You may have never heard of Louis Curdes, and if that’s the case, you’re in for a treat, especially if you like watching brave pilots in action during World War II. Join us, as we look at the pilot with the strangest kill rate in history.
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Louis Edward Curdes
During World War II, Louis Edward "Lou" Curdes was an American flying ace in the United States Army Air Forces who had the unusual distinction of scoring an official and intentional air to-air kill against another American aircraft, as well as shooting down at least one aircraft from each of the major Axis powers. Curdes was also a “Prisoner of War” escapee who spent around nine months in enemy territory. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross twice, as well as the Purple Heart and Prisoner of War Medal. He piloted a Lockheed P-38 Lightning and a North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft, the latter earning the nickname "Bad Angel." Curdes was one of just three American pilots who shot down aircraft from the German, Italian, and Japanese aviation forces. The other two pilots were Lieutenant Colonel Carl Payne and Major General Levi R. Chase. Curdes shot down seven German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters, an Italian Macchi C.202 fighter, a Japanese Mitsubishi Ki-46 reconnaissance aircraft, and an American Douglas C-47 Skytrain. He also flew Douglas C-54 Skymasters in the Berlin Airlift after the war and later created a construction company after retiring from the military after 22 years of service.
Early life
Louis Edward Curdes was born on November 2, 1919, to Esther H., a former schoolteacher, and Walter L. Curdes, a real estate developer and builder. During the Great Depression, he grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with one sister and attended North Side High School until graduating in 1938. Curdes played basketball and ran track in high school, but his coach saw him smoking, and he was kicked off both teams. He would also help to maintain numerous of his father's rental properties. Walter Curdes was interested in aviation and helped Art Smith get his plane airborne. He also took young Louis to air races at Smith Field, Cleveland, and Georgia. Curdes was eight or nine years old when he was given a ride in a Curtiss JN Jenny from World War I. Curdes' father also took him to witness the construction of the USS Akron and USS Macon airships. Because of these events, young Louis had a strong interest in aviation. Louis later enrolled in Purdue University's engineering program and worked in construction during the summers.
He only infrequently followed the current wars in Europe and Asia but held a great disdain for Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. After three years of studies, he dropped out and joined the military to become a pilot on December 6, 1941, the day before the Pearl Harbor assault. Curdes became a Flying Cadet about a month later, spending the following month in Santa Ana, California, two months in Ontario, California, two months in Lancaster, California for Basic Combat Training, and finally, two months in Luke Field, Arizona. He trained on a variety of aircraft, including the Stearman PT-13, North American T-6 Texan, Vultee BT-13 Valiant, and Curtiss P-36 Hawk. At the time, few cadets had flown the high-performance P-36 Hawk. On March 12th, 1942, he joined the Army Reserve and eventually rose to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. He graduated from Flying School on December 3rd, 1942, at Luke Field in Arizona, at the age of 23, and was assigned to the Mediterranean theater.