Curdes LouisEdward

American fighter pilot and flying ace of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross twice and a Purple Heart. He flew a North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft with the nickname "Bad Angel". Curdes was one of the only three American pilots to shoot down aircraft of the German, Italian and Japanese air forces, belonging to the three main countries that comprised the Axis Powers. He also has the unusual distinction of having downed a United States aircraft. In total, he shot down seven German Messerschmitt Bf 109s, an Italian Macchi C.202 fighter, a Japanese Mitsubishi Ki-46 reconnaissance aircraft and an American Douglas C-47 Skytrain. Louis Curdes died on 5 February 1995 at the age of 75. Link to Wikipedia biography Read less