F4F Wildcat vs A6M Zero-sen

Author: Edward M. Young
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1780963238
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 82

Book Description
The Grumman F4F Wildcat and the Mitsubishi A6M Zero-sen were contemporaries, although designed to very different requirements. The Wildcat, ruggedly built to survive the rigors of carrier operations, was the best carrier fighter the US Navy had available when the USA entered World War II, and it remained the principal fighter for the US Navy and the US Marine Corps until 1942–43. With a speed greater than 300mph, exceptional manoeuvrability, long range, and an impressive armament the slick Zero-sen could out-perform any Allied fighter in 1941–42. The battles between the Wildcat and the Zero-sen during 1942 represent a classic duel in which pilots flying a nominally inferior fighter successfully developed air-combat tactics that negated the strengths of their opponent.

F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat Aces of VF-2

Author: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472805593
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 96

Book Description
An illustrated history of the pilots of VF-2 who had a spectacular scoring rate and fought in many of the major aerial campaigns of the Pacific War. The first VF-2 was a prewar unit that had been dubbed the 'hottest outfit afloat' due to the skill of their non-commissioned pilots. This first unit only saw combat at the Battle of the Coral Sea, although VF-2 pilots flying Grumman F4F Wildcats were able to rack up 17 claims there during the bitter 48-hour period of fighting. The second 'Fighting Two' was armed with the new Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighter. Arriving in Hawaii in October 1943, the squadron so impressed Cdr Edward H 'Butch' O'Hare, the Medal of Honor-winning first US Navy ace of World War 2, that he requested the squadron replace VF-6 in his CAG-6 aboard USS Enterprise. No unit US Navy unit created more aces than VF-2, whose pilots went into action over the Carolines, Marianas, Guam, Iwo Jima and the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Using exquisite photographs and first-hand accounts from the elite fliers themselves, this volume tells the story of the ace pilots who comprised the original VF-2 and the second.

Grumman F6F Hellcat

Author: Corwin H. Meyer
Publisher: Naval Fighters
ISBN: 9780984611454
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
The Grumman F6F Hellcat was the most important Naval aircraft in WWII. Without it the Pacific war would have had a very protracted conclusion. The F6F was built to Roy Grumman's simple design philosophy "Grumman will only build an easily-produced, maintained and reliable combat aircraft that can be readily mastered by a 200-hour, war-time pilot trained to fly from a carrier, engage in successful combat, sustain combat damage, return to the carrier, and land his aircraft after dark so that he can be available for combat again the next day." Because the F6F was all that, it earned Grumman the nick name "The Ironworks." Grumman built 12,275 Hellcats during WWII in its successful effort of clearing the skys of the Japanese. The XF6F was first flown on August 8, 1942 and the production version, the F6F-3 flew on October 3, 1942. The F6F-3 first entered squadron service with VF-9 on January 16, 1943 and drew its first blood over Marcus Island on August 31, 1943. The Hellcat shot down 5,156 enemy aircraft, for a kill-to-loss ratio of 19-to-1, while producing 307 aces. This was the aircraft of the largest one-day air battle of all time, the "Marianas Turkey Shoot" where more than 540 Hellcats fought 440 Japanese naval aircraft backed by up to 600 Japanese Army aircraft. Result was 354 enemy aircraft kills were claimed by the Hellcats while only 16 F6Fs were lost to Japanese aircraft. The Hellcat would see combat as photo birds (F6F-3P/5Ps) and night fighters (F6F-3E/3N/5E/5Ns) too as well as the improved F6F-5 fighter. The book covers the F6Fs development, testing, and production written by Grumman's test pilot "Corky" Meyer. This is followed by technical details and a running combat narrative. The Marines, British, French, and European action is covered as well as training command during and after WWII and sections on post war, reserve, drones, and Hellcat prey.

Wildcat Aces of World War 2

Author: Barrett Tillman
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 9781855324862
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Arguably the most important piston-engined single-seat fighter design ever to see service with the US Navy and Marine Corps, the aesthetically inelegant F4F Wildcat achieved much acclaim during its bloody frontline career. Thrown into combat at Coral Sea, Midway and Guadalcanal, the handful of Wildcat units of the Navy and Marine Corps took on large numbers of fighters and bombers and came out victorious. On the European front, the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm also put the fighter to effective use from escort carriers, protecting Atlantic convoys from Luftwaffe attacks.

First Into Action

Author: Duncan Falconer
Publisher: Lume Books
ISBN: 9781839012341
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 296

Book Description
First into Action tells how Duncan Falconer trained with the Royal Marines before being recruited into the SBS. The ruthless training is graphically described, as are accounts of operations in Ulster, Bosnia and the Gulf War. It is the first Special Boat Services memoir written from the inside.

