F4F Wildcat

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F4F Wildcat
F4F-3 in non-specular blue-grey over light-grey scheme from early 1942
Type Fighter
Manufacturer Grumman
Maiden flight 2 September 1937
Introduced December 1940
Retired 1945
Primary users United States Navy
United States Marine Corps
Royal Navy
Royal Canadian Air Force
Number built 7,722
F4F-3 Wildcat of Lt. Butch O'Hare, April 1942
F4F-3 Wildcat of Lt. Butch O'Hare, April 1942
Grumman F4F-4 of VF-11, Guadalcanal 1942.
Grumman F4F-4 of VF-11, Guadalcanal 1942.
Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat of VF-41, early 1942.
Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat of VF-41, early 1942.
Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat on board of escort carrier USS Suwannee (CVE-27) in late 1942.
Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat on board of escort carrier USS Suwannee (CVE-27) in late 1942.

The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter that began service with both the United States Navy and the Fleet Air Arm in 1940. Although first used in combat by the British in Europe, the Wildcat would become the primary carrier fighter for the first year and a half of the United States Navy's involvement in World War II in the Pacific Theater. The FM Wildcat, an improved version built by General Motors, remained in service throughout the remainder of the war on escort carriers, where larger and heavier fighters could not be used.

Contents

The F4F-1 began as a unbuilt biplane design entered in a U.S. Navy competition, being beaten by the monoplane Brewster F2A-1 design. This resulted in its complete remodeling into the monoplane XF4F-2.[1] This was evaluated against the Buffalo, but although the XF4F-2 was marginally faster, the Buffalo was otherwise superior and was chosen for production.[1]. Grumman's prototype was then rebuilt as the XF4F-3 with new wings and tail and a supercharged version of the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 "Twin Wasp" radial engine.[1][2] Testing of the XF4F-3 led to an order for F4F-3 production models, the first of which was completed in February 1940. France also ordered the type, powered by Wright R-1820 "Cyclone 9" radial engines, but France fell before they could be delivered and they ultimately went to the British Royal Navy, which called them "Martlet I"s. Both the British aircraft and the U.S. Navy's F4F-3 with an armament of four .50 caliber Browning machine guns, joined active units in 1940 [2].

All versions of the Wildcat used fuselage mounted, hand-cranked landing gear with a relatively narrow track, making landing accidents, where the landing gear were not fully locked into place, distressingly common.[3] This unusual main landing gear design was originally designed by Grover Loening, for his firm's aircraft in the 1920s, and as Leroy Grumman had worked for Loening before starting up his own company, it was readily licensed to Grumman and was used earlier on all of Grumman's fighter biplanes (from the FF-1 through the F3F) of the 1930s and on the J2F Duck amphibious biplane. [4]

The name "Wildcat" was officially adopted on 1 October 1941.

The F4F was taken on by the British Fleet Air Arm as part of an interim replacement for the Fairey Fulmar; navalised Supermarine Spitfires not being available because of the greater need of the Royal Air Force.[5] In the European theater, the Wildcat scored its first combat victory on Christmas Day 1940, when a land-based Martlet (as the type then known in British service) destroyed a Junkers Ju 88 bomber over the Scapa Flow naval base.[6] This was the first combat victory by a US-built fighter in British service in World War II[6]. The type also pioneered combat operations from the smaller escort carriers.[7] Six went to sea aboard the converted ex-German merchant vessel HMS Audacity in mid-1941 and shot down several Luftwaffe Fw 200 Condor bombers during highly effective convoy escort operations.[8] These were the first of many Wildcats to see shipboard combat. The Fleet Air Arm was later to abandon the practice of using its own unique names for US-provided aircraft in British naval service, and began to use the U.S. Navy's aircraft names instead [9].

