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| Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat This F4F-3 Wildcat of Fighting Seventy-Two (VF-72) carries the prewar color scheme of sprayed Silver lacquer fuselage and Yellow wings. It has the Black tail of USS WASP (CV-7) and the Yellow cowl and fuselage band of the sixth section leader. |
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| FS2002/2004 | |
| JRLucariny FSDS V2 24 Model | |
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| Jan/2004 | |
| Grumman F4F Wildcat (Variants/Other Names: General Motors FM-1/FM-2; Martlet Mk I / II / III / IV; Wildcat Mk V / VI.) |
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History: In 1936 the US Navy evaluated a number of designs which were competing to be the Navy's new carrier-based fighter. Grumman built a design which, after several re-designations and airframe modifications, won the contract and eventually became the F4F Wildcat. The prototype, the XF4F-2, first flew on 2 September 1937. The prototype of an improved version, the XF4F-3, was renamed the F4F and was ordered by the Navy in August of 1939. The first five aircraft off the assembly line were sent to Canada, with the next 90 (designated "Martlet Mk I" going to the 804 Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm where, in December 1940, two Martlets made history by becoming the first American-made aircraft to down a German plane in WWII. |
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The first US Navy F4F-3 was flown on 20 August 1940, powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engine with 1,200 horsepower. The subsequent F4F-4, incorporating several improvements including folding wings, six guns and self-sealing fuel tanks, was delivered in November 1941. It was then that the name "Wildcat" was first given to the F4F. As war raged around the world, the Wildcat's reputation and utilization grew immensely. It flew with the US Navy and US Marines in all of the major Pacific battles, and in North Africa with the Navy. In mid 1942, Grumman realized that it needed to concentrate on the production of its new F6F Hellcat fighter, and so it contracted with the General Motors Company to build the Wildcat under the designation FM-1. |
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The first FM-1 flew on 31 August 1942, and over 1,150 of them were produced, hundreds of which went to the Fleet Air Arm as the "Martlet Mk V." General Motors next developed an improved version, called the FM-2 ("Wildcat Mk VI" in the Fleet Air Arm), which was powered by a Wright R-1820 engine with 1,350 horsepower. It featured a taller vertical tail than the FM-1. Over 4,700 FM-2s were built before the Wildcat was eclipsed by the more capable fighters which appeared later in the war. Nicknames: Peanut Special (British nickname) Link |
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Specifications (F4F): Engine: 1200hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-36 Twin Wasp, 14-cylinder radial piston engine Weight: Empty 5760 lbs, Maximum Takeoff 7950 lbs. Wing Span: 38ft. 0 in. Length: 28ft. 9in. Height: 9ft. 2.5in. Performance: Maximum Speed at 20,000ft: 318mph Cruising Speed: 155mph Service Ceiling: 39,500ft Initial Climb Rate: 1950 feet/min. Range: 770 miles Armament:Six 12.7-mm (0.50 in) Browning machine guns (FM-2 had four guns); Two 100-lb bombs (FM-2 could carry two 250-lb bombs). Number Built: 7,885 (All production variants) |
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The small, tubby F4F/FM-2 Wildcat is one of the important, yet often forgotten Allied fighters of World War II. Designed in 1935 by the Grumman Aircraft Corp., the XF4F-3 was the first all-metal, carrier launched, monoplane fighter purchased by the U.S. Navy. The F4F beat out competing designs from Brewster and Seversky. The robust and agile F4F was the primary front line fighter of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps at the onset of World War II. This Wildcat proved to be dependable and was loved by pilots and maintenance crews alike. The first Wildcats to see action were flown by the Royal Navy. Both Britain and France placed orders for the F4F-3 (although with different engines and armament layouts) during late 1939 and early 1940. The aircraft ordered by the French were claimed by the British after France fell in the fall of 1940. Known as the "Martlet", British Wildcats claimed their first victory on Dec. 25, 1940, almost a full year before the first American Wildcats saw action at Wake Island. |
