Louis Curdes, WW2 Flying Ace
My grandmother, Edna Neukom Peterson had a sister, Irene Neukom. Irene at the age of 38, married Walter Curdes age 58. It was Irene's first marriage.
Walter's son Louis was a WW2 flying ace, prisoner of war and was married to a Hollywood starlet.
World War II Flying Ace
Recipient of two Distinguished Flying Cross medals and a Purple Heart
Louis was the son of Walter Curdes and Esther Kover. He grew up in Fort Wayne and enrolled in Purdue University. After almost three years of studying, Louis joined the Army Reserves on March 12, 1942. He was commissioned a second lieutenant, and graduated from flight school on December 3, 1942 at Luke Field, Arizona. He joined the 329th FG, but transferred to the 82nd FG, 95th FS, where he saw action over North Africa, Sardinia and Italy flying P-38Gs. On April 29, 1943 he shot down three German Me-109s and damaged a fourth near Cap Bon, Tunisia. Two more Me-109s were shot down near Villacidro, Sardinia on May 19. On June 24 he brought down an Italian Mc.202 over Golfo Aranci, Sardinia. Another Me-109 was damaged on July 30 at Pratice di Mare, Italy. His last two victories in the Mediterranean Theater were two Me-109s over Benevento, Italy. When his plane was damaged in fighting, he was forced down in Italy and spent months in war prisons, until his eventual escape and walk to freedom. He escaped from the POW camp on September 8, 1943 after Italy surrendered and before Germans could take over the prison camp. He and several others managed to survive behind German lines until crossing into Allied territory on May 24, 1944. He requested combat duty in the Pacific, and joined the 4th FS (Commando) and 3rd FG (Commando) in August 1944. On February 7, 1945 he shot down a Dinah while flying a P-51D thirty miles southwest of Formosa (Taiwan).
He became one of only three Allied Pilots to shoot down at least one plane from each of the three Major Axis Nations. Lt Curdes shot down 7 German Messerschmitt Bf-109 aircraft, 1 Italian Mc.202 aircraft and 1 Japanese Mitsubishi aircraft.
On February 10 1945 he deliberately shot down an American C-47 transport plane that was about to mistakenly land on the Japanese held island of Batan. All passengers and crew were safely rescued the following day in the Pacific Ocean. Newspaper accounts that his future wife was aboard the plane are not true, according to Valeria's granddaughter. After World War II ended, Louis joined the local Air National Guard unit at Baer Field and remained with them until 1948. In Allen County, Indiana on April 2 1946 he married Svetlana Valeria Shostakovich Brownell. She was the daughter of Valerian Shostakovich of Russia and Lukoff R Maltzeff of China (it is not known why she signed her surname as Brownell, which wasn't either of her parents names). Louis had been divorced in 1944 and Valeria stated that this was her first marriage. Valeria was born in Harbin, Manchuria, China on May 23 1925. Louis then returned to active duty, this time in the United States Air Force. He participated in the Berlin Airlift. He was promoted to Major on September 1, 1951, and retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel in October 1963. After his retirement from the United States Air Force he started a construction business as Curdes Builders Company. His widow died on October 10, 2013.
His aircraft, a P-51, (the 'Bad Angel') is now in the Pima Air Museum in Tucson, AZ.
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Svetlana Valeria was the daughter of Valerian Shostakovich of Russia and Lyubov (Luboff) R. Maltzeff or Maltzeva of China. Her name at birth was Svetlana Valeria Shostakovich. She was born in the Russian enclave of Harbin, Manchuria. She signed her surname as Brownell on her marriage license, which wasn't either of her parents names. She had used the stage name 'Valeria Brownell' while aspiring to be a Hollywood starlet. Louis had been divorced in 1944 and Valeria stated that this was her first marriage. She was married to Louis Edward Curdes on April 2 1946 by Rev. Paul Krauss.
She obtained her United States citizenship in January of 1944. She first worked as an actress, appearing in the film Bathing Beauty with Esther Williams, Red Skelton, Margaret Dumont, and Basil Rathbone. Valeria was the niece of the famed composer Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975). It is possible that she was on a USO tour in southeast Asia when she met her future husband Louis. Valeria lived in many interesting places as an army wife, including Tripoli, Japan, and Nevada.
They are both buried in Lindenwood Cemetery, Fort Wayne, Indiana
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