The Wildcat was outperformed by the Mitsubishi Zero, its major opponent in the early part of the Pacific Theater, but held its own because of its ability to absorb far more damage. [10] With relatively heavy armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, the Grumman airframe could survive far more than its lightweight, unarmored Japanese rival. Many U.S. Navy fighter pilots also were saved by the F4F's ZB homing device, which allowed them to find their carriers in poor visibility, provided they could get within the 30-mile range of the homing beacon. [11]

Four U.S. Marine Corps Wildcats played a prominent role in the defence of Wake Island in December 1941. USN and USMC aircraft were the fleet's primary air defence during the Battles of Coral Sea and Midway and, land-based Wildcats played a major role during the Guadalcanal Campaign of 1942-43. [1] It was not until 1943 that more advanced naval fighters, the F6F Hellcat and F4U Corsair, capable of taking on the Zero on more even terms reached the South Pacific theatre.

The Japanese ace Saburo Sakai describes the Wildcat's ability for absorbing damage: [12]

“ I had full confidence in my ability to destroy the Grumman and decided to finish off the enemy fighter with only my 7.7mm 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. ”

During the course of the war, Navy and Marine F4Fs and FMs flew 15,553 combat sorties (14,027 of these from aircraft carriers[13]), destroying 1,327 enemy aircraft at a cost of 191 Wildcats (an overall kill-to-loss ratio of 6.9:1).[14] True to their escort fighter role, Wildcats dropped only 154 tons of bombs during the war.[14]

GM built FM-2 during filming of "Midway" (1976) on USS Lexington museum ship, Corpus Christi, Texas.
GM built FM-2 during filming of "Midway" (1976) on USS Lexington museum ship, Corpus Christi, Texas.
Grumman F4F-4 Wildcats on USS Wasp, 1942.
Grumman F4F-4 Wildcats on USS Wasp, 1942.

The original Grumman F4F-1 design was a biplane, which proved inferior to rival designs, necessitating a complete redesign as a monoplane named the F4F-2. This design was still not competitive with the Brewster F2A Buffalo which won initial U.S. Navy orders, but when the F4F-3 development was fitted with a more powerful version of the engine, a Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp R-1830-76, featuring a two-stage supercharger, it showed its true potential.[15]

U.S. Navy orders followed as did some (with Wright Cyclone engines) from France; these ended up with the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm after the fall of France and entered service on the 8 September 1940. These aircraft, designated by Grumman as G-36A, had a different cowling from other earlier F4Fs and fixed wings, and were intended to be fitted with French armament and electronics following delivery. In British service initially the aircraft were known as the Martlet I, but not all Martlets would be to the exact same specifications as U.S. Navy aircraft. All Martlet Is featured the four .50-caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns of the F4F-3 with 450 rounds per gun. The British also received a version with the original Twin Wasp, but again with a modified cowling, under the manufacturer designation G-36B. These aircraft were given the designation Martlet II by the British. Lastly came a fixed wing variant of the G-36B, given the designation Marlet III. On paper the designation changed to Marlet III(A) when the second series of Martlet III was introduced.

Poor design of the installation on early F4Fs caused these otherwise reliable machine guns to frequently jam, a problem common to wing-mounted weapons of many U.S. fighters early in the war. [16] It was an F4F-3 flown by Lt. Edward O'Hare that in a few minutes shot down five Mitsubishi twin-engine bombers attacking USS Lexington off Bougainville on 20 February 1942. But contrasting with O'Hare's performance, his wingman was unable to participate because his guns would not function.[17]

A shortage of two-stage superchargers lead to the development of the F4F-3A, which was basically the F4F-3 but with a 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-90 radial engine with a more primitive single-stage two-speed supercharger. The F4F-3A, which was capable of 312 mph at 16,000 ft, was used side by side with the F4F-3, but its poorer performance made it unpopular with U.S. Navy fighter pilots. The F4F-3A would enter service as the Martlet III(B).