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The Wildcat was America's primary naval fighter through the end of 1942. However, during 1943 most Wildcat squadrons were re-equipped with either the larger Grumman F6F Hellcat or the Chance-Vought F4U Corsair. By late June 1942, Grumman found itself hard pressed to maintain maximum production of both the F4F and TBF Avenger, while also beginning to tool-up the F6F Hellcat production lines. As a result, production of the Wildcat was transferred to five East Coast General Motors automobile plants. The General Motors FM-2 was the most numerous Wildcat variant produced. From mid-1943 to the end of the war, General Motors built 4,777 FM-2s -- nearly 70% of all Wildcats produced. The FM-2 differed from the original Grumman F4F in a number of ways. The FM-2 had a lighter, yet more powerful Wright R-1820 radial engine. Additionally, the plane carried four rather than six .50 caliber machine guns and was often fitted with HVARs (High-Velocity Aircraft Rockets) for use against ground targets, ships or surfaced submarines. The FM-2 also had a larger tail than the standard F4F to counter the increased torque produced by the Wright engine. |
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The Cavanaugh Flight Museum's FM-2 was one of the last Wildcats built and was accepted by the U.S. Navy only days before the official Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay (a testament to the utility of the type). The museum's FM-2 spent most of its military career in storage at Bethpage, NY and was stricken from the U.S. Navy's inventory in 1947. The aircraft was restored in the late 1970s and was the Oshkosh Fly In Grand Champion in 1979. Today, this aircraft carries the markings of a FM-2 from VC-70, a composite squadron which operated from the escort carrier U.S.S. Salamaua (CVE-96) from May to September 1945. |
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SPECIFICATION AND PRODUCTION INFORMATION ENGINE: Wright R-1820-56 developing 1,350 h.p. ARMAMENT: Four .50 cal. machine guns,six 5" HVARs WING SPAN: 38 feet LENGTH: 28 feet, 9 inches HEIGHT: 11 feet, 5 inches MAX. TAKEOFF WEIGHT: 8,221 lbs. MANUFACTURED BY: General Motors TOTAL WILDCATS BUILT: 7,251 TOTAL IN EXISTENCE TODAY: Approximately 45 FIRST F4F BUILT: 1940 FIRST FM-2 BUILT: 1943 MAXIMUM SPEED: 322 mph RANGE (W/: EXTERNAL TANKS): 1,350 miles SERVICE CEILING: 35,600 feet Link |
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F4F and FM Wildcat The Wildcat was the standard shipboard fighter of the US Navy at the start of the Pacific War. It has often been said that it was completely outclassed by the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, as the Zero was faster and much more maneuverable than the Wildcat, and included two 20mm cannon in its armament. However, the Wildcat had virtues of its own. It was rugged and reliable, could withstand a great deal of battle damage, and was a very stable gun platform. Its four (later six) 0.5-inch Browning machine-guns were an effective if unspectacular armament. Moreover, the Zero lacked the F4Fs armour and self-sealing fuel tanks. |
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At the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942, and at the decisive Battle of Midway 4-6 June 1942, the Wildcat demonstrated that it could fight the Zero on roughly equal terms, even when the Zero was flown by the elite pilots of the Japanese carrier striking force. As Japanese losses of trained aircrew mounted, and the quality of their pilots correspondingly declined, the Wildcat established an ascendancy over its opponents, which became increasingly evident during the Guadalcanal campaign. F4Fs inflicted heavy losses on Japanese aircraft during the carrier battles of Eastern Solomons and Santa Cruz. At Guadalcanal itself, operating from Henderson Field, Marine Corps F4Fs took a huge toll of enemy aircraft flying from their bastion of Rabaul. The Wildcats also played a huge part in giving close air support to the US ground forces on the island. |
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When the F4F's successor - the F6F Hellcat - was introduced it immediately supplanted the Wildcat aboard the Pacific Fleet's fast carriers, but the older F4F was in some ways more suitable for operation from the escort carriers than was the heavier and higher-performance F6F. The Wildcat continued to operate from escort carriers until the end of the war, and gave sterling service.
At Leyte Gulf Wildcats flew heroically against the Japanese battleships and cruisers which surprised the Seventh Fleet's escort carriers off Samar. In combination with the Avenger torpedo-bombers which also flew from the tiny carriers - and assisted by the destroyers and destroyer escorts of the carriers' screen - they persistently harassed the superior enemy force and disrupted its attack until the Japanese eventually withdrew. |
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The Wildcat had originally been designed as a biplane, to continue Grumman's F3F series of carrier-borne fighters. The prototype was redesigned - while still on the drawing-board - as a mid-wing monoplane. The resulting prototype XF4F-2 was not successful in competition with the Brewster F2A Buffalo, but Grumman continued development with a more powerful engine, and in early 1939 100 F4Fs were ordered for the French Navy. In August 1939 the US Navy followed with an order for 54. The machines intended for France were diverted to the British Navy, and were there called "Martlets". Link |
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