Grumman F4F Wildcat - F6F Hellcat

Author: Mantelli - Brown - Kittel - Graf
Publisher: Edizioni R.E.I.
ISBN: 2372971840
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 64

Book Description
The Grumman F4F Wildcat was a single-engine fighter embarked wing media developed by the US Air Force Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation in the late thirties. Produced between the end of the decade to the early forties was the main hunting, usually embarked on aircraft carriers, the United States Navy in 1941 and 1942, ie in the first year of participation in the Second World War and successor, and descendant of the F3F, last the biplane fighter of the US Navy and Air Force of the entire United States of America. The Grumman F4F Wildcat was the standard fighter of the US Navy to operate from the deck of aircraft carrier in the first two years of war and as such he was called to take the weight to counter the Japanese air offensive, mainly conducted by the formidable Mitsubishi A6M Zero (Zero fighter) . The Grumman F6F Hellcat was developed quickly as a standard fighter of the US Navy in World War II, entering service in 1943 and remained the most important aircraft of the US Navy until the end of the conflict. It was the direct descendant of the F4F Wildcat that, according to forecasts, had to be a useful replacement for the Navy aircraft carrier in order to better counteract the way to the Japanese fighters. According to statistics gathered by the Defense, 75% of enemy planes shot down by American aircraft operating from aircraft carriers in all theaters of war is to be credited all'Hellcat. In addition to the 4,947 Japanese aircraft shot down by the Germans and F6F operating from aircraft carriers, the Hellcat which started from bases on land destroyed 209 enemy aircraft, bringing the total number of victories in each military sector worldwide in 5,156.

Grumman F4F wildcat

Author: Andre R. Zbiegniewski
Publisher:
ISBN: 9788389088536
Category : Wildcat (Fighter plane)
Languages : en
Pages : 84

Book Description

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Author: Oleksandr Boiko
Publisher: Topdrawings
ISBN: 9788365437631
Category : Grumman airplanes
Languages : en
Pages : 24

Book Description
The Grumman's fighters represent the strength of the US Navy Air Force during World War 2. The first of the family to prove itself in combat was F4F Wildcat which took part in defense of Wake Atoll as well as Battle of Midway. Its successor - remarkably good F6F Hellcat - became a legend for being the best carrier-based fighter in the mentioned conflict. The line was continued by F8F Bearcat which entered the service at the end of war but did not manage to take part in combat. The Grumman Company continued the tradition of designing excellent carrier-based aircrafts after the war, in the jet era. Surely, the two most recognizable jets from Grumman's stable were supersonic F-14 Tomcat (with variable-sweep wing) and A-6 Intruder. In the second half of the thirties, Grumman developed a line of carrier-based biplanes. A very good SF-1 started the series. It was the first American fighter with retractable undercarriage. SF-1 became the base for the F2F fighter. After lengthening of the fuselage and increasing the wings bearing surface it quickly became the F3F version. Every next model was better than previous. The F4F was planned next, also as the biplane, but during the construction the conception was changed and engineers decided to apply the mid-wing airframe. It started the long line of superb Grumman's fighters. The new aircraft was tested in air on the 2nd of September 1937. The first serial planes, marked as F4F-2, were manufactured from August 1939. The plane had innovative wing folding system which put both wings along the fuselage to minimize the space needed to store it in carriers' hangar. This unique mechanical solution became one of the hallmarks of Grumman's planes. Interestingly, the undercarriage was retracted manually by the pilot with the help of a special crank installed in the cockpit. The name "Wildcat" was used for the first time in 1941.

Modelling the F4F Wildcat

Author: Mark Glidden
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782001921
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 159

Book Description
The F4F Wildcat was an aircraft of the type of which legends are made. Without the handling performance that made the Japanese Zero so famous, it was well regarded for its ruggedness and firepower and, in the hands of a skilled pilot who understood both its strengths and weaknesses, it was capable of holding its own against the best that its opponents had to offer. This book details projects that encompass four variants of the F4 Wildcat. As they were supplied to a number of air forces during the war, including the RAF, there is a wide range of markings available to modellers which are also dealt with in detail. Covering a range of modelling abilities from a beginner's first build to an expert scratch-building extras, this book is illustrated with full-colour step-by-step photographs.

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Author: Zbigniew Kolacha
Publisher:
ISBN: 9788366549357
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
40 color profiles of the Grumman F4F Wildcat versions. Specially commissioned profiles with high level details.