Everything about F4f Wildcat totally explained
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 couldn't be used.
Design and development
The F4F-1 began as an 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. This was evaluated against the Buffalo, but although the XF4F-2 was marginally faster, the Buffalo was otherwise superior and was chosen for production. 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 named 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. 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.
The name "Wildcat" was officially adopted on
1 October 1941.
Operational history
Royal Navy
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. In the European theater, the Wildcat scored its first combat victory on
Christmas Day 1940, when a land-based Martlet (as the type was then known in British service) destroyed a
Junkers Ju 88 bomber over the
Scapa Flow naval base. The type also pioneered combat operations from the smaller
escort carriers.
Six Martlets 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. 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.
The MK.III variant wasn't equipped with folding wings and was only used for land-based operations.
U.S. Navy and Marines
The Wildcat was outperformed by the
Mitsubishi Zero, its major opponent in the early part of the
Pacific Theater, but held its own partly because of its ability to absorb far more damage.
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 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 strategy that allowed Wildcat formations to act in a coordinated maneuver to counter a diving attack, called the "
Thach Weave."
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.
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. 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.
In all, 7,860 Wildcats were built. 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 "Wildcat."
During the course of the war, Navy and Marine F4Fs and FMs flew 15,553 combat sorties (14,027 of these from aircraft carriers), destroying 1,327 enemy aircraft at a cost of 191 Wildcats (an overall kill-to-loss ratio of 6.9:1). True to their escort fighter role, Wildcats dropped only 154 tons of bombs during the war.
F4F-3
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
avionics 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 directly ordered and 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. The first 10 G-36Bs were fitted with non-folding wings and were given the designation
Martlet III. These were followed by 30 folding wing aircraft (F4F-3As) which were originally destined for the
HAF, which were also designated Martlet IIIs. 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 wouldn't function.
A shortage of two-stage superchargers lead to the development of the
F4F-3A, which was basically the F4F-3 but with a Pratt & Whitney R-1830-90
radial engine with a more primitive single-stage two-speed
supercharger. The F4F-3A, which was capable of at, 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).
At the time of Pearl Harbor, only
USS Enterprise had a fully-equipped Wildcat squadron, VF-6 with F4F-3As. The USS Enterprise was then transferring a detachment of VMF-211, also equipped with F4F-3s, to Wake. The
USS Saratoga was in San Diego, working up for operations of the F4F-3s of VF-3. Eleven F4F-3s of VMF-211 were at the Ewa Marine Air Corps Station on Oahu; nine of these were damaged or destroyed during the Japanese attack. The detachment of VMF-211 on Wake lost 7 Wildcats to Japanese attacks on
8 December, but the remaining five put up a fierce defense, making the first bomber kill on
9 December. The destroyer
Kisaragi(External Link
) was sunk by the Wildcats, and the Japanese invasion force retreated.
In May 1942 the F4F-3s of VF-2 and VF-42, on board of USS Yorktown and USS Lexington, participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea. The USS Lexington and USS Yorktown fought against the
Zuikaku,
Shōkaku and the light carrier
Shōhō in this battle, in an attempt to halt a Japanese invasion of Port Moresby on Papua. During these battles, it became clear that attacks without fighter escort amounted to suicide, but that the fighter component on the carriers was completely insufficient to provide both fighter cover for the carrier and an escort for an attack force. Most U.S carriers carried less than 20 fighters.
F4F-3S
This floatplane version of the F4F-3 was developed for use at forward island bases in the Pacific, before the construction of airfields. It was inspired by appearance of the A6M2-N "Rufe", a modification of the Mitsubishi A6M2 "Zeke." BuNo 4083 was modified to become the F4F-3S "Wildcatfish." Twin floats, manufactured by Edo, were fitted. To restore the stability, small auxiliary fins were added to the tailplane. Because this was still insufficient, a ventral fin was added later.
The F4F-3S was first flown
28 February 1943. The weight and drag of the floats reduced the maximum speed to 241 mph. As the performance of the basic F4F-3 was already below that of the A6M, the F4F-3S was clearly of limited usefulness. Anyway, the construction of the airfields at forward bases by the "Seabees" was surprisingly quick. Only one was converted.
F4F-4
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, increasing the number of fighters that could be parked on a surface by more than a factor of 2. The F4F-4 was the definitive version that saw the most combat service in the early war years, including the
Battle of Midway. The F4F-3 was replaced by the F4F-4 in June 1942, during the Battle of Midway; only VMF-221 still used them at that time.
This version was less popular with American pilots because the same amount of ammunition was spread over two additional guns, decreasing firing time.
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 can't hit with four guns will miss with eight." Extra guns and folding wings meant extra weight, and reduced performance: the F4F-4 was capable of only about at Rate of climb was noticeably worse in the F4F-4, while Grumman optimistically claimed the F4F-4 could climb at a modest per minute, in combat conditions, pilots found their F4F-4s capable of ascending at only 500 to per minute. 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.
F4F-7
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. A total of 21 were built.
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 and). 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 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.
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. 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.
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 an 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.
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 an FM-2 detail source for Squadron/Signal's Wildcat Walk Around.
A FM-2 BU86711 presently in flying condition at Duxford, England.(External Link)
Specifications (F4F-3)
Specifications (F4F-4)
Further Information
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