Midnite Madness – Iwo Jima Models

AeroMaster produced several decals sheets featuring markings for Northrop’s P-61 Black Widow night fighter. One sheet, Black Widows Best Sellers Pt. 1 (48-628), provides markings for three 548th NFS Black Widows that were stationed on Iwo Jima.

As can be seen from the aircraft profiles, 548th NFS Black Widows are identified by their distinctive red spinners and cowl flaps. On this sheet, decals are provided for Midnite Madness, Cooper’s Snoopers, and The Spook/Anonymous III.

This decal sheet was released in 2003 and was printed by Cartograf. The artwork is really nice, and the sheet includes national insignias, squadron badges, uniform markings and stencils in addition to the plane specific nose art. The decals are in register which is what you would expect from Cartograf.

Midnite Madness was a P-61A-11 Black Widow (Serial No. 42-5610) flown by Captain James W. Bradford. The Radar Observer (R/O) was Lt. Lawrence K. Lunt and the Gunner-Observer was MSgt. Reno H. Sukow. Because it is difficult to determine the color of the lettering of the name from black and white photos, AeroMaster has given you three options: light blue, yellow and red. Midnite Madness was written off and salvaged after a landing accident with The Spook/Anonymous III on April 20, 1945.

***Captain James W. Bradford in Midnite Madness on Iwo Jima (Jeff Kolln via Eric Shulenberger, PhD, JD)***

Cooper’s Snooper was a P-61B-2 Black Widow (Serial No. 42-39454) flown by Captain George C. Cooper. The Radar Observer was 2nd Lt. Stanley S. Babst and the Gunner-Observer was SSgt. James O. Miller. Cooper’s Snooper would survive the war and end up in a boneyard at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines.

***Cooper’s Snooper on Iwo Jima (Dave Weisman via Eric Shulenberger, PhD, JD)***

The Spook/Anonymous III was P-61B-1 Black Widow (Serial No. 42-39405) flown by Lt. Melvin W. Bode. His Radar Observer was Lt. Avery J. Miller and the Gunner-Observer was Lt. John C. Hope. The Spook/Anonymous III was lost of April 20, 1945, when it landed in dense fog and collided with Midnite Madness. Both Black Widows were written off.

***The Spook/Anonymous III on Iwo Jima (Melvin Bode/Mickey Russell via Eric Shulenberger, PhD, JD)***

This decal sheet is no longer in production and is hard to find. Every once in a while it shows up on eBay. These three aircraft are also on the following AeroMaster decal sheets:

Midnite Madness – Midnight Widows Part II (48-474)

The Spook/Anonymous III – Midnight Widows Part III (48-475)

Cooper’s Snooper – Midnight Widows Part IV (48-489)

Again, all of these decal sheets are no longer in production and are hard to find. In subsequent posts, I will review decal sheets that contain markings for 548th NFS Black Widows from other decal manufacturers (Kits World and Print Scale) that are in production and readily available to modelers in 1/72nd, 1/48th and 1/32nd scales.

The image above is a United States Army Air Force photo taken on Iwo Jima on March 6, 1945, and shows Midnite Madness, a 548th Night Fighter Squadron Northrop P-61A-11 Black Widow (Serial No. 42-5610) landing on South Field with the tails of two 47th Fighter Squadron/15th Fighter Group Mustangs in the foreground.

On March 6th, Brigadier General Ernest M. “Mickey” Moore, commanding officer of the 7th Fighter Command, and 24 North American P-51D Mustangs landed on South Field. Shortly thereafter, 13 Northrop P-61A Black Widows of the 548th NFS landed on South Field in flights of four, the extra being a 6th NFS Black Widow “guide dog” with the first flight. Which P-61 Black Widow was the first to land on Iwo Jima?

According to the photo above, it was Midnite Madness. The official caption for the photo reads, “A Northrop P-61 ‘Black Widow’ taxies to the parking area at No.1 Airfield on Iwo Jima, Bonin Islands. This is the first night fighter to land at the field. 6 March 1945.” But that caption may not be accurate.

According to Eric Shulenberger, the author of Deny Them the Night Sky: A History of the 548th Night Fighter Squadron, the first P-61 Black Widow to land on Iwo Jima was most likely the 6th NFS “guide dog” P-61 on Temporary Additional Duty leading the 548th NFS’s A Flight from the Marianas to Iwo Jima. Piecing together written statements of 548th pilots and personnel, Dr. Shulenberger believes that Bat Out’A Hell (Serial No. 42-5609) was the first 548th P-61 to land on Iwo Jima. Midnite Madness landed with the second flight and was most likely the 7th P-61 to land on Iwo Jima.

I will review several decal sheets containing markings for 548th NFS Black Widows in the near future, in addition to reviewing Deny Them the Night Sky: A History of the 548th Night Fighter Squadron. Excellent book!

References:

Eric Shulenberger, PhD, JD; Deny Them the Night Sky: A History of the 548th Night Fighter Squadron, self published by Dr. Shulenberger (2005).

Iwo Jima Models

Tag: Midnite Madness

Decal Review: AeroMaster Decals’ 1/48 Black Widows Best Sellers Pt. 1 (48-628)

Photo(s) of the Week; “Midnite Madness” on Iwo Jima