A new version, the F4F-4, entered service in 1942 with six machine guns and folding wings which allowed more aircraft to be crammed on a carrier. The F4F-4 was the definitive version that saw the most combat service in the early war years, including the Battle of Midway. This version was less popular with American pilots because the same amount of ammunition was spread over two additional guns, decreasing firing time.[18] With the F4F-3's four 50-caliber guns and 450 rounds per gun, pilots had 34 seconds of firing time; six guns decreased ammunition to 240 rounds per gun, which could be expended in less than 20 seconds. The increase to six guns was attributed to the Royal Navy, who wanted greater firepower to deal with German and Italian foes. Jimmy Thach is quoted as saying, "A pilot who cannot hit with four guns will miss with eight." [19] Extra guns and folding wings meant extra weight, and reduced performance: the F4F-4 was capable of only about 318 mph at 19,400 ft. Rate of climb was noticeably worse in the F4F-4, while Grumman optimistically claimed the F4F-4 could climb at a modest 1,950 ft per minute, in combat conditions, pilots found their F4F-4s capable of ascending at only 500 to 1,000 feet per minute.[20] Moreover, the F4F-4's folding wing was intended to allow five F4F-4s to be stowed in the space required by two F4F-3s. In practice, the folding wings allowed an increase of about 50% in the number of Wildcats carried aboard U.S. fleet aircraft carriers. A variant of the F4F-4, designated F4F-4B for contractual purposes, was supplied to the British with a modified cowling and Wright Cyclone engine. These aircraft received the designation of Martlet IV.

The F4F-7 was a photographic reconnaissance variant, with armor and armament removed. It had non-folding "wet" wings that carried an additional 555 gallons of fuel for a total of about 700 gallons, increasing its range to 3,700 miles. 21 were built.[1]

Grumman's Wildcat production ceased in early 1943 to make way for the newer F6F Hellcat, but General Motors continued producing Wildcats for both U.S. Navy and Fleet Air Arm use. From 1943 onward, Wildcats were primarily assigned to escort carriers ("jeep carriers") as larger fighters such as the Hellcat and the Vought F4U Corsair were needed aboard fleet carriers, and the Wildcat's slower landing speed made it more suitable for shorter flight decks.[21] At first, GM produced the FM-1 (identical to the F4F-4, but with four guns). Production later switched to the improved FM-2 (based on Grumman's XF4F-8 prototype) optimized for small-carrier operations, with a more powerful engine, and a taller tail to cope with the torque.[22] In all, 7,860 Wildcats were built.[23] The British received 300 Eastern Aircraft FM-1s as the Martlet V in 1942/43 and 340 FM-2s as the Wildcat VI[24]. 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 "Wildcat." [25]

