Who is that?
He shot down his wife!
He is one of only three WWII Aces to score victories over airplanes of all three Axis powers along with shooting down his future wife
His victory markings include German, Italian, Japanese and United States aircraft.
Out Of Place
On February 10, 1945, Lieutenant Curdes was orbiting at low altitude over the Philippine Sea north of Luzon covering another P-51 pilot, Lieutenant La Croix, who was floating in a dingy after bailing out of his battle damaged Mustang near Batan Island.*
While attempting to arrange a PBY Catalina rescue of Lieutenant La Croix, Curdes made a strafing run over the Japanese airfield. As he pulled up, he noticed a twin-engine aircraft headed for the island.
* Batan Island is where the Japanese invasion of the Philippines began in December 1941
Persistent
He closed on the aircraft and identified it as a C-47 Skytrain transport with USAAF markings and a familiar number on the tail.
It was one of the “Jungle Skippers” of the 317th Troop Carrier Group, and not likely a Japanese acquired C-47 masking itself as an American. Unable to contact the Skytrain to warn it off as the aircraft began its final approach to land, Lieutenant Curdes dove in front of the aircraft three times attempting to spoil the Skytrain’s landing.
Nevertheless, the pilot continued to attempt a landing. He was not even dissuaded by a burst of machine gun fire across the aircraft’s nose.
Second Thoughts...
Finally, Lieutenant Curdes decided to shoot the Skytrain down. Using his machine guns, he disabled the starboard engine first.
Then, as the transport turned out to sea with one engine gone, Curdes made a 180-degree turn and disabled the other engine. The C-47 settled into the water within yards of Lieutenant La Croix’s dinghy. All occupants of the transport climbed aboard life rafts.
Doing a low pass over the crash site, he observed that everyone was an American. Accordingly, Curdes went back to orbiting the now expanded rescue scene.
Before daylight the next morning, Curdes returned to the rescue scene (with his wingman), and remained until a rescue Catalina arrived.
Returning to his base, Curdes learned that the C-47 was carrying 12 American occupants including two Army nurses.* He learned that the Skytrain pilot had become lost and was forced to head for the nearest visible landing strip because of a fuel shortage.
Lieutenant Curdes was startled when he glanced at the names of the survivors. One of the nurses was Valorie, a nurse he had met the night before the shoot down of the Skytrain.
They would be married. Lieutenant Curdes had shot down his future wife!
Lieutenant Curdes received the Distinguished Flying Cross for shooting down the C-47 Skytrain. He is the only American aviator ever honored for shooting down another American airplane.
He is also the only American aviator who shot down his future wife.