GRUMMAN F4F WILDCAT
F-4F of VF-41 'RED RIPPERS', RANGER Air Group AG-41, 1942
This stubby but rugged little plane was the main fighter for the U.S. Navy during the hard-fought first year of the war. It saw action at the Coral Sea, Midway, and the Solomons Campaign. Despite claims that it was no match for the Zero, it more than held its own, due to its solid construction and the quality of the pilots that flew her. While it was replaced by the F6F Hellcat in most Navy fighter squadrons during 1943, a variant (the FM-2 Wildcat built by General Motors) continued to be used from jeep carriers until the war's end.
GRUMMAN F4F WILDCAT
F-4F of VF-41 'RED RIPPERS', RANGER Air Group AG-41, 1942
This stubby but rugged little plane was the main fighter for the U.S. Navy during the hard-fought first year of the war. It saw action at the Coral Sea, Midway, and the Solomons Campaign. Despite claims that it was no match for the Zero, it more than held its own, due to its solid construction and the quality of the pilots that flew her. While it was replaced by the F6F Hellcat in most Navy fighter squadrons during 1943, a variant (the FM-2 Wildcat built by General Motors) continued to be used from jeep carriers until the war's end.