Terror in The Sky: The Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters of WWII...

The opening of the air war over the Pacific was brutal. Allied pilots found themselves facing an enemy whose fighters appeared to be able to run rings around their own. The most notable of these Japanese fighters was the Mitsubishi A6M more commonly known to Allied pilots as the Zero. Designed by a team headed by Jiro Honkoshi, the A6M was designed for the Imperial Japanese Navy and as such could be operated from carriers. At the time, most carrier-based fighters had to sacrifice some aspect of its performance to make it suitable for the rigours of carrier operations but what made the Zero so feared was that for the first time, this aircraft had performance that could match most of its land-based adversaries; something almost completely lost on Allied intelligence prior to December 1941.
The Zero was a fast slasher, being capable of high speed and great agility. By contrast most Allied fighters such as the US Navy’s Grumman F4F Wildcat were much heavier designs as they incorporated greater protection; something the Zero sacrificed to achieve its stellar performance. Therefore, it was quickly realised that what was needed was a more powerful fighter that could match the Zero’s performance without sacrificing the protection and firepower afforded the US pilots and this lead to the development of one of the greatest fighters of World War II - the Grumman F6F Hellcat. Welcome to Wars of the World.
00:00 Introduction
01:54 Make it strong, make it work and make it simple
06:07 Into The Fight
09:52 The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot
13:43 Improvements
16:44 Legacy
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Written & Researched by: Tony Wilkins
Edited by: James Wade
History Should Never Be Forgotten...

[@keithlavin7662]

My grandfather was an F6F pilot on the carrier USS Ticonderoga and the USS Hancock. It’s interesting to see a clip of his squadron at 15:54. An aircraft that he flew in World War II has been restored at the Fagan museum in Wisconsin. It is an awesome aircraft.

[@theodoresmith5272]

The P47, hellcat, and F4 corsair all had the same motor. Because the P47 had to fly high altitude and was land based, it had some extra HP because it had the space and such. Climb and dive rate are the big thing to look at with ww2 aircraft. All 3 were very good.

[@Real-CB-News]

P-47 had some extra HP because it was turbo-supercharged for high altitude

[@Cuccos19]

Before better propellers the P-47 nothing like a good climbing fighter. The paddle bladed and/or cuffed propellers made it quite decent climber as well, but nothing specatcular, I think.

[@bnighter]

P-47 had eight .50cal mgs versus six for the Hellcat.

[@jacktattis]

The P47 / F4U had very POOR climb the Hellcat quite good But no radial did more than 4000ft/min in WW2

[@jacktattis]

@@Cuccos19 P47D 3120 ft/min was its best and that was late in the war

[@JustinAH]

The F6F did alright against German fighter's, in a Royal Navy attack on German Battleship Tirpitz in 1944 Hellcat's engaged with Bf-109 and Fw-190s shooting 3 German fighter's down for the loss of one F6F. The Hellcat had largest wing of any WW2 single-engined fighter, if you want to see Hellcat's alternate gun package of 2x20mm and 4x.50cal check at 16:07 their's 4 night fighter's with that package

[@jacktattis]

The Hellcats in FAA service never fought the Germans When the FAA were there the Germans did not appear. Source Eric Brown Wings of the Navy In a virtual Contest in his Duels in the Sky he gives the Hellcat the edge over the Bf109G6 but the Fw190A the edge over the Hellcat

[@GooglePixelGoogle]

My grandfather was a Hellcat mechanic. He was stationed at the long gone Naval Air Station Melbourne, FL. It was a fighter pilot training facility in southern FL. I have some cool photos of him working on these planes. My grandmother would sit on the beach and watch the pilots practicing dog fighting and manuevers. She watch many a plane go into the "drink" as she called it. If a plane went in the drink she would later see it being towed through the city on the way to the base for investigation and repair if possible. My grandfather was on leave one time, and was on his way back to Birmingham, AL. He was stopped at the train station by some MP's (Military Police). He was escorted back to Melbourne because a plane that he had worked on had crashed. They investigated his actions, talked with his superiors, and he was soon cleared of any wrongdoing an sent on his way. They were always on the lookout for sabotage. My grandfather died when I was young so I never got a chance to talk to him about his service, but my grandmother is 97 years old and still remembers many details about the war, and her time at NAS Melbourne.

