HISTORY

USS Makin Island (CVE-93) sailing in the South Pacific.

deck, where at least nine or ten Avengers had

to be accommodated as part of the composite

squadron. This left little space for fighters,

and the large Hellcats were not suitable for

these carriers. The Navy demanded a small

and lightweight fighter that could operate from

these ships, but there was no time to develop

an entirely new type. Although the development

of the Bearcat, which was to meet all the

requirements, began in 1943, it did not reach

combat in time. Therefore, the only option was

to continue producing Wildcats, preferably in

a more powerful version. Grumman thus prepared

two prototypes of the XF4F-8, the precursor to

the following FM-2 production version.

Lightened, Strengthened, and Ready

The FM-2 version of the Wildcat is often

overlooked among its counterparts, as the

F4F-3 and F4F-4 versions gained greater

fame due to the heroic performances of their

pilots during the battles in the Coral Sea, at

the Midway or Guadalcanal. These successful

operations produced a whole series of famous

fighter aces from both the Marine Corps and

the Navy. However, the purpose and operational

deployment of the FM-2 were different; it was no

more the Navy’s main fighter type. Nevertheless,

at least five more pilots achieved ace status

with the FM-2 (compared to 54 aces flying

earlier versions), and the most successful of

all squadrons flying the FM-2, VC-27 “Saints,”

eventually became the second most successful

unit operating Wildcats, regardless of the combat

area or period. Its pilots managed to shoot down

a total of 61.5 enemy aircraft during the fourmonth battle for the Philippines. Only VF-5 with

79 kills surpassed them. In this respect, the FM-2

ultimately made its mark.

The increase in the Wildcat’s performance was

mainly achieved by installing a more powerful yet

230 lb lighter Wright R-1820-56 engine instead of

the Pratt & Whitney R-1830-86. Along with other

modifications, the FM-2 was “slimmed down” by

500 lb and gained a power improvement of 150

August 2023

hp compared to the F4F-4 version. As the new

engine was supercharged by a single-stage, dualspeed compressor, the FM-2 lost its performance

advantage at higher altitudes. However, this was

not an issue since these aircraft were primarily

intended for anti-submarine operations, convoy

protection from low-level air threats, and attacks

against ground or surface targets. High-altitude

combat was not considered part of their combat

activities. Additionally, most of the FM-2s were

equipped with engines in versions 56W or 56WA,

featuring water injection to temporarily boost the

engine output for up to ten minutes.

The cooling system underwent a fundamental

change. The two protruding radiators on the

lower wing were removed, and their function was

taken over by a compact radiators located in the

lower and upper part of the fuselage behind the

engine. The wing openings were covered with

shaped metal panels.

58 gallons volume). Starting with aircraft BuNo.

57044, the fuselage tank was slightly enlarged

to 126 gallons.

The glass windows under the cockpit were

covered, and a new universal tailwheel with

a larger tire was developed for the FM-2. But the

most noticeable change compared to all previous

versions was the taller vertical tail fin and

rudder to eliminate the increased torque from

the propeller driven by more powerful engine.

However, even with more power and more

efficient propeller, the flight decks of escort

aircraft carriers were too short for a conventional

takeoff, and catapults had to do most of the job.

Nevertheless, the FM-2’s dimensions were very

advantageous. With folded wings, it was only 14

ft wide, allowing an entire composite squadron

to be accommodated on a single ship’s deck.

While up to 12 Avengers could be carried, the

number of FM-2s typically ranged from 12 to 14.

Aces on FM-2

Squadron

Aircraft Carrier

Number of

Victories

Lt. Ralph E. Elliott, jr.

VC-27

USS Savo Island

9

Lt. Cdr. Harold. N. Funk

VF-26

USS Santee

6.5

Lt. Kenneth G. Hippe

VC-3

USS Kalinin Bay

5

Ens. Joseph D. McGraw

VC-10/VC-80

USS Gambier Bay/

Manilla Bay

5

Lt. Thomas B. Sedaker

VC-84

USS Makin Island

5*

Pilot

*Some sources report 4.83 victories.

The engine change and cooling system

redesign necessitated alterations to the nose

cowlings. The exhaust outlets were not combined

for the new engine; instead, each cylinder had

its individual exhaust. Three exhausts ended on

the right side, two on the left, and two pairs on

the bottom of the fuselage. The second fuselage

tank was removed, leaving the FM-2 with only

one 117 gallons volume. Due to this, FM-2 aircraft

often flew with additional drop tanks (each of

“Wilder Wildcat”

The Wildcat aircraft modified into the FM-2

version quickly won the favor of pilots. It was

a nimble and reasonably fast aircraft that

retained one of its typical characteristics –

the ability to withstand significant damage in

combat. Additionally, the pilot was protected by

a new armor plate behind their back (though not

all aircraft were equipped with it). No wonder the

new version earned the nickname Wilder Wildcat.

INFO Eduard

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