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HISTORY
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delivered by 20 April, 1944. A total of 229
Hellcats were modied by Grumman as F6F-
-3Ns night ghters. The next version was the
F6F-5, which fully replaced the older version
F6F-3 by early 1945. The night ghter versi-
on F6F-5N was produced also. It is interesting
that there are two main versions and several
subversions of the Hellcat.
The Hellcat‘s rst combat mission occurred
on August 31, 1943, in a strike against Marcus
Island, including CDR. Charles Crommelin‘s VF-
5, LCDR Phil Torrey‘s VF-9, and a detachment
of O‘Hare‘s VF-6. The early-morning raiders
destroyed eight twin-engine bombers on the
ground; while losing two Hellcats to anti-air-
craft re and one to engine trouble. The next
day, over Howland and Bakers Islands, LTJG
Dick Loesch and ENS A.W. Nyquist scored the
Hellcat‘s rst aerial victory when they teamed
up to shoot down a Kawanishi H8K ying boat.
Hellcats were used on during the big battles
off Formosa on 12-14 October, 1944; the Se-
cond Battle of the Philippine Sea on 24 and
25 October; Iwo Jima in February 1945 and
Okinawa in March 1945. Finally, carrier-ba-
sed Hellcats provided air cover for the bom-
bers attacking the remnants of the Imperial
Japanese Navy, which were taking refuge in
the Inland Sea. The erce air battles were fou-
ght on Japanese skies against Japanese Army
and Naval Air Forces till the cease of re.
All top-scoring Navy carrier aces were F6F pi-
lots, namely CDR David McCampbell of VF-15
(34 victories), LCDR Cecil Harris of VF-18 and
-27 (24), LCDR Gene Valencia of VF-9 (23),
LCDR Alex Vraciu of VF-6, -16, and -20 (19),
and LCDR Pat Fleming of VF-80 (19 each).
Hellcats deployed into Marines services
were principally used by night ghter squad-
rons, with the F6F-3Ns of VMF(N)-534 being
the rst to reach the combat zone when they
arrived on Guam in early August 1944. The
only claim of this unit was a Nakajima C6N1
They fought hard for our freedom! This board is evidence of the Hellcat’s achievements.
reconnaissance aircraft which was shot down
in daylight. Night ghters F6F-3Ns were also
deployed with VMF(N)-541, arriving in Sep-
tember 1944 on Peleliu, in the Palau Islands,
where it claimed its rst enemy aircraft. It then
was credited with the destruction of twenty-
-two aircraft in the air and several on the
ground during operations from Tacloban.
During the Okinawa campaign, when they
ew F6F-5Ns, pilots from VMF(N)-533, 542,
and 543 respectively claimed thirty-ve, ei-
ghteen and fteen night air victories. All three
squadrons were on Okinawa when the war
ended. By early 1946, Hellcat night ghters
were serving with eight squadrons on Okina-
wa and in China, Japan, and the United Sta-
tes. Soon afterwards the number of squadrons
was reduced, and by the end of the decade
the last Marine F6F-5Ns had been replaced
by more modern aircraft.
One of the USMC squadrons that operated
standard Hellcat ghter was MAG-51 (Mari-
ne Air Group 51), which in 1944 trained with
Tiny Tim rockets in preparation for deploy-
ment to Europe (Project Danny) and opera-
tions against V 1 ying- bomb launching si-
tes. Other Hellcats used by USMC in combat
operations were those of VMD-354 (Marine
Photographic Squadron 354). Equipped with
F6F-5Ps, this squadron was sent to Guam in
May 1945 and operated until the end of the
war from Peleliu, Ulithi, and Okinawa. Marines
were in general operated Corsairs.
The main battleeld for the US Hellcats was
the Far East but in August 1944, aircraft from
VOF-1 (Observation Fighting Squadron One)
aboard the USS Tulagi (CVE-72) and VF-74
aboard the USS Kasaan Bay (CVE-69) co-
mmenced operations in European theater and
provided air cover during Operation Drago-
on in southern France. The Hellcat’s role was
directing naval gunre, armed reconnaissan-
ce, interdiction, strang, and bombing sorties.
Few air kills were achieved during this ope-
ration.
The United Kingdom was only ofcial fore-
igner operator of the Hellcat. A total of 1,177
F6F-3s, F6F-5s, F6F-5Ns, and F6F-5Ps were
delivered to the Fleet Air Arm. I say ofcial,
as one sole example was captured in Taiwan
and transported to Japan during the war.
The Hellcat was the most numerous American
aircraft operated by the Fleet Air Arm during
the war years. The rst 252 aircraft were
F6F-3s, which were to have been designated
Gannet Is in British Naval service but were re-
designated Hellcat Is before deliveries began
in May 1943. They were followed by 849
F6F-5s and seventy-six F6F-5Ns, which re-
spectively became Hellcat F. Mk. IIs and Hell-
cat N.F. Mk. IIs with the Fleet Air Arm. Most
Hellcats were operated as received from the
United States, but Blackburn Aircraft tted
British rocket projectile launchers to a number
Mark Nankivil
Mark Nankivil
A British crew works hard to prepare this Hellcat Mk I. for a mission. British Hellcats featured some minor
improvements to the cockpit.