[@kevinforde1720]

😅😅😅

[@oneshotme]

I very much enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

[@steveb6103]

Don't forget that the Wildcat took on the best pilots in the world at the time! And still had a 4 to 1 kill rate! My dad was on the USS Essex as a Hellcat pilot. And finished the war on the USS Hornet.

[@dginia]

I used to have a friend who flew Wildcats and Hellcats from the USS Suwannee. He liked both of them, but said the Wildcat was a joy to fly aerobatics in.

[@thegermanfool8953]

Now that's a flex if I've ever seen one! Haha

[@mattgraff2563]

The F6 was almost half the price of the more complicated Corsair, they rolled them off the assembly line faster and cheaper. The Corsair was faster, carried a bigger payload, and was a much better ground support aircraft. By the time the version 5 Corsair came out the Hellcat was completely outclassed. They built corsairs postwar, the only wwII fighter that was used in Korea.

[@politicsuncensored5617]

In 2003 after I retired my wife surprised the hell out of me with a birthday gift of flying a WW 2 trainer fighter aircraft out of St. Augustine, FL. I got to fly the (Open) cockpit aircraft up and down the Florida coast line from St. Augustine to Jacksonville and back. What these men got to fly back in WW 2 was incredible for at the time~! When we landed back at the airport I noticed a Korean War Sabre Jet in one of the hangers. Unfortunately it was a one seat private jet & not available for any rookie to fly~! Great video on the F6F. Shalom

[@thomasb1889]

Your wife is a keeper!

[@starfish370]

Odd...seeing Avengers, twice, being said to be Hellcats.

[@johngeverett]

There was a Corsair and a Wildcat in there also, while specifically speaking of the F6F.

[@DaveSCameron]

Clearly this channel is proving to be a non Western amateur production..

[@jamesmcclure815]

Conspicuously lazy editing! The narraror doesn't know how to pronounce 'Ensign''''.

[@TheCosmicGuy0111]

Nice

[@jeremybuchanan4759]

"But the Hellcat's finest hour was yet to arrive ..."

[@dennisfordii9737]

As a fellow missourian im glad to know we contributed more than a president to the war effort !

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Little known fact. Most fighters of the period the Zero was designed in carried little armour. The Spitfire, for example, was still being delivered without the armoured windscreen in April 1940.

[@GM-fh5jp]

Note the A6M Zero was designed by Jiro Hirokoshi...not "Honkoshi".

[@markfrench8892]

Hearing the narrator mispronounce Grumman is really unforgiving.

[@johnvoorhees7881]

Grooman, 'ay? Doon't get cheeky....lol 😆

[@mikemccartht4628]

Its a small thing but yeah kind of offputting.

[@Bungo71]

It mispronounces and misses/adds things like an AI reader. A very British one. I’ve heard several British humans pronounce it that way tho…

[@jon9021]

Yes, a silly thing…but damned annoying.

[@kennardjohnson7875]

Yes we pronounce it Grumm an,historically on name pronunciation we could be incorrect? Like my first name, pronounced kinn erd or kinn ird..

[@Real-CB-News]

16:05 shows the M2 20mm cannon equipped Hellcats in formation

[@jacktattis]

Nightfighters

[@Real-CB-News]

​@@jacktattis Good call

[@jackasswhiskyandpintobeans9344]

9:47 Wasn't Ducan the F6F pilot who described the A6M pilot who went vertical?

[@Bobbyo60]

The Hellcat had a 19 to 1 kill ratio. The best in the war. It also created 503 aces.

[@rayschoch5882]

Arguing over which fighter was "best" is pointless. The F6F was the most successful naval fighter of the war, with about 75% of all Axis aircraft shot down. It wasn't the fastest or most maneuverable, but it was pretty good in all areas, including - late in the war - dive-bombing & ground support. The F4F held its own when dealing with Japan's best pilots, and the F4U Corsair, especially the late-war F4U-4, was the best-performing naval fighter. That said, timing is important, and the F6F was in the right place at the right time, and had good enough performance to achieve the highest kill ratio of any naval fighter at 19-to-1.

