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Grumman F6F Hellcat
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==Operational history== ===U.S. Navy and Marines=== The U.S. Navy much preferred the more docile flight qualities of the F6F compared with the Vought F4U Corsair, despite the Corsair's superior speed. This preference was especially noted during carrier landings, a critical success requirement for the Navy. The Corsair was thus released by the Navy to the Marine Corps, which without the need to worry about carrier landings, used the Corsair to devastating effect in land-based sorties. The Hellcat remained the standard USN carrier-borne fighter until the F4U series was finally cleared for U.S. carrier operations in late 1944 (the carrier landing issues had by now been tackled largely due to use of Corsair by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, which started in 1943).<ref>Styling 1995, p. 67.</ref> In addition to its good flight qualities, the Hellcat was easy to maintain and had an airframe tough enough to withstand the rigors of routine carrier operations.<ref>Tillman 1996, p. 6.</ref> Like the Wildcat, the Hellcat was designed for ease of manufacturing and ability to withstand significant damage. [[File:F6F5 VF82 CV20.jpg|thumb|[[VF-171|VF-82]] Grumman F6F-5 ready for launch from {{USS|Bennington|CV-20|6}} off [[Battle of Okinawa|Okinawa]] in May 1945: Most of the F6F-5s built were painted overall glossy sea blue.]] The Hellcat first saw action against the Japanese on 1 September 1943, when fighters off {{USS|Independence|CVL-22|6}} shot down a [[Kawanishi H8K]] "Emily" [[flying boat]].<ref name="Dean p. 559.">Dean 1997, p. 559.</ref> Soon after, on 23 and 24 November, Hellcats engaged Japanese aircraft over [[Tarawa]], shooting down a claimed 30 Mitsubishi Zeros for the loss of one F6F.<ref name="Dean p. 559."/> Over [[Rabaul, New Britain]], on 11 November 1943, Hellcats and F4U Corsairs were engaged in day-long fights with many Japanese aircraft, including A6M Zeros, claiming nearly 50 aircraft.<ref name="Dean p. 559."/> When trials were flown against a captured [[Mitsubishi A6M#A6M5 Type 0 Model 52|Mitsubishi A6M5]] model Zero, they showed that the Hellcat was faster at all altitudes. The F6F out-climbed the Zero marginally above {{cvt|14,000|ft}} and rolled faster at speeds above {{cvt|235|mph|abbr=on}}, however, the Japanese fighter could out-turn its American opponent with ease at low speed, and enjoyed a slightly better rate of climb below {{cvt|14,000|ft}}. The trials report concluded: {{Blockquote|Do not dogfight with a Zero 52. Do not try to follow a loop or half-roll with a pull-through. When attacking, use your superior power and high-speed performance to engage at the most favorable moment. To evade a Zero 52 on your tail, roll and dive away into a high-speed turn.<ref name="Spick p. 118.">Spick 1983, p. 118.</ref>}} Hellcats were the major U.S. Navy fighter type involved in the [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]], where so many Japanese aircraft were shot down that Navy aircrews nicknamed the battle [[Battle of the Philippine Sea#Japanese raids|the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot"]]. The F6F accounted for 75% of all aerial victories recorded by the U.S. Navy in the Pacific.<ref>Tillman 1979, p. 9.</ref> [[Radar]]-equipped Hellcat night-fighter squadrons appeared in early 1944. A formidable opponent for the Hellcat was the [[Kawanishi N1K]], but it was produced too late and in insufficient numbers to affect the outcome of the war.<ref>[https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196250/kawanishi-n1k2-ja-shiden-kai-george/ "Fact Sheets: Kawanishi N1K2-Ja Shiden Kai."] ''National Museum of the US Air Force''. Retrieved: 23 November 2015.</ref> ====Sortie, kill, and loss figures==== [[File:127-GW-1627-134956 (30267672180).jpg|thumb|A [[United States Marine Corps|U.S Marine]] inspects a Japanese-captured F6F-5 in [[Yokosuka]] in September 1945.]] U.S. Navy and Marine F6F pilots flew 66,530 combat sorties and claimed 5,163 kills (56% of all U.S. Navy/Marine air victories of the war) at a recorded cost of 270 Hellcats in aerial combat (an overall kill-to-loss ratio of 19:1 based on claimed kills).<ref name="Barber2">Barber 1946, [http://www.history.navy.mil/download/nasc.pdf Table 2.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113065343/http://www.history.navy.mil/download/nasc.pdf |date=13 January 2012 }}</ref> Claimed victories were often highly exaggerated during the war. Even so, the aircraft performed well against the best Japanese opponents with a claimed 13:1 kill ratio against the A6M Zero, 9.5:1 against the [[Nakajima Ki-84]], and 3.7:1 against the [[Mitsubishi J2M]] during the last year of the war.<ref name="Barber28">Barber 1946, [http://www.history.navy.mil/download/nasc.pdf Table 28.