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#Post#: 11000--------------------------------------------------
Plane of the Week: the Grumman F4F Wildcat
By: vonofterdingen Date: April 27, 2020, 2:31 pm
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I felt that the Plane of the Week was past due for a visit to
the Pacific Theater, so this week I would like to spotlight the
US Navy’s Grumman Wildcat. Presumably outmatched in every way by
the Japanese fighters of the early-war period, the Wildcat held
its own in aerial dogfights until replaced by more advanced
fighters such as the Hellcat and Corsair. Nonetheless it
continued to be built and deployed in lesser roles throughout
the pacific war and maintained an admirable kill ratio against
Japanese aircraft. It saw action too in the European theater as
the Fleet Air Arm’s Martlet. Not bad for a design that
originally lost its competition for mainstay Navy fighter to the
Brewster Buffalo.
From Wikipedia:
The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American carrier-based fighter
aircraft that began service in 1940 with both the United States
Navy, and the British Royal Navy where it was initially known as
the Martlet. First used in combat by the British in the North
Atlantic, the Wildcat was the only effective fighter available
to the United States Navy and Marine Corps in the Pacific
Theater during the early part of World War II in 1941 and 1942;
the disappointing Brewster Buffalo was withdrawn in favor of the
Wildcat and replaced as units became available. With a top speed
of 318 mph (512 km/h), the Wildcat was outperformed by the
faster 331 mph (533 km/h), more maneuverable, and longer-ranged
Mitsubishi A6M Zero. However, the F4F's ruggedness, coupled with
tactics such as the Thach Weave, resulted in a claimed air
combat kill-to-loss ratio of 5.9:1 in 1942 and 6.9:1 for the
entire war.
Lessons learned from the Wildcat were later applied to the
faster F6F Hellcat. While the Wildcat had better range and
maneuverability at low speed, the Hellcat could rely on superior
power and high speed performance to outperform the Zero. The
Wildcat continued to be built throughout the remainder of the
war to serve on escort carriers, where larger and heavier
fighters could not be used.
Even before the Wildcat had been purchased by the U.S. Navy,
the French Navy and the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA) had
ordered the Wildcat, with their own configurations, via the
Anglo-French Purchasing Board. The F4F Wildcat (known in British
service at first as the Martlet) was taken on by the FAA as an
interim replacement for the Fairey Fulmar. The Fulmar was a
two-seat fighter with good range but operated at a performance
disadvantage against single-seater fighters. Navalised
Supermarine Spitfires were not available because of the greater
need of the Royal Air Force. In the European theater, the
Wildcat scored its first combat victory on Christmas Day 1940,
when a land-based Martlet destroyed a Junkers Ju 88 bomber over
the Scapa Flow naval base. This was the first combat victory by
a US-built fighter in British service in World War II. The type
also pioneered combat operations from the smaller escort
carriers.
HTML https://i.postimg.cc/RhwcNxyR/Screen-Hunter-249.png
Six Martlets went to sea aboard the converted former German
merchant vessel HMS Audacity in September 1941 and shot down
several Luftwaffe Fw 200 Condor bombers during highly effective
convoy escort operations. These were the first of many Wildcats
to engage in aerial combat at sea. The British received 300
Eastern Aircraft FM-1s as the Martlet V in 1942–43 and 340 FM-2s
as the Wildcat VI. In total, nearly 1,200 Wildcats would serve
with the FAA. By January 1944, the Martlet name was dropped and
the type was identified as the Wildcat. In March 1945, Wildcats
shot down four Messerschmitt Bf 109s over Norway, the FAA's last
victory with a Wildcat.
The Wildcat was generally outperformed by the Mitsubishi
Zero, its major opponent in the early part of the Pacific
Theater, but held its own partly because, with relatively heavy
armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, the Grumman airframe could
survive far more damage than its lightweight, unarmored Japanese
rival. Many U.S. Navy fighter pilots also were saved by the
Wildcat's ZB homing device, which allowed them to find their
carriers in poor visibility, provided they could get within the
30 mi (48 km) range of the homing beacon.
In the hands of an expert pilot using tactical advantage, the
Wildcat could prove to be a difficult foe even against the
formidable Zero. After analyzing Fleet Air Tactical Unit
Intelligence Bureau reports describing the new carrier fighter,
USN Commander "Jimmy" Thach devised a defensive tactic that
allowed Wildcat formations to act in a coordinated maneuver to
counter a diving attack, called the "Thach Weave." Nevertheless,
the most widely employed tactic during Guadalcanal defense was
high-altitude ambush, where hit-and-run manoeuvres were executed
using altitude advantage. This was possible due to early warning
system composed of Coastwatchers and radar.
Four U.S. Marine Corps Wildcats played a prominent role in
the defense of Wake Island in December 1941. USN and USMC
aircraft formed the fleet's primary air defense during the
Battles of Coral Sea and Midway, and land-based Wildcats played
a major role during the Guadalcanal Campaign of 1942–43. It was
not until 1943 that more advanced naval fighters capable of
taking on the Zero on more even terms, the Grumman F6F Hellcat
and Vought F4U Corsair, reached the South Pacific theater.
