Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat

In the first two years of the United States' involvement in World War II, the U.S. Navy did not have an aircraft in its inventory that was as maneuverable as the Japanese Zero fighter. During this time, the Navy and Marine Corps depended on the Grumman F4F Wildcat to bridge this gap until a replacement aircraft could be produced. Earlier, on June 30, 1941, the Navy had placed an order with Grumman Aircraft Company in Bethpage, New York, to produce a new prototype carrier fighter. Two years later, the design efforts of Grumman's engineers resulted in one of the war's most potent fighter aircraft; the Hellcat.

The lines of the little Wildcat provided the foundation for the Hellcat's design. However, Grumman engineers abandoned the round fuselage cross section of the Wildcat and adopted a teardrop-shaped cross section for the Hellcat. This streamlined fuselage would surround the large Pratt and Whitney R-2800-10 Double Wasp engine. The increased load from the engine dramatically increased the wing area of the plane. The Hellcat's backward-rotating folding wing had the largest wing area of any U.S. fighter aircraft produced during the war. This large square panel wing was mounted at the minimum angle of incidence to obtain the least drag in level flight. However, a relatively large angle of attack was required, therefore the Double Wasp engine was mounted with a negative thrust line. The combination of all of these design factors resulted in a tail-down flight attitude.

On June 26, 1942, within a year of the Navy's initial request, Robert L. Hall tested the XF6F-1 equipped with the Wright R-2600 Cyclone. One month later, the second prototype, the XF6F-2, flew powered by the Pratt and Whitney R-2800-10. The Hellcat's design proved an immediate success. Few modifications were made to the production Hellcats from these early prototypes.

The Hellcat first entered combat on August 31, 1943, in a series of raids on Marcus Island. Lt. Richard Loesch was the first pilot to claim an air-to-air victory in the F6F. American pilots now had an aircraft that was faster and almost as maneuverable as their Japanese opponents. The Hellcat's most successful day in combat came on June 19, 1944, during operations in the Mariana Islands. During this air battle that became known as "the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot," the Japanese lost over 270 aircraft compared with 26 lost by the United States. The Hellcat also saw combat in Europe. Hellcats of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm escorted Fairey Barracudas during raids on the German battleship Tirpitz, hidden in a Norwegian fjord. They also were flown by American pilots over the invasion beaches in southern France during Operation Anvil. During the war pilots flying Hellcats destroyed over 5,100 enemy aircraft, compared with 270 Hellcats lost in combat; a ratio of 19:1. All Hellcat production ceased in 1945, after approximately 12, 275 Hellcats had been produced.

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