The F6F Hellcat
The Grumman F6F Hellcat was among the leading fighter planes of World War II, designed as a general purpose fighter for deployment on aircraft carriers throughout the war. This aircraft, which was an improvement on the F4F Wildcat, aimed to destroy enemy aircraft, particularly the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero.
Throughout the war, the Hellcat set an unmatched record for fighters by destroying 5,155 enemy planes. This accomplishment was reached in under two years of combat engagements.
What was the first encounter between an Imperial Japanese fighter pilot and the famous Hellcat?
‘Ensign Robert Duncan was deployed on the USS Yorktown in Fighting Squadron 5 in the fall of 1943. This rookie naval aviator was the first to secure a victory against the vaunted A6M Zero in a F6F Hellcat,’ says Maryellen Reilly, a WWII expert, on Quora.
Japanese Zero fighters Vs F6F Hellcat
‘Duncan’s second chance at aerial combat involved an A6M Zero flown by Japanese Ace Warrant Officer Toshiuki Sueda with nine victories.
‘Sueda was very good at luring F4F Wildcats into a climbing loop and when the Wildcat stalled and fell away, Sueda would wing over and destroy the Wildcat.
‘Misidentification is a bitch, and Sueda, assuming his opponent was a Wildcat, went into his climbing loop, and Duncan, with his spanking new F6F Hellcat with a 2000 HP P&W R-2800 engine, followed Sueda into his climb and blew him out of the sky.
‘With its speed, armament and armoured protection, the Grumman F6F Hellcat was a rude awakening for the Imperial Japanese pilots.’
Reilly concludes;
‘The question was about their first encounter… It was usually their last encounter.’
Towards the end of the conflict, the Navy conducted evaluations of both Allied and captured Axis fighter aircraft. The Hellcat excelled in many categories, earning its status as one of the war’s top fighters, a remarkable accomplishment given the short design-to-production timeline. In just 30 months, Grumman manufactured 12,275 Hellcats at its Bethpage Plant Number 3, much of which was still under construction while the first F6Fs were being built inside.
Photo by Osvaldo 201 via Live War Thunder and Marion Illinois History Preservation