[@kennethhamilton5633]

F4F was in trouble til Thatch and others broke from trying to dogfight and developed tactics that acted to enhance the Wildcats strengths. Boom n zoom and the weave were the most effective first tactics

[@Mishn0]

The Corsair was better, but, it cost twice as much as the Hellcat. It was better, but not twice as good. It made sense to choose only one aircraft to equip the fleet and since the Hellcat was cheaper, but still very good, it was the choice. Corsairs got on the carriers later when the Kamikaze threat required every fighter available.

[@Mishn0]

@@kennethhamilton5633 Claire Chennault had figured that out two years prior. Too bad no one listened to him!

[@rayschoch5882]

@@Mishn0 Spot-on! Even in wartime, governments pay attention to costs, which were already immense, and I also agree that it was "all hands on deck" regarding the kamikaze threat after the Philippine campaign, and especially during the Okinawa operation.

[@Chris_at_Home]

@@Mishn0The Corsair’s had a problem with the left wing stalling first and with a pilot giving it power to recover the engine torque further compounded that problem. They put a small block on the right wing just outboard of the guns to help the wings stall at the same airspeed. Also they raised the seat so the pilot could see better and then they put it on carriers.

[@thomasb1889]

Both the Bearcat and the Corsair were better but both also did not see as much service in the war.

[@viperBSG]

no, it was the f4u corsair man!

[@Im_bpred]

fire ass video

[@frankpinmtl]

3:35 Are they really standing that close to a whirling prop?

[@danielburgess7785]

Grum, rhymes with rum.

[@jackvoss5841]

Great bird. Someone should have trained the narrator to pronounce Grum-man the right way. Groom-man never was right. AARRRGGHH!!! Courtesy of Half Vast flying

[@brianford8493]

At the end of any cone if fire would be a nightmare... could be my granny in a Tiger Moth with a Disco Walther....terror is terror.

[@chrismair8161]

After the inadequacies of the F4F wildcat and the capture of an intact A6M "Zero" in the Aleutians the GUMMAN Corp went to War! Powered Armored and Armed! Has to land on a carrier and be foldable. The best example would be a fight between a young buck American Pilot Vs a Veteran Japanese Pilot. The Japanese Ace had lots of engagements with Wildcats and pulled vertical. The Young buck followed. The Ace was expecting the F4F to "Stall" in a vertical climb. This plane did not and he "stalled" and watched it pull past him. Ace tried to fire but a flat spin is a No Joy moment. The American pilot just winged over and riddled the "Zero" till it blew up. The F6F Vs a Corsair? Depends on the thickness of your Depends. Both have strengths and weaknesses so that would be a fine duel. In South America the Corsair did engage P-51D Mustangs from rival country. Good Stories. Proud Men. Cheers Lads.

[@kevindolin4315]

The F4F was anything but inadequate. Both it and the Reisen had their pluses and minuses. The Reisen had its low speed maneuverability, but a lack of armor; the F4F had the firepower and toughness of the Grumman Iron Works. F4F pilots learned hard lessons in their first meetings with the Reisen, but they LEARNED. Once they understood their opponent, Wildcats were not the easy kill of their first battles. F4Fs and their later iteration the FM-1/-2 fought throughout the war in all theaters, including with the British Fleet Air Arm. If you have any doubts, read the Osprey Aviation #12 'Wildcat Aces of World War 2'.

[@rconger24]

417mph *F6F-6* ? Compare and contrast with the F8F Bearcat.

[@janmale7767]

Amazing aircraft the Hellcat was ! powerfull and tough. Interesting how they stuck to the razorback canopg configuration ,in thd Corsair as well! Allied writers loved bashing the greatest fighter aircraft of all time (in my opinion) the Messerschmitt bf - 109 for having a razorbacked canopy configuration, but not a peep about any other of the many fighter types that had the same including the two above mentioned later war designs mentioned above! The bubble canopy was touted as the best thing since sliced bread, but the human neck can't bend much more than 70° before the shoulder have to come along,sure it must have had a pksitive pshychological effect on the pilots feeling they havd greater SA but i don't think it made that much difference and the downsides was slightly less pilot protection from the rear and a air flow turbulence problem directly behind the bubble canopy which they attempted to rectify with addisional size to the rudder flowing along the rear end fuselage and a little horizontal pillar which sacrificed a small bit of performance off the aircrafts top speed!

