Markings for F6F-3 1/72

COL 1

OTU VF-2, NAS Melbourne, United States, October 1944

Naval Air Station Melbourne was established on October 20, 1942, and the first training course began on January 18, 1943, on F4F Wildcat aircraft. Hellcats started to arrive at the unit on June 1, 1943, fully replacing the originally operated Wildcats on October 1, 1944, and their inventory varied between 75 and 150 aircraft. During 1944, 546 pilots completed their pilot training at this base, another 916 pilots did it from January to October 1944. Hellcats belonging to this unit sported a prominent marking carried on the front part of the engine cowling consisting of stripes or other geometrical shapes.

COL 2

VF-8, USS Intrepid (CV-11), Summer 1943

The second unit identified as VF-8 was established on June 1, 1943, under the command of LCdr. William M. Collins Jr. It was dispatched for the operational training aboard USS Intrepid which was sailing in the Caribbean Sea at that time. The Tri-Tone camouflage, introduced on January 5, 1943, was designed for the aircraft deployed to the Pacific, it was composed of Non-specular Sea Blue, Semi-gloss Sea Blue, Intermediate Blue and Non-specular White, and was applied slightly differently than on aircraft of other units. National markings featuring the red outline were introduced on June 28, 1943.

COL 3

Ens. Gordon Arthur Stanley, VF-27, USS Princeton (CVL-23), October 1944

Gordon Arthur Stanley, born on July 13, 1921, in Seattle, Washington, shot down eight enemy airplanes in the course of World War Two, all achieved while flying with VF-27. This unit became famous thanks to its unique marking – cat mouth and eyes, painted by Robert Burnell on all noses of the Hellcats belonging to this unit. Most of the Hellcats sporting the cat mouth with eyes were destroyed on October 24, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The aircraft ended up on the ocean bottom together with Light Aircraft Carrier Princeton sunk by a single bomb launched from a D4Y Suisei (Judy) dive-bomber. Afterwards VF-27 operated aboard CVL-22 Independence, however without the cat-mouth and eyes markings.

COL 4

Lt. L. A. Edmonston, VF-34, Nissan Island, May 1944

VF-34 Hellcats went into combat in the Solomon chain of islands at the beginning of 1944 and so took part in the closing battles of this part of the Pacific. They first flew off of Bougainville and then, in the spring, of the coral island of Nissan. There, these aircraft were given a white spine and tail surfaces. Some pilots took advantage of a relatively relaxed view on the subject and decorated their aircraft with various inscriptions and artwork. As was the case with Lt. Edmonston, several pilots were photographed on Nissan with their Hellcats, and names such as PIGGY II, BEAUFORD BLUENOSE, LOLLY and JEANE were documented.

COL 5

Lt. Hamilton McWhorter, USS Essex (CV-9), March 1944

As a member of the F4F Wildcat equipped VF-9, Hamilton “Mac” McWhorter took part in the first battles off the USS Ranger (CV-4) over Casablanca, during Operation Torch without encountering any enemy aircraft. He was luckier after VF-9 transferred to the deck of the USS Essex (CV-9), and this unit became the first to be equipped with the F6F Hellcat. McWhorter would get his first kill in combat over Wake Island and on November 19, 1943, he became the first Hellcat pilot to get five air to air victories, achieving ace status. On January 16, 1944, VF-9 left the decks of the USS Essex and, after a short bit of R&R at Pearl Harbor, it supported the invasion of Kwajalein Atoll. This was followed by action against the Japanese base at Truk, and on the bases on Guam and Saipan. Over the course of these battles, McWhorter raised his kill tally to ten confirmed victories. During the return trip of the Essex to Pearl Harbor at the beginning of March, members of VF-9 were photographed for posterity, and several of the pilots were photographed in the cockpit of the Hellcat coded 12. The number of kills were progressively raised to correspond with each pilot. The Hellcat was thus, for a brief moment, arranged in a way as to represent the personal mount of McWhorter with ten Japanese kill marks on the right side of the fuselage, but in combat it only carried one kill mark on each side of the fuselage.