The OA-10 was the U.S. Army Air Forces' version of the PBY series flown extensively by the U.S. Navy during World War II. It was a twin-engine, parasol-mounted monoplane equipped with a flying boat hull, retractable tricycle landing gear and retractable wing-tip floats. The OA-10 operated primarily for air-sea rescue work ("DUMBO" missions) with the USAAF's Emergency Rescue Squadrons throughout WWII and for several years thereafter. During the war, OA-10 crews rescued hundreds of downed fliers.
The prototype Catalina first flew on March 28, 1935, and the production version was built in both seaplane and amphibian versions. The Consolidated Aircraft Corp., along with Canadian Vickers Ltd. and the Naval Aircraft Factory, produced nearly 2,500 Catalinas; of these, the USAAF received approximately 380.
Source: www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=522
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The heavily-armed Black Widow was the United States' first aircraft specifically designed as a night-fighter. The P-61 carried radar equipment in its nose that enabled its crew of two or three to locate enemy aircraft in total darkness and fly into proper position to attack.
The XP-61 was flight-tested in 1942 and the delivery of production aircraft began in late 1943. The P-61 flew its first operational intercept mission as a night fighter in Europe on July 3, 1944, and later was also used as a night intruder over enemy territory. In the Pacific, a Black Widow claimed its first "kill" on the night of July 6, 1944. As P-61s became available, they replaced interim Douglas P-70s and Bristol Beaufighters in all USAAF night fighter squadrons.
Source: www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=524
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"Stinky" flight jacket
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