[@kennethhamilton5633]

F4U went thru framed canopies to Malcom hoods(Brits) and ended up wit bubble canopies

[@thethirdman225]

The pilots wanted bubble canopies.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

The Messerschmitt 109 canopy was a poor one. And definitely made Escape harder.

[@thethirdman225]

By the way, the term ‘razorback’ refers only to earlier models of the P-47 because of the sharp crest on top of the rear fuselage. There are no ‘razorback’ Spitfires, for example. The Bf-109 was not a ‘razorback’ either, nor was the Hellcat. The bubble canopy was a much preferred design and virtually nobody was sorry to see the old framed canopies go. They were, indeed, the greatest thing since sliced bread. It wasn’t merely a question of being able to look behind either. The framing got in the way. Nobody cared about the minor speed decrease.

[@creaturecaldwell9858]

It was the fighter with the highest killrate of other fighters during WW2

[@markogronfors3826]

its not Finnish brewsters get a higher killratio hellcats only 19:1 Bw 27:1 Google says 32:1

[@creaturecaldwell9858]

@markogronfors3826 . Ah.. I suppose best for the U.S ..

[@thethirdman225]

@@markogronfors3826 That is incredibly debatable. The only source I have seen for that claim is far from credible. The Hellcat’s K/D is far more reliable.

[@johnwilliams9133]

At the time the hellcat showed up japan had already lost their best pilots

[@stevelewis7263]

GROO MAN, it's pronounced GRUM MAN

[@kevindolin4315]

Once again here is someone trying propound the myth that the F6F was designed to counter the Reisen, the Zero fighter. This is patently false. The contract for the prototype XF6F-1 was signed on 30 June 1941, well before the war. In fact, Grumman had been working on a successor to the F4F Wildcat since 1938. What DID happen was a constant refinement of an already established design in development as more information of the Reisen became known, particularly in powerplant and pilot protection. Where did this information come from? Wildcat pilots who learned the hard way how to fight the Reisen. Remember the 'Thatch weave'? The first production F6F-3, powered by an R-2800-10, flew on 3 October 1942, with the type reaching operational readiness with VF-9 on USS Essex in February 1943, well over a year after the war started. In the meantime, the F4F held the line. Never forget that.

[@jackasswhiskyandpintobeans9344]

7:53 Ensign is pronounced N-sin, not N-sign. Ensign is probably of British origin but in the states is pronounced differently.

[@thethirdman225]

No, it's pronounced the same way.

[@jasons44]

I'm American, but I can see how this could hurt the Japanese people today even turkey shoot

[@schpaff]

Nice video but... Gruman...not Grooman.

[@theamused8705]

The only thing meaner than the hellcat was the F8F Bearcat. Too bad it came out too late to see any real action in the war.

[@jackasswhiskyandpintobeans9344]

3:26 Grumman is pronounced Gra-man (like the Gr in grog), not Grew-man.

[@towgod7985]

The pronunciation by this RoboVoice is a pain in the A $$!

[@dennisfordii9737]

Was the japanese mindset locked into using what worked at the beginning and didnt try to improve their aircraft or design even better ones ? Or did they think they could "win " quick enough that they wouldnt need to ? Or did they simply not have the people , the equipment and ability to come up with new / improved aircraft ?

[@danilorainone406]

oh btw grummin sounds like london ensign is short I yeah I jknow,, scots say LuuDON

[@d.r.martin6301]

Wow, talk about low res footage. This is the best you can do?

[@wilburfinnigan2142]

d/r/martin Hey dummy that was old war time film, what the hell did you expect ???? Lucky to have that !!!!

