944, Navy night fighters
flew combat missions from a carrier for the first time. Two squadrons, one
equipped with Corsairs and the other with Hellcats, were assigned to four
carriers. Although they maintained their own individual squadron identities,
the first carrier-based Navy fighters were segmented into six-pilot
detachments. For 12 consecutive nights these few pilots flew constantly in an
intense and successful effort to evolve defensive tactics that would be
compatible with fleet procedures.
Lieutenant Commander Richard E. Harmer,
skipper of VF(N)-101, performed the first night interception of an enemy
aircraft by a carrier-launched night fighter. Flying a Corsair, Harmer downed a
Betty near the island of Truk. On succeeding nights, three more Japanese night
intruders were "splashed." One gyrated down out of tile night sky in
flames and in full view of the task force. The admiral promptly radioed a
"well done" from the bridge of his flagship.
As more VF(N) units joined carrier
forces, they extended their range and the number of missions so that the enemy
was under attack virtually around-the-clock. The next step in the Navy's night
fighter program was the night carrier. In August 1944, Night Air Group 41
(NAG-41), made up of specially-trained night fighter and torpedo units, went
aboard the carrier Independence (CVL-22).
Led by Commander Turner F. Caldwell,
NAG-41 made it to the fleet in time to participate in the Palau, Mindanao, and
Luzon campaigns. By 1 October, the pilots were converted to full night status.
Later that month, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the air group lent a hand
when a large group of planes from other carriers went into the water as dusk
approached. The night fighters deployed, sighted flashing lights on the water,
and directed destroyers to the downed planes, earning the gratitude of the
fleet.
How successful were night fighters
compared with their daytime contemporaries? Squadron histories show that in the
Pacific during the latter part of World War II, the groups racked up
approximately equal scores. This is partly due to Japan's strategy of
restricting air operations to small night raids. In Japan's last desperate
effort to stave off American sea power, heavy attacks were mounted by
kamikazes, usually under half-light conditions. With the advent of 24-hour
patrols, the frequency of kamikaze raids dropped.
It was a grand, successful experiment—this
mating of man with radar to make the fighter aircraft a more formidable weapon.
In three short, violent years these men pushed aviation technology ahead by
leaps and bounds. But their successes were not without cost. Among the many
night fighters lost was a Medal of Honor recipient, Lieutenant Commander Edward
H. "Butch" O'Hare, who was killed during night action at Tarawa on 27
November 1943. This small group of men who put their faith in unfamiliar
electronic developments were truly aviation pioneers.
Colonel William C. Odell, U. S. Air Force (Retired)
Colonel Odell commanded
the Army's 420th and 547th Night Fighter Squadrons in World War II. His wartime
service began in England in April 1942 as member of the 1st Pursuit Squadron
(Night Fighter) of the Eighth Air Force. During his 23-year career he also
served as commandant of the Air Force’s instrument flying and all-weather
interceptor schools. He is the author of 23 published novels, and has written
many articles for professional and popular magazines. In 1957 he won the Air
Force's annual short story contest. He has also received the Edgar Award from
the Mystery Writers of America. Colonel Odell currently lives in Colorado
Springs.
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