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  • F4F-3 "Wildcat" N3210D at Olympic Flight Museum, Olympia, Washington, presently in flying condition.
  • The sole surviving Martlet I at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovilton, Somerset, UK.
  • A Wildcat is displayed at the Cradle of Aviation Museum at One Davis Avenue, Garden City, NY, on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation.
  • A F4F-3 (Bu. No. 3872) displayed at PNS in the pre-war markings of VF-72.
  • A F4F-3 (Bu. No. 12320) restored in the markings of Edward Henry "Butch" O'Hare and displayed in the Chicago O'Hare airport [26] and [27]). The Grumman F4F-3 on display was recovered virtually intact from the bottom of Lake Michigan, where it sank after a training accident in 1943 when it went off the training aircraft carrier USS Wolverine (IX-64). The aircraft was restored by the [28] to look like the exact one that O'Hare flew, and is exhibited in Terminal Two at the west end of the ticketing lobby.
  • A F4F-3A (3969) also at PNS.
  • A F4F-4 (Bu. No. 11828) in the San Diego Air and Space Museum on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola, Florida.
  • A F4F-4 (Bu. No. 12114) in the Marine Corps Museum at Quantico, Virginia.
  • A FM-1 in the National Air and Space Museum at NAS Pensacola, Florida.
  • A FM-1 (Bu. No. 15392) at the National Air & Space Museum, Washington DC.
  • A FM-2 (Bu. No. 47030) N315E. This is reputedly the aircraft that served as photo source for the Kagero detail photographs.[29]
  • A FM-2 (Bu. No. 47160) N551TC (ex-N2876D). Once (1980) displayed at an air show at Holloman AFB, New Mexico and later at the Lone Star Flight Museum.
  • A FM-2 (Bu. No. 55585) N681S. Owned by Gerald McMasters and once part of the Confederate Air Force[30]. This aircraft crashed on 18 October 2003, killing the pilot. The aircraft had been taking part in a photo flight following the first day of the 2003 Wings Over Houston air show.
  • A FM-2 (Bu. No. 55627) N7906C. Once part of Ed Maloney's Air Museum at Chino, California. Now as N47201.[31]
  • A FM-2 (Bu. No. 74161) at the Admiral Nimitz Museum, Fredricksburg, Texas.
  • A FM-2 (Bu. No. 74560) N902523 at the Champlin Fighter Museum.
  • A FM-2 (Bu. No. 86581) N1PP (ex-N86581). Once in a paint scheme to represent a FM-2 from the USS Steamer Bay. Now in the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum in Michigan.
  • A FM-2 (Bu. No. 86680) N11FE (ex-NX5558, N777A). Once owned by Dick Foote and painted like a Wildcat operating from USS Tulage.
  • A FM-2 (Bu. No. 86690) N20HA. Once a crop sprayer in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1978 to the Naval Aviation Museum.
  • A FM-2 (Bu. No. 86747) N68843. On display above the lobby at the National Museum of Naval Aviation, PNS.
  • A FM-2 (Bu. No. 86774) N7835L at the Air Museum Planes of Fame.
  • A FM-2P (Bu. No. 86777) N5HP (ex-N90541) owned at one time by Howard Pardue.[32]
  • A FM-2 (Bu. No. 86816) N5833. Aircraft is painted in the marking of fighters operated from the USS Wake Island during World War II, also owned, like 55585, by Gerald McMasters.
  • A FM-2 (Bu. No. 86960) N18P at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison, Texas. The aircraft is flyable and performs in air shows. Served as a FM-2 detail source for Squadron/Signal's Wildcat Walk Around. [33]

Data from[citation needed]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat with six kill markings (1942).
Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat with six kill markings (1942).
F4F-4 receives maintenance of its six M2 Browning machine guns.
F4F-4 receives maintenance of its six M2 Browning machine guns.

