BoeingFan7879
Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat
Lessons learned at the Battles of Coral Sea and Midway led to Grumman introducing the F4F-4 variant, with six guns and folding wings. The Wildcat, despite initial setbacks such as frequent gun jams and a lack of fighters, proved its resilience. Even the huge Lexington-class carriers could only carry up to 20 F4F-3s, but with the F4F-4s, fighter strength went up to 30-40 aircraft. Pilots, though initially disliking the heavier weight of the F4F-4, found the added punch to be helpful. The F4F-4s, despite their challenges, would do their best from land bases.
During the long six-month brutal struggle for Guadalcanal, Marine Corps Wildcats from Henderson Field fought on even terms with the best Zero pilots the Imperial Japanese Navy could muster. The superlative performance of men like John Smith, Marion Carl, and Joseph Foss—all of whom would go on to win the Medal of Honor—resulted in the F4F sustaining a 6:1 kill ratio over their Japanese opponents.
By 1943, it was evident that the Wildcat was becoming obsolete, and newer and better fighters were reaching the fleet. However, with the Navy also acquiring dozens of escort carriers, the Wildcat's smaller size and slower speed made it ideal for operations from these small "jeep" carriers. Production was transferred to General Motors, who produced the FM-1 (identical to the F4F-4) and FM-2 (with a taller tail and uprated engine) Wildcat variants. These aircraft defended the escort carriers in both oceans in World War II and undertook attack, fighter defense, and antisubmarine operations until the war's end. The FM-2s played a significant role in the Battle of Samar, the climactic and desperate final act of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and in defending the fleet during the kamikaze attacks of the summer of 1945, underscoring the Wildcat's enduring significance.
At the end of World War II and the scrapping of most of the escort carrier fleet, the Wildcat's days had finally come to an end. However, its legacy continued to be felt: the F4F finished the war with a 7:1 kill ratio over its opponents, and no less than 7,900 were built. About 38 of these remain today, with half of that number still flyable.
By the time that this F4F-3, BuNo 12290, entered service in 1943, the Navy was already replacing the Wildcat with the Hellcat, so it was relegated to training duties aboard the USS Sable (IX-81), one of the Navy's "Cornbelt Fleet" training carriers on Lake Michigan. It was ditched by a student pilot in 1944 and sank to the bottom of the lake. However, like at least 35 other aircraft off the Sable and her sister ship, the USS Wolverine (IX-64), 12290 was well-preserved by Lake Michigan's cold and fresh water and recovered in 1996. Restoration work began in 2008, and by 2011, it was placed on display aboard the USS Midway Museum's hangar deck.
As a part of the Midway's display of its namesake museum, 12290 is painted in early wartime Navy camouflage in the colors of a VMF-221 ("Fighting Falcons") F4F-3. The squadron had seven Wildcats on hand when the Japanese attacked Midway on June 4th, 1942; the rest of the squadron comprised the obsolescent Brewster F-2A Buffalo. Neither aircraft did exceptionally well—only two of VMF-221's aircraft were serviceable when the attack ended—but they significantly damaged the Japanese attack force. Among the dead was Major Floyd Parks, VMF-221's commanding officer, who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.
Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat
Lessons learned at the Battles of Coral Sea and Midway led to Grumman introducing the F4F-4 variant, with six guns and folding wings. The Wildcat, despite initial setbacks such as frequent gun jams and a lack of fighters, proved its resilience. Even the huge Lexington-class carriers could only carry up to 20 F4F-3s, but with the F4F-4s, fighter strength went up to 30-40 aircraft. Pilots, though initially disliking the heavier weight of the F4F-4, found the added punch to be helpful. The F4F-4s, despite their challenges, would do their best from land bases.
During the long six-month brutal struggle for Guadalcanal, Marine Corps Wildcats from Henderson Field fought on even terms with the best Zero pilots the Imperial Japanese Navy could muster. The superlative performance of men like John Smith, Marion Carl, and Joseph Foss—all of whom would go on to win the Medal of Honor—resulted in the F4F sustaining a 6:1 kill ratio over their Japanese opponents.
By 1943, it was evident that the Wildcat was becoming obsolete, and newer and better fighters were reaching the fleet. However, with the Navy also acquiring dozens of escort carriers, the Wildcat's smaller size and slower speed made it ideal for operations from these small "jeep" carriers. Production was transferred to General Motors, who produced the FM-1 (identical to the F4F-4) and FM-2 (with a taller tail and uprated engine) Wildcat variants. These aircraft defended the escort carriers in both oceans in World War II and undertook attack, fighter defense, and antisubmarine operations until the war's end. The FM-2s played a significant role in the Battle of Samar, the climactic and desperate final act of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and in defending the fleet during the kamikaze attacks of the summer of 1945, underscoring the Wildcat's enduring significance.
At the end of World War II and the scrapping of most of the escort carrier fleet, the Wildcat's days had finally come to an end. However, its legacy continued to be felt: the F4F finished the war with a 7:1 kill ratio over its opponents, and no less than 7,900 were built. About 38 of these remain today, with half of that number still flyable.
By the time that this F4F-3, BuNo 12290, entered service in 1943, the Navy was already replacing the Wildcat with the Hellcat, so it was relegated to training duties aboard the USS Sable (IX-81), one of the Navy's "Cornbelt Fleet" training carriers on Lake Michigan. It was ditched by a student pilot in 1944 and sank to the bottom of the lake. However, like at least 35 other aircraft off the Sable and her sister ship, the USS Wolverine (IX-64), 12290 was well-preserved by Lake Michigan's cold and fresh water and recovered in 1996. Restoration work began in 2008, and by 2011, it was placed on display aboard the USS Midway Museum's hangar deck.
As a part of the Midway's display of its namesake museum, 12290 is painted in early wartime Navy camouflage in the colors of a VMF-221 ("Fighting Falcons") F4F-3. The squadron had seven Wildcats on hand when the Japanese attacked Midway on June 4th, 1942; the rest of the squadron comprised the obsolescent Brewster F-2A Buffalo. Neither aircraft did exceptionally well—only two of VMF-221's aircraft were serviceable when the attack ended—but they significantly damaged the Japanese attack force. Among the dead was Major Floyd Parks, VMF-221's commanding officer, who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.