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Well Mr Hitchcock, your free to make your version of events.🎬

[@ual737ret]

I didn’t know Grumman was pronounced Groomin. lol.

[@stevenhart8336]

A constant annoyance is the incorrect pronunciation of US companies like GRUMMAN Aircraft (by England). Say Grah-man. Not Groo-man. Do your research !!!

[@williamashbless7904]

Hellcat was an easy plane to fly. A pilot fresh from flight school had a high chance of surviving and success compared to just about any other fighter. There was no place for Hellcat after the war. The Navy shredded them or gave/sold them to other countries pretty much the day after peace was declared.

Not

[@zillsburyy1]

no thats the corsair and P-47

[@Real-CB-News]

did you even watch the video?

[@thethirdman225]

The Corsair was about 11:1 and the P-47 under 5:1.

[@johngregory4801]

​​@@thethirdman225The Brits had to show us how to land Corsairs on aircraft carriers so they missed a lot of battles, such as the Marianas Turkey Shoot. The Thunderbolts were up against the cream of the Luftwaffe's pilots deeper into enemy territory than any other plane but the Lightning could go. The Hellcat's 19/1 kill ratio is a lot less impressive when you remember the Wildcat was the plane that faced Japan's most experienced pilots and not only held the line, but posted a 7/1 kill ratio against them. THAT'S impressive.

[@thethirdman225]

@@johngregory4801 *_"The Brits had to show us how to land Corsairs on aircraft carriers so they missed a lot of battles, such as the Marianas Turkey Shoot."_* It didn't take every Corsair in the USN or USMC to test on RN carrier decks. *_"The Thunderbolts were up against the cream of the Luftwaffe's pilots deeper into enemy territory than any other plane but the Lightning could go."_* Oh boy... This 'cream of the Luftwaffe' claim as a defence of the P-47 is, was and always has been bulldust, nothing less. By the time the P-47 actually entered combat in April, 1943, the Luftwaffe was, to a very large extent already beaten. From the point of view of training and experience, the quality of Luftwaffe pilots probably peaked in 1941, just before Operation Barbarossa. By 1943, the Luftwaffe had lost huge amounts of experience in battles for North Africa and the Soviet Union. By this stage, Stalingrad had already been lost and there is little doubt that Stalingrad highlighted the inadequacies of the Jagdwaffe. By the end of 1943, the USAAF in western Europe had shot down 451 German aircraft, with the lion's share - 414 - going to the P-47. The RAF shot down about the same number. But the Luftwaffe lost _22,000_ aircraft in 1943. So 2% isn't evidence of 'breaking the back of the Luftwaffe' as Greg calls it. *_"The Hellcat's 19/1 kill ratio is a lot less impressive when you remember the Wildcat was the plane that faced Japan's most experienced pilots and not only held the line, but posted a 7/1 kill ratio against them. THAT'S impressive."_* Oh God, not again. The Wildcat did well in difficult circumstances. But by the time of the 12 month anniversary of Pearl Harbor, The Japanese were at best engaged in a holding action. The Wildcat series shot down 1,327 aircraft for the war but how many Japanese pilots were killed in heir cockpits on the decks of their aircraft carriers at Midway? I'd suggest dozens, if not hundreds. But I wasn't making any claims either way about the Wildcat, either in qualitative or numbers terms and I just get sick of hearing and refuting these claims that have done the rounds of the internet for the last decade or more. I don't think there's anything unimpressive about the Hellcat's achievements, either in absolute or relative terms. As someone said - and I can't remember who it was - as great as the Corsair was, it was the Hellcat that won the war in the Pacific.

[@user-yy9hk9od9u]

If it's wins, then the Bf 109 is the greatest. If it's the best fighter during the war, it's the Me 262. The best allied fighter during the war is a great debate. I say it's the P 38.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

By late 1940 the 109 was passed further development, unlike the Spitfire. The best single-seat piston engined aircraft has to be the Merlin-engined Mustang, closely ahead of the Spitfire Mk.IX and the FW.190.