Data from[citation needed]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

Notes
  1. ^ a b c d e Donald 1995 p. 128-134.
  2. ^ a b Green 1961, p. 90-96.
  3. ^ Tillman 1983, p. 12.
  4. ^ Wayne Waters CDR USN(ret) Quote:"...landing gear was almost identical to that in the J2F's"
  5. ^ Buttler, Tony. British Secret Projects - Fighters & Bombers 1935-1950
  6. ^ a b Thetford 1978, p. 201.
  7. ^ Gustin, Emmanuel. Grumman F4F Wildcat. Grumman F4F Wildcat Access date: 15 April 2007.
  8. ^ Thetford 1978, p. 202.
  9. ^ Thetford 1978, p. 205.
  10. ^ Saburo Sakai: "Zero"
  11. ^ "UBoat.net: ZB homing device"
  12. ^ Saburo Sakai: "Zero"
  13. ^ Barber 1946, Table 1
  14. ^ a b Barber 1946, Table 2
  15. ^ Tillman 1983, p. 7.
  16. ^ The Cactus Air Force: "Early Wildcat guns had a tendency to jam during hard maneuvers"
  17. ^ Acepilots: "Saving the Lexington ...O'Hare's wingman discovered his guns were jammed"
  18. ^ "Battle of Midway Action Report, USS Yorktown (CV-5): F4F-4 Airplanes"
  19. ^ "Excerpts from a 1942 Interview with Lt. Cdr. John S. Thach"
  20. ^ "UBoat.net: rate of climb ... noticeably worse in the F4F-4"
  21. ^ Kinzey 2000, p. 68.
  22. ^ "UBoat.net: operation from the short decks of escort carriers"
  23. ^ 7860 planes produced, starting in December, 1940
  24. ^ Fleet Air Arm
  25. ^ Gustin, Emmanuel. Grumman F4F Wildcat.[1]Access date: 2 May 2007. Note: In January 1944, the Admiralty decided to abandon the name Martlet, and the type became the Wildcat Mk IV in British service. The name "Martlet" had been in use from May 1940 whereas the U.S. Navy had officially adopted the name "Wildcat" on 1 October 1941.
  26. ^ (pic 1
  27. ^ pic 2
  28. ^ Air Classics Museum
  29. ^ O'Leary 1992, p. 17.
  30. ^ O'Leary 1992, titlepage, p. 12-13.
  31. ^ O'Leary 1992, p. 15.
  32. ^ O'Leary 1992, p. 8-11.
  33. ^ cavanaughflightmuseum Cavanaugh Flight Museum
Bibliography
  • Barber, S.B. Naval Aviation Combat Statistics— World War II (OPNAV-P-23V No. A129). Washington, DC: Air Branch, Office of Naval Intelligence, 1946.
  • Dann, Richard S. F4F Wildcat in action, Aircraft Number 191. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 2004. ISBN 0-89747-469-4.
  • Dann, Richard S. F4F Wildcat Walkaround. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1995. ISBN 0-89747-347-7.
  • Donald, David, ed. American Warplanes of World War II. London, UK: Aerospace Publishing, 1995. ISBN 1-874023-72-7.
  • Ehrman, Vlastimil. Grumman Wildcat (in Czech). Prague, Czech Republic: Modelpres, 1995. ISBN 80-910328-7-1.
  • Green, William. Warplanes of the Second World War - Fighters, Volume 4. London, UK: Macdonald, 1961. No ISBN.
  • Greene, Frank L. The Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat. Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile Publications, 1972 (reprint from 1966).
  • Jarski, Adam. F4F Wildcat, Monografie Lotnicze 20(in Polish). Gdańsk, Poland: AJ-Press, 1995. ISBN 83-86208-29-5.
  • Kinzey, Bert. F4F Wildcat in detail. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 2000. ISBN 1-888974-18-4.
  • Kinzey, Bert. F4F Wildcat in detail & scale. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: TAB Books Inc., 1988. ISBN 0-8306-8040-3.
  • Kit, Mister and de Cock, Jean-Pierre. Grumman F4F Wildcat. Paris, France: Éditions Atlas s.a., 1981. no ISBN (French).
  • Linn, Don. F4F Wildcat in action, Aircraft Number 84. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1988. ISBN 0-89747-200-4.
  • Lundstrom, John B. The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1994. ISBN 1-55750-526-8.
  • Lundstrom, John B. The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1984. ISBN 0-87021-189-7.
  • Mendenhall, Charles A. Wildcats & Hellcats: Gallant Grummans in World War II. Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International, 1984. ISBN 0-87938-177-9.
  • O'Leary, Michael. Grumman Cats. London: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1992. ISBN 1-85532-247-1.
  • Philips, Glen. Grumman F4F Wildcat, including Grumman Martlet Mks. I-VI, Warpaint series no.9. Church End Farm, Bedfordshire, UK: Hall Park Books Ltd., 1997. No ISBN.
  • Thetford, Owen. British Naval Aircraft Since 1912, Fourth Edition. London, UK: Putnam, 1978. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.
  • Tillman, Barrett. Wildcat Aces of World War 2. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 1995. ISBN 1-85532-486-5.
  • Tillman, Barrett. Wildcat: the F4F in World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval & Aviation Publishing, 1983. ISBN 0-933852-32-0 (Revised 1990. ISBN 1-55750-819-4.)
  • Zbiegniewski, Andre R. and Janowicz, Krzysztof. Grumman F4F Wildcat (Bilingual Polish/English). Lublin, Poland: Kagero, 2004. ISBN 83-89088-53-3.

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