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In game…
I love to fly this plane. I have used both the USN and Fleet
Air Arm versions in campaigns I have played and flown and have
always felt good in the cockpit. It is a little slow, but turns
decently. It’s best feature is that it can take one heck of a
beating. I have learned that when engaging Japanese fighters, I
need to dive away rather than try to turn with them, and most of
all try to avoid taking a direct cannon round hit. Otherwise, I
can go toe-to-toe and slug it out with a Zero or Oscar in most
situations. A hit to the Wildcat that might bring a minor fuel
leak turns the Zero or Oscar into a Roman candle. The Japanese
ace Saburō Sakai described the Wildcat's capacity to absorb
damage:
I had full confidence in my ability to destroy the Grumman and
decided to finish off the enemy fighter with only my 7.7 mm
machine guns. I turned the 20 mm cannon switch to the "off"
position, and closed in. For some strange reason, even after I
had poured about five or six hundred rounds of ammunition
directly into the Grumman, the airplane did not fall, but kept
on flying. I thought this very odd—it had never happened
before—and closed the distance between the two airplanes until I
could almost reach out and touch the Grumman. To my surprise,
the Grumman's rudder and tail were torn to shreds, looking like
an old torn piece of rag. With his plane in such condition, no
wonder the pilot was unable to continue fighting! A Zero which
had taken that many bullets would have been a ball of fire by
now.
#Post#: 11004--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Grumman F4F Wildcat
By: JG51_Ruski Date: April 27, 2020, 6:04 pm
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Excellent write up VON Thanks..I love the Pacific planes
#Post#: 11013--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Grumman F4F Wildcat
By: Beowolff Date: April 28, 2020, 8:31 am
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Yes sir! Again you read my mind, my friend! Amazingly I have
spent the last few days watching videos of Pacific Wild Cats
fighting the Japanese!
:o :o :o
Obviously we think alike, you and I (insert eerie Twilight Zone
music here...)!
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I have always thought the Grumman Wild Cat a wonderful
fighter...sure, it couldn't fight like a Corsair, Hell Cat,
Mustang or Japanese Zero but it could still kick arse and take
names when flown by great pilots that knew it's tremendous
strengths. A great plane and a super review...thanks guy!
S! ;)
Beo
#Post#: 11014--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Grumman F4F Wildcat
By: Beowolff Date: April 28, 2020, 8:34 am
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#Post#: 11015--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Grumman F4F Wildcat
By: Beowolff Date: April 28, 2020, 8:37 am
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#Post#: 11018--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Grumman F4F Wildcat
By: cafs Date: April 28, 2020, 10:46 am
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The F4F Wildcat was a very good fighter for the 1939/40 period,
pretty much like the Hurricane and better than her
contemporaries, like the I-16, Morane MS.406, Macchi Mc.200 or
Fiat G.50, and far better than her most probable adversary at
the time: the Mitsubishi A5M Claude ( with the classic Japanese
aircraft maneuverability put aside ).
She would just lose, on the speed side of the envelope, for the
Messerchmitt Bf-109 and Supermarine Spitfire, but had much more
firepower with her 4 x 0.50 in MG, against the Spitfire's 8 x
0.303" MG and the Bf-109D's ( and early Emil variant ) 4 x 7.9
mm MG. Remember that the famous Bf-109 would get her MG-FF 20
mm cannons during the last months of the "Phoney War" period,
with many Staffelns and entire Geschwaders still armed with just
machine-guns at the start of the Battle of France.
#Post#: 11020--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Grumman F4F Wildcat
By: ben_wh Date: April 28, 2020, 12:17 pm
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von,
Another good plane of the week.
In addition to what many have stated above, the F4F was a very
good carrier-based aircraft. Eric Brown wrote approvingly of
its qualities and safe landing characteristics despite the
narrow (and manually operated) undercarriage.
IMHO this aspect of the F4F (and of the F6F Hellcat later as
well) is sometimes overlooked - good 'deck handling' qualities
are not always apparent when comparing flight characteristics
(speed, climb, roll rate, etc.) among fighters but critical for
a good operational carrier plane.
More on the Fleet Air Arm pilots' thoughts on the Martlet:
HTML https://www.armouredcarriers.com/grumman-f4f-martlet-variants
In-game: it seems that many IL-2 modders like the Martlet too -
witness the multiple attempts to get the 3D models right for the
different FAA variants of the F4F.
Cheers,
#Post#: 11023--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Grumman F4F Wildcat
By: vonofterdingen Date: April 28, 2020, 4:21 pm
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Good points Ben. Ease of landing on a carrier can be overlooked.
It is tough duty and a plane that cooperates sure helps. As good
as the Corsair was, its carrier handling characteristics always
haunted it. I find it interesting too that variants of the
Wildcat served throughout the war because they could takeoff and
land on the smaller attack carriers.
#Post#: 11025--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Grumman F4F Wildcat
By: ben_wh Date: April 28, 2020, 8:11 pm
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von,
The Wildcat did served throughout the war, and so it found
itself in diverse scenarios and often in very 'sticky'
situations.
Its role in the early carrier battles - Coral Sea, and Midway -
is well known. So is its role in wearing down the elite
Japanese aviators Guadalcanal.
In Europe, it supported Operation Torch and engaged Vichy French
Air Force, participated in the Battle of the Atlantic on board
escort carriers, and engaged the Luftwaffe as late as 1945 in
Norway.
It also have the 'good fortune' to play the role of the underdog
again in late 1944, engaging the the Yamato and the Japanese
fleet in the Battle of Samar in defense of the troop ships in
Leyte.
All in all, a very colorful service history and a true workhorse
of the Allied Navies.
Cheers,
#Post#: 11041--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Grumman F4F Wildcat
By: Beowolff Date: April 30, 2020, 5:55 am
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A very unusual paint scheme (and a very nifty one...obviously
this shot is new, per the pilots flight helmet but is it some
special purpose or is it authentic? I've don't recall seeing
this scheme before?)
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