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Military History and
Aviation Study Notes
The Grumman Hellcat was designed from the beginning to take back the skies
over the Pacific from the Japanese Zero. Though not as maneuverable as the
smaller Japanese Zero, the Hellcat's speed and firepower usually won the day.
Successor to the Grumman Wildcat, the F6F Hellcat made history in 1942 when
it decisively whipped the
Japanese
aircraft carrier based fighters opposing it in
the Pacific during WW2. In addition to its duty as a
aircraft carrier-based
fighter, the Hellcat served with the U.S. Marine Corps as a potent
fighter-bomber.
In the summer of 1942, Jim Vernon joined the
U.S.
Navy's aviation cadet training program and by the spring of 1945 he was flying
F6F Hellcats from the
USS Ticonderoga off the coast of Japan. This memoir of his
years at war provides a carrier pilot's view of the conflict in the Pacific
during the final months of the war when the
atomic bombs
were dropped and Japan
capitulated.
James H. "Jimmy" Flatley, who rose to the rank of
Vice Admiral after World War II, helped introduce the F6F Hellcat into combat in
1943. Replicating the F6F-3 Hellcat, "White 00," that he flew as Commander of
Air Group 5 on the USS Yorktown in May of 1943.
On November 19, 1943, Lt. (jg) Hamilton McWhorter
III, operating off the USS Essex, downs a
Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bomber to
become the first pilot to claim five victories in the Grumman F6F Hellcat.
Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10
Airplane Engines
Since 1946, the
U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration
Squadron has taken performance flying to new levels.
"Blue Angel Number One," Roy M. "Butch" Voris, this limited edition
print features a wonderful depiction of his Grumman F6F Hellcat that he flew
as Officer-in-Charge of the first Navy Flight Exhibition Team - the Blue Angels.
His wartime accomplishments and flight team history are all here.
F4U Corsair and F6F Hellcat versus the
Japanese
A6M Zero, the 617 Squadron "Dambusters" Operation Chastise bombing raids, B-24s
on the Ploesti mission, the battle for the Island of Malta, the air war over the
battlefields of the Kursk Salient between
Russian and
German aces.
Navy fighter piloted by Commander David McCampbell, Congressional Medal
of Honor recipient who shot down 34 Japanese aircraft in one tour
of duty, including nine enemy planes in one mission - an unparalleled
achievement in American fighter aviation. F6F-5 "Minsi II," flown by the Air Group Commander of VF-15 (Fabled Fifteen)
off the aircraft carrier "Essex." Here, Commander David McCampbell is engaged with
Japanese aircraft over the Philippines on October 24, 1944. Commander
McCampbell and his wingman intercepted 60 enemy aircraft en route to an
attack on the U.S. Fleet, and in the ensuing fight he shot down nine of
the enemy and forced them to abandon their attack. Naval fighter
piloted by Lt. H. "Mac" McWorther III, the first Hellcat ace who ultimately
scored 12 victories. Cdr. Hamilton McWhorter III, USN (Ret.), a
Hellcat ace who flew first in North Africa then flew from the USS Essex,
from which he shot down 12 Japanese aircraft. He was the U.S. Navy's first
Hellcat ace. post-WWII era craft of the Blue Angels' first flight
leader, Lt. Cmdr. Roy "Butch" Voris.
VF-6 Hellcat piloted by Lt. (JG) Alexander Vraciu who, just weeks after
leaving VF-6 for VF-16, shot down an amazing total of six
Japanese "Judy" dive
bombers during what came to be known as The Marianas Turkey Shoot
He shot down a total of six Japanese "Judy" dive bombers in a period of only
eight minutes…
Replicating Gadget, the F6F Hellcat flown by
19-victory ace Lt. Alexander Vraciu - the U.S. Navy's fourth-leading ace of all
time - with VF-6 in the Pacific Theater of World War II.
F6F Hellcat pilot and Medal of Honor recipient Capt.
David McCampbell departs the USS Essex during the Marianas Turkey Shoot.
The Marianas Turkey Shoot of World War II.
Tillman. In June, 1944, American and Japanese carrier fleets both hoped to take
control of the vital Marianas Islands - and when they met, their engagement
escalated into the most spectacular aircraft carrier battle in history.
The battle in which more than 300 Japanese
aircraft were destroyed. VF-27 markings
of Lt. Carl Brown, who flew from the
USS Princeton in October 1944.
Preparing to attack a Japanese force of 60 aircraft
over the Philippines during the Battle of Leyte Gulf on October 24, 1944, Cmdr.
David McCampbell and his wingman Lt. Roy Rushing are about to fly their F6F
Hellcats into history by splashing 15 enemy aircraft, including nine by
McCampbell. F6F Hellcat flown from the
USS Santee (CVE-29)
in 1945 804
Squadron markings from the Pacific campaign of 1945
The N1K2-J Shiden-Kai "George" flown by CPO Shoichi
Sugita of the 343rd Kokutai claims four F6F Hellcats and another three
probable's during the shredding of an unsuspecting and overconfident carrier
strike group near Kure on March 19, 1945.
Though production of the Hellcat ceased shortly after
the end of World War II, some aircraft - such as this one flown by the French
Navy over Indochina in 1953 - remained in service for years.
U.S. Navy's VU-1/VC Utility Squadron from Hawaii, 1959
Radar-equipped night fighter with
a wing-mounted AN/APS-6 radar flown by
12-victory ace Lt. William E. Henry, who was executive
officer of VF(N)-41 squadron on the
USS Independence in 1944 and the top U.S.
Navy night fighter ace of World War II with 6½ nighttime victories. |
