NAVY AND MARINE CORPS AIRCRAFT

The U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) flew some of the same planes as the USAAF, but the navy aircraft, U.S. 31 in particular had two special requirements: fighters that could take off and land on aircraft carriers, and seaplanes. The following are some of the best-known navy and USMC aircraft of World War II. F2A Buffalo. The Brewster F2A Buffalo was the first monoplane fighter operated from an aircraft carrier. The rather unwieldy fighter was no match for Japanese aircraft and could achieve a top speed of no more than 300 miles per hour. After the navy abandoned it early in the war, the marines used it for land-based operations, mostly in the close air support role. Only 502 Buffalos were built. TBD Devastator. While the Brewster Buffalo was the navy's first carrier-based monoplane fighter, the Douglas TBD Devastator was its first carrier-launched torpedo bomber. Built to carry a single heavy torpedo under the fuselage, it was a large aircraft powered by a 900-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radial engine, which made a speed of just over 200 miles per hour. A prototype flew in April 1935, and production began in 1937–39, so that the Devastator soon replaced prewar carrier-based biplanes. In combat, the TBD's slow speed and inadequate defensive armament—one .30-caliber machine gun firing forward and another in the rear cockpit—made it very vulnerable to fire from enemy fighters and ships. At the Battle of Midway, only four of 41 TBDs escaped destruction. TBF/TBM Avenger. The Grumman TBF Avenger was introduced in 1939 as a replacement for the TBD Devastator and proved so effective that General Motors also began to build the plane (designated TBM) under license in 1942. The large aircraft was equipped with an electrically powered gun turret and an internal bomb bay to accommodate four 500-pound bombs or a single aerial torpedo. Its crew included a pilot, radioman, and gunner. A total of 9,842 TBF/TBM Avengers were produced during the war. The TBM engine was a 1,900-horsepower Wright, and maximum takeoff weight was 17,895 pounds. Top speed was 276 miles per hour, ceiling 30,100 feet, and range 1,000 miles. The aircraft was armed with two 12.7-mm forward-firing machine guns, one 12.7-mm dorsal- mounted machine gun, and one 7.62-mm ventral- mounted machine gun; it could carry up to 2,000 pounds of ordnance. F4U Corsair. The gull-wing F4U Vought Corsair went into production in 1942 and continued in production well after the war, ending its run in 1952, by which time 12,582 had been built. One of the most successful fighters of World War II, it enjoyed an 11 to 1 kill ratio against Japanese aircraft in the Pacific. The single engine developed a mighty 2,000 horsepower, and the gull wings not only reduced drag, but allowed for shorter landing gear to accommodate an oversized propeller. The wings could be folded over the canopy to save space on the hangar deck. Unfortunately, the big engine required considerable setback of the cockpit, which meant that visibility was poor during landing and takeoff. Also, the plane readily stalled at slow speed, and it also tended to bounce on landing, which made it difficult to engage the arresting hook. For these reasons, the F4U was restricted from aircraft carrier operations until late in 1944. In the meantime, it was extensively used on land by USMC pilots, including the celebrated Gregory "Pappy" Boyington of the Black Sheep Squadron. F4F Wildcat. The F4F Grumman Wildcat was ordered by the navy in 1938, and by the end of the war some 9,000 had been produced. By 1942, the F4F was being replaced by the F6F Hellcat for carrier operations, although USMC pilots continued to fly the Wildcat with great success. Capable of a top speed of 320 miles per hour, the F4F was armed with six 50-caliber machine guns. F6F Hellcat. Grumman designed the F6F Hellcat as a replacement for the F4F Wildcat. The new plane benefitted from close study of captured Japanese fighters, and Hellcat pilots eventually achieved a spectacular 19 to 1 kill ratio. Some 12,275 F6Fs were produced between 1942 and 1945—a production rate of one plane per hour during every 24 hours, seven days a week. In hard numbers, the F6F destroyed 5,156 enemy aircraft, accounting for three-fourths of all U.S. Navy aerial kills in World War II. The Hellcat made 380 miles per hour at 23,000 feet and could reach a service ceiling of 37,300 feet. Armament was six 12.7-mm machine guns and a bomb load of 2,000 pounds. 