Quote:
Originally Posted by john70t
The F6F was a game changer. Like the P-38 and P-51.
Coral Sea before was a bloody draw but expansion plans were thwarted.
The Thatch Weave, unit coordination, and many sacrifices saved the day.
I think it was at following Wake Island when the Japanese Navy first encountered them, thinking they were Wildcats and the usual tricks would work. No.
Hellcats were very rugged, fast, and almost as agile as the A6-M Zero/Zeke.
Wake was an overwhelming victory for the USA.
The Hellcat had something like a 15:1 kill ratio. Second to the F-15 at 108:0 in air-to-air.
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Got stuck in Wake for a week and a half after one of our jets broke bringing them back from Japan. It was eerie knowing what had occurred there.