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113065343/http://www.history.navy.mil/download/nasc.pdf |date=13 January 2012 }}</ref> The F6F became the prime ace-maker aircraft in the American inventory, with 305 Hellcat aces. The U.S. successes were not just attributed to superior aircraft; from 1942 onwards, they faced increasingly inexperienced Japanese aviators and had the advantage of increasing numerical superiority.{{refn|Quote: "... flown by 305 aces, most of any U.S. fighter in World War II."<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090327110758/http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Magazine%20Documents/2006/April%202006/0406classics.pdf "Airpower Classics."]}} ''Air Force Magazine'', April 2006, p. 98.</ref>|group=Note}} In the ground-attack role, Hellcats dropped 6,503 tons (5,899 metric tonnes) of bombs.<ref name="Barber2"/> The U.S. Navy's all-time leading ace, [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] [[David McCampbell]], scored all of his 34 victories in the Hellcat. He once described the F6F as "... an outstanding fighter plane. It performed well, was easy to fly, and was a stable gun platform, but what I really remember most was that it was rugged and easy to maintain."<ref>Kinzey 1987, p. 58.</ref> During the course of World War II, 2,462 F6F Hellcats were lost to all causes – 270 in aerial combat, 553 to antiaircraft ground and shipboard fire, and 341 due to operational causes. Of the total figure, 1,298 were destroyed in training and ferry operations, normally outside of the combat zones.<ref>OPNAV-P-23V No. A129, 17 June 1946, p. 15.</ref> [[Hamilton McWhorter III]], a Navy aviator and a [[flying ace]] of World War II, was credited with shooting down 12 Japanese aircraft. He was the first U.S. Navy aviator to become an ace while flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat and the first Navy carrier pilot to achieve double ace status.<ref name="SSHellcat">{{cite news |last1=Dorr |first1=Robert F. |title=Sharp Shooting Hellcat "Mac" McWhorter Runs Up the Score |url=http://dl.magazinedl.com/magazinedl/Flight%20Journal/2019/Flight%20Journal%20-%20WWII%20Air%20War%202019(magazinedl.com).pdf |access-date=22 July 2020 |work=Flight Journal |date=21 October 2019 |archive-date=23 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723213537/http://dl.magazinedl.com/magazinedl/Flight%20Journal/2019/Flight%20Journal%20-%20WWII%20Air%20War%202019(magazinedl.com).pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Arthur Van Haren, Jr.]], a Navy combat Hellcat ace of WWII from [[Arizona]], was credited with shooting down 9 Japanese planes. He was awarded two [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Crosses]], and was inducted into the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame in 2012.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Courage-Story-Arthur-Haren/dp/B00BLYGNTQ | title=A Legacy of Courage: The Story of Arthur van Haren, Jr |year=2011 | publisher=Latino Perspectives Media }}</ref> ===British use=== [[File:Hellcats 1840 NAS in flight 1944.jpg|thumb|A section of Fleet Air Arm Hellcat F Mk.Is of [[1840 Naval Air Squadron|1840 Squadron]] in June 1944]] The British Fleet Air Arm (FAA) received 1,263 F6Fs under the [[Lend-Lease Act]]; initially, it was known as the Grumman [[Gannet]] Mark I. The name Hellcat replaced it in early 1943 for the sake of simplicity, the Royal Navy at that time adopting the use of the existing American naval names for all the U.S.-made aircraft supplied to it, with the F6F-3 being designated Hellcat F Mk. I, the F6F-5, the Hellcat F Mk. II and the F6F-5N, the Hellcat NF Mk. II.{{refn|Meaning Fighter Mark I, Fighter Mark II and Night Fighter Mark II respectively|group=Note}} They saw action off Norway, in the Mediterranean, and in the Far East. Several were fitted with photographic reconnaissance equipment similar to the F6F-5P, receiving the designation Hellcat FR Mk. II.<ref>Green 1975, p. 93.</ref> The [[Pacific War]] being primarily a naval war, the FAA Hellcats primarily faced land-based aircraft in the European and Mediterranean theaters,<ref>Thruelsen 1976, p. 181.</ref><ref>Tillman 1996, p. 96.</ref> so experienced far fewer opportunities for air-to-air combat than their USN/Marines counterparts; nevertheless, they claimed a total of 52 enemy aircraft kills during 18 aerial combats from May 1944 to July 1945. [[1844 Naval Air Squadron]], on board {{HMS|Indomitable|92|6}} of the [[British Pacific Fleet]] was the highest-scoring unit, with 32.5 kills.<ref>Tillman 1996, p. 78.</ref> FAA Hellcats, as with other Lend-Lease aircraft, were rapidly replaced by British aircraft after the end of the war, with only two of the 12 squadrons equipped with the Hellcat at [[VJ-Day]] still retaining Hellcats by the end of 1945.