32 aircraft, U.S. F7F Tigercat. The F7F Grumman Tigercat was ordered in 1941 as the navy's first twin-engine fighter, although it did not fly until 1943. Highly maneuverable and reaching an impressive 400 miles per hour, the F7F had four .50-caliber machine guns and four 20-mm cannon. However, the Tigercat proved too heavy for regular carrier operations and was therefore turned over to the USMC in 1944 for service from shore bases. F8F Bearcat. The F8F Grumman Bearcat appeared late in the war, in 1945, and was developed largely in response to kamikaze attacks as well as to continue countering general Japanese fighters. The F8F was 20 percent lighter than the F6F and nearly 50 miles per hour faster, hitting 421 miles per hour. Part of the weight reduction was achieved by reducing armament from six to four .50-caliber machine guns. However, two wing pylons, each capable of carrying a 1,000-pound bomb, provided attack capability. O2SU Kingfisher. The O2SU Vought Kingfisher was the most widely used navy float plane of the war. The aircraft was designed to be carried aboard battleships and cruisers. The planes were lowered into the water by a shipboard crane, which was also used to recover them. The O2SU was used on training, scouting, bombing, and other missions. Although most were employed in the Pacific theater, some were used in the Atlantic to hunt German submarines. The Kingfisher first flew in 1938 and reached a top speed of 170 miles per hour and a ceiling of 16,000 feet. PBY Catalina. The Consolidated PBY Catalina was produced in great numbers for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Five U.S. and Canadian plants delivered 3,281 of these flying boats, which had begun life in the early 1930s. The PBY-5A was powered by two 1,200-horsepower Pratt & Whitney radial piston engines and had a maximum takeoff weight of 35,420 pounds, a wingspan of 104 feet, and a 63-foot length. Its top speed was a lumbering 179 miles per hour, but at 117 miles per hour it could cruise for 2,545 miles. Typical armament consisted of five 7.62-mm machine guns and as much as 4,000 pounds of bombs or depth charges. PBM-3 Mariner. The PBM-3 Mariner from Martin was a large flying boat designed for longrange operations as a patrol bomber, convoy escort, and fleet operations scout. It was intended to replace the Consolidated PBY Catalina but ultimately supplemented rather than replaced it. About 1,000 were produced. SBD Dauntless. The Douglas SBD Dauntless was effectively the U.S. Navy's standard carrierbased dive bomber from mid-1940 until November 1943, when the Helldivers began to replace it. In addition to its carrier use, the SBD Dauntless was flown extensively by the USMC. Ordered in 1939, delivery began in 1940, and 5,936 were built by the time the aircraft was phased out late in 1944. A single 1,350-horsepower Wright engine lifted a maximum takeoff weight of 9,519 pounds to a top speed of 255 miles per hour and a ceiling of 25,200 feet. Range was 773 miles, and armament included two forward-firing 12.7-mm machine guns in addition to two 7.62-mm machine guns on flexible mounts. Up to 1,600 pounds of bombs could be carried under the fuselage, and another 650 pounds under the wings. SB2C Helldiver. The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was designed in 1938 as a scout-bomber to replace the SBD Dauntless. Improvements included a larger fuel capacity, 20-mm cannon, and an internal bomb bay to carry a 1,000-pound bomb. Design problems delayed initial production until June 1942, and then the aircraft was plagued by landing gear failure and a tendency to bounce, which interfered with tail-hook engagement on carrier landings. Eventually, however, the problems were resolved, and 5,500 were produced before the end of the war. The SB2C's single Wright engine developed 1,900 horsepower, enabling a maximum takeoff weight of 16,616 pounds. Top speed was 295 miles per hour, and ceiling was 29,100 feet. The SB2C had a range of 1,165 miles. Armament consisted of two 20-mm wing-mounted cannon and two 7.62- mm machine guns operated by a gunner in the rear cockpit. The bomb bay could accommodate a 1,000-pound bomb, and underwing racks could take an additional 1,000 pounds of ordnance. aircraft, U.S. 33 Further reading: Dean, Francis H. America's Hundred Thousand: U.S. Production Fighters of World War II. Atglen, Penn.: Schiffer Publishing, 1996; Gunston, Bill. The Illustrated Directory of Fighting Aircraft of World War II. New York: Arco Publishing, 1988; Jarrett, Philip, and E. R. Hooten, eds. Aircraft of the Second World War: The Development of the Warplane 1939–45. London: Conway Maritime Press, 1997; Mondey, David. American Aircraft of World War II. London: Book Sales, 2002; Sharpe, Mike. Aircraft of World War II. Osceola, Wis.: Motorbooks International, 2000.