Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 10 : Hellcat Aces of World War 2

Although Grumman Aircraft Company produced the Wildcat fighter and Avenger torpedo aircraft, the Hellcat unquestionably became the Long Island firm's greatest contribution to the American victory. Built in large numbers (more than 12,000 airframes in three years), the F6F proved a near-perfect weapon for the war it had to fight. With a superb engine and no serious developmental problems, it was tough enough to withstand routine carrier operations. It was also reasonably fast, well-armed, easy to fly and (perhaps more importantly) easy to maintain. In short, the Hellcat was a masterpiece of carrier-aircraft engineering and design. Small wonder that it became the most successful vehicle for a generation of American fighter aces. Grumman's successor to the pugnacious Wildcat, the Hellcat embodied many of the lessons learnt by F4F pilots in the opening months of the Pacific war. Introduced to the fleet in January 1943, and blooded in combat against the Japanese by VF-5 seven months later, the F6F served as the principal US Navy fighter on board carrier decks until VJ-Day. Despite its lethality in the air when ranged against the best Japanese fighters, it still retained docile handling qualities around the carrier deck. Pilots flying the Hellcat claimed nearly 5000 kills in the Pacific, and over 350 pilots achieved ace status on the type. Text by Barrett Tillman with illustrations by Mike Styling.

Contents

• Ace Maker
• The Year of Decision
• To the Philippines
• Tokyo Bound
• Fleet Air Arm and Anvil-Dragoon
• End Game
• Wartime History of VF-19
• Appendices