US Army – 4th Fighting Squadron(C), 3 ACG 44-63272 / C "Bad Angel", Lt. L. E. Curdes, Laoag, 1945

On February 10th the 4th Fighter Squadron P-51D Mustang “Bad Angel” was flying over Bataan Island in the Formosa Strait. USAAF Second Lieutenant Louis Curdes spots a C-47 Skytrain on approach to land at a Japanese airfield. After the C-47 fails to respond to his attempt to warn its pilots of their mistake, he shoots out its engines, forcing it to ditch offshore, and its passengers and crew take to life rafts. He then drops them a message telling them to keep away from shore.

He and his wingman return to base, then fly back to the rafts before dawn the next morning to cover their rescue by PBY-5A Catalina. Upon returning to base, he discovers that he had been out on a date with a nurse aboard the plane the night before he shot it down. Although he sports an American flag on his P-51D to signify shooting down the C-47, he is not awarded an official kill, but he does receive an Oak Leaf Cluster to his Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal for his actions.

He becomes the only American pilot to shoot down German, Italian, Japanese, and an American aircraft during World War II.

Kit details

• Kit: Airfix A01004A (+Peddinghaus-Decals EP 2573)
• Scale: 1:72
• Completed on: 2/8/2020