P-61 Black Widow Units of World War 2 (Osprey Combat Aircraft 8)

The first aircraft to be purposely designed as a radar-equipped nightfigher, Northrop's P-61 Black Widow was heavily influenced by early RAF combat experience with radar-equipped aircraft in the years 1940/41 of World War II (1939-1945). Built essentially around the bulky Radiation Laboratory SCR-720 radar, which was mounted in the aircraft's nose, the P-61 proved to be the largest fighter ever produced for frontline service by the USAAF. Twin-engined and twin-boomed, the Black Widow was armed with a dorsal barbette of four 0.50-in Browning machine guns and two ventrally-mounted 20 mm cannon. This volume features all the frontline users of the mighty P-61, and includes many first-hand accounts from pilots and gunners who saw action in the Pacific, Mediterranean and Western Europe. The first aircraft to be purposely designed as a radar-equiped nightfighter, Northrop's P-61 Black Widow was the largest fighter in frontline service with the USAAF. This volume features frontline users of the P-61, including many first-hand accounts from pilots and gunners. Wars have been fought for thousands of years, and in most, if not all of these conflicts, combat has taken place almost exclusively during daylight hours. Beskriver P-61 Black Widow natjageroperationer under 2. verdenskrig