KITS 11/2022

F6F-5N, Lt. William E. Henry, VF(N)-41, USS Independence (CVL-22), September 1944

This aircraft was flown by Lt. William E. „Bill“ Henry,

the most successful night fighter ace within US Navy.

He was credited with 9.5 kills achieved during the

period from September 1944 to January 1945. Three

of his victims were four engine “Emily” flying boats.

This F6F-5N was sprayed Glossy Sea Blue color and

represents the standard late-war Navy camouflage

scheme. The markings and the radar cover were

painted white.

F6F-5N, VMF-511, USS Block Island (CVE-106), April 1945

The first aircraft carrier to have a US Marine Corps night fighter unit on board was USS Block Island

(CVE-106). VMF-511 embarked on Block Island in

March 1945, and was a mixed group of eight Corsairs,

two photo-reconnaissance F6F-5P Hellcats and eight

November 2022

F6F-5N Hellcat night fighters. The squadron joined

the Okinawa battle on May 10, 1945 and was consequently sent to the eastern coast of Borneo to support landing operations at Balikpapan. The first and

only success came on July 3, 1945, when 1st Lt. Bru-

ce Reuter shot down an E13A “Jake” floatplane. The

Hellcat nicknamed “Butch” was one of eight VMF-511

Hellcat nightfighters aboard Block Island. The White

block with Blue “I” is a carrier identification symbol

while the small Blue “M” signifies the USMC.

INFO Eduard

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