F4F Wildcat

South Pacific 1942–43

F4F Wildcat cover

Description

This book examines the role of the Grumman F4F Wildcat, the US Navy's standard carrier fighter at the start of the Pacific War, and its clashes against the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force's Mitsubishi A6M Zero-sen.

The US Navy went to war in December 1941 with the tubby Wildcat, the first of Grumman's famed 'cats', as its principal carrier fighter. Ruggedly built and well armed, the F4F's performance was inferior to the Japanese Zero-sen, yet in the carrier battles of 1942 between the US Navy and the IJN the Wildcat pilots more than held their own against some of the finest naval aviators in the world. Many of the Wildcat pilots that saw action in the South Pacific comprised what respected naval historian John Lundstrom has called the 'First Team' – the small group of highly trained prewar pilots who manned the bulk of the US Navy's carrier fighter squadrons.

Illustrated with specially commissioned artwork, including armament views and ribbon diagrams, the book examines the carrier battles that took place in August and October in the South Pacific around the first American offensive of the war – the amphibious assault on the island of Guadalcanal, and the actions of the Wildcat in combat with IJN carrier aircraft. The key combat actions are described and accompanied with rare and original photographs and diagrams, as are the training and tactics that contributed to the Wildcat's success.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents (Subject to Confirmation)
1. In Battle
2. Setting the Scene
3. Path to Combat.
4. Weapon of War
5. Art of War
6. Combat
Aftermath
Appendices
Index

Product details

Published Oct 24 2023
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 80
ISBN 9781472854865
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations Colour artwork plates and maps; black & white and colour photographs and illustrations.
Dimensions 248 x 184 mm
Series Dogfight
Short code DOG 9
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Edward M. Young

Edward M. Young is a retired financial executive w…

Illustrator

Gareth Hector

Gareth Hector is a digital artist of international…

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