File:417th Night Fighter Squadron P-61B-15-NO Black Widow 'Carolyn' Fritzlar Germany 1946 (1).jpg

English: Northrop P-61B-15-NO 'Black Widow' (s/n 42-39605) 'Carolyn', 417th NFS. Morris “Dirty” Dalton was the pilot. Photo taken at Fritzlar AAF Station (30 Km SW Kassel), Germany 1946. The USAAF 417th Night Fighter Squadron was based at Giebelstadt Airfield (Y-90) 24 April 1945 - 21 May 1945.
The brand-new Northrop P-61B-15-NO 'Black Widow' - here the aircraft Carolyn of pilot Morris "Dirty" Dalton in Fritzlar, 1946 - which had only been delivered to the 417th Night Fighter Squadron in March 1945, were transferred from St. Dizier Airfield in France to Giebelstadt, south of Würzburg, shortly after the capture of Giebelstadt airfield by the US 12th Armored Division on April 24, 1945. Until May 8, 1945 - the day of the unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht - combat missions were still flown in support of the advancing US Army to the south, including at the bridgeheads on the Danube in the Dillingen and Ulm areas. One P-61 was shot down by friendly fire, although no information is available on the fate of the pilot and the radar operator. On a second P-61 involved in the mission, one of the two engines was also hit by friendly fire, but the aircraft was able to return to Giebelstadt in single-engine flight without any problems. (Source: Thomas G. Hart, 1993; https://www.417th-nightfighters.com/?page_id=271). The 417th NFS left Giebelstadt on May 21, 1945, and flew its P-61 to Biblis Airfield (Y-78), SW Darmstadt. The ground crew followed with their equipment by road march.