<ref name="thetford naval p217">Thetford 1994, p. 217.</ref> These two squadrons were disbanded in 1946.<ref name="thetford naval p217"/> When the war ended, [[889 Naval Air Squadron|889 Squadron FAA]], equipped with 6 Hellcat Is and II (PR) photo-reconnaissance variants, was preparing to depart from Scotland for the Far East (the squadron had been based at [[RAF Woodvale]] since its re-formation after [[VE Day]], and practising carrier operations on [[HMS Trouncer (D85)|HMS Trouncer]] before moving to [[HMS Ravager]]), to replace 888 Squadron FAA, and intended to photograph Japanese beaches in anticipation of the planned invasion that was forestalled by the [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]]. With the cessation of hostilities, the squadron (which included pilot [[William Stevenson (Canadian writer)|William Stevenson]]) was disbanded and the Hellcats dumped off the Scottish coast. (That was the fate of much lend-lease equipment that survived the war, including aircraft; under the terms of lend-lease agreements, any aircraft that were not returned to the United States or paid for, had to be destroyed.)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Squadrons/889.html |title=INDEX OF NAVAL AIR SQUADRONS: 889 Squadron |date=2001-02-23 |publisher=Fleet Air Arm Archive |access-date=2024-01-07 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924013928/http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Squadrons/889.html |archive-date=2015-09-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Foister |first=Louise |date=1995-11-10 |title=How the war interrupted a legal career |at=Pages 5 and 9 |department=Mid-Ocean News |work=The Royal Gazette |location=City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda |quote=While I was still there we went out to sea with a group of some American aviators off the coast of Scotland and tipped the aircraft overboard. It was the most extraordinary thing. At the end of the war I was kept on as one of the witnesses or observers who went out with the American representatives to check the aircraft off the list to show that this wasn't something the Americans could charge the British Government for.}}</ref> ===Postwar use=== [[File:F6F target drone.jpg|thumb|Postwar service: A bright orange F6F-3K [[target drone]]]] After the war, the Hellcat was succeeded by the [[Grumman F8F Bearcat|F8F Bearcat]], which was smaller, more powerful (powered by uprated Double Wasp radials) and more maneuverable, but entered service too late to see combat in World War II.<ref>O'Leary 1980, pp. 147–148.</ref> The Hellcat was used for second-line USN duties, including training and [[U.S. Navy Reserve|Naval Reserve]] squadrons, and a handful were converted to [[target drone|target drones]].<ref name="Wilkinson"/> In late 1952, Guided Missile Unit 90 used F6F-5K drones, each carrying a {{cvt|2000|lb}} bomb, to attack bridges in Korea. Flying from {{USS|Boxer|CV-21|6}}, the Hellcat drones were radio controlled from an escorting [[AD Skyraider]].<ref>Jackson 1998, p. 126.</ref> The F6F-5 was the first aircraft used by the U.S. Navy's [[Blue Angels]] official flight demonstration team at its formation in 1946.<ref>[http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/aircraft/historical.aspx "Historical aircraft of the Blue Angels."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419102617/http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/aircraft/historical.aspx |date=19 April 2012 }} ''Blue Angels''. Retrieved" 31 March 2015.</ref> [[File:Grumman F6F-5K Hellcat target drone is shot down in 1954.jpg|thumb|A F6F-5K Hellcat target drone is shot down by the heavy cruiser [[USS Saint Paul (CA-73)|USS ''Saint Paul'']], in 1954.]] The [[French Naval Aviation]] was equipped with F6F-5 Hellcats and used them in combat in [[Indochina]]. These were painted in Gloss Sea Blue, similar to post-World War II US Navy aircraft until about 1955, but had a modified French roundel with an image of an anchor.<ref>http://img.wp.scn.ru/camms/ar/576/pics/21_1.jpg {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109111233/http://img.wp.scn.ru/camms/ar/576/pics/21_1.jpg |date=9 January 2019 }} {{Bare URL image|date=March 2022}}</ref> The [[French Air and Space Force|French Air Force]] also used the Hellcat in Indochina from 1950 to 1952. The plane equipped four squadrons (including the [[Escadron de Chasse 2/30 Normandie-Niemen|Normandie-Niemen]] squadron of WWII fame) before these units transitioned to the F8F Bearcat.<ref>{{Cite book | language=fr | title=Les avions Grumman 1929–1989| last=Millot & Nicolaou| year=1993|publisher=éditions Larivière|isbn=2907051032}}</ref> The Uruguayan Navy also used them until the early 1960s.<ref name ="donald american">Donald, 1995, p. 145.</ref>
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