[@jacktattis]

@@neiloflongbeck5705 No The Spitfire was superior in most aspects of flying P51 Range/ top Speed Spitfire service ceiling / climb rate / acceleration/ dive/turn/ Roll Rates similar but at different speeds Armament Spitfire just cannon beats 50cal by 3.2 in power Bombs P51

[@PeterMayer]

Nope. Mustang.

[@jacktattis]

@@PeterMayer No Spitfire . Spitfire in the fight Oct 39 Johnny come lately P51B Dec 43 P51D Jun 44

[@pinkyellowblue007]

The Corsair and Mustang were the greatest

[@Philliben1991]

People love to revise history but the facts are Spitfires, Furys, Mustangs and Corsair all got used up to the 1950s and Hellcats got dumped in the sea the day after the war ended.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Mustangs and Corsairs used by the British had to be returned or destroyed on the end of the war, along with all other equipment supplied by the Americans.

[@Philliben1991]

@@neiloflongbeck5705 The US almost immediately scrapped their Hellcat fleet. They were obviously of the opinion that the Corsair was much better, and likewise the P-51 over the P-47. But KZbinrs 80 years later apparently know better.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@@Philliben1991 I'm not aware of what happen in America, just those who received land lease.

[@samuelgordino]

​@@Philliben1991I don't know about the Hellcat but the reason the P51 was chosen over the P47 was money. It was a cheaper plane to produce. Not because it was better.

[@vladtheemailer3223]

The F6F was replaced by the F8F, which served just as long as the others.

[@joesantamaria5874]

Groo-min?

[@michaelmccotter4293]

Groomin? How about Grumman? Anchorage, Alaska

[@robertwood3970]

It is pronounced Grumman, not Gruoomman.

[@jacktattis]

The best over the Pacific the greatest overall debateable

[@DaveSCameron]

7:49 “Ensygen…* it’s a great shame that you don’t have access to a decent human narrator.

[@RacerX1971]

I have a Hellcat but made by Dodge

[@andrewwaller5913]

Maybe but it won't do 380mph while firing 6 x 50 cals 😂

[@paulconder26]

Can’t you get someone that can properly pronounce Gruman And other words? Makes it very difficult to watch.

[@jamesmcclure815]

This video has very lazy editing. Just after the 12 minute point, SBD's, Wildcat fighters and Corsairs were all described as Hellcats. That isn't good in a film about just one individual fighter. Otherwise, reasonably well presented and accurate.

[@user-yy9hk9od9u]

P38

[@thethirdman225]

...was not a naval fighter. The P-38 shot down about 1,800 aircraft in the Pacific. The Hellcat shot down 5,169.

[@TheFunkhouser]

The F6F Hellcats only got this kill rate because the Japanese had lost all their top-gun pilots way before this! #hollow !!

[@Philliben1991]

And they were flying mostly obsolete aircraft and were completely outnumbered. The Japanese actually had some excellent late war designs but couldn't produce them in numbers. 24,000 Hellcats and Corsairs vs 4,500 Ki-84 and N1K1s. And of course the US also had P-51s, P-47s and P-38s in theatre as well.

[@vladtheemailer3223]

The same for any allied plane late in the war.

[@thethirdman225]

I am so sick of hearing this schlock. Would you consider the fight fairer if the USN had remain equipped with with F4Fs for the entire war? The majority of people saying this are simply trying to play down the fact that the Hellcat was, by some margin, the dominant fighter of the Pacific war. It shot down twice the number of Japanese aircraft as the next best aircraft. I expect people will counter with data block figures and conjecture about how they were used. That is the nature of the internet. But this was not a technical matter, nor was it something that could be swept away with a single, simple explanation. In any case, as good as the Corsair was, it was the Hellcat that won the air war in the Pacific, for a whole raft of reasons.

[@vladtheemailer3223]

@@thethirdman225 Two of those reasons are that it was rugged and easy to fly. Inexperienced American pilots had a clear advantage.

[@thethirdman225]

@@vladtheemailer3223 Well, that’s _two_ out of a large number of reasons.

[@DavidPaulson-bn7vu]

Narrator is really bad

[@markogronfors3826]

it smells a bit like praising one's own country without the knowledge of the whole world

[@israel_started_it_ALL_in_1948]

ok