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F6F

US Navy F6F Hellcat pilots remember their first experience with the formidable N1K1-J Shiden fighter

by Till Daisd November 22, 2023

On November 6, 1944, US Navy F6F Hellcat pilots encountered a Japanese fighter they could not identify while conducting a fighter sweep over the airfields north of Manila

The F6F Hellcat squadrons entered the Pacific in late 1943 and quickly proved their superiority against their Japanese adversaries, which culminated in the historic “Marianas Turkey Shoot” in June 1944 during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. The fighter proved to be an aircraft pilot’s dream, enabling both inexperienced and seasoned Naval Aviators to win large-scale aerial combat.

Lt. Elvin Lindsay, CO of VF-19, Lt. Albert Seckel, and Lt(jg) Lachlan McLaughlin came upon a Japanese fighter they could not identify on Nov. 6, 1944, during a fighter sweep over the airfields north of Manila, according to the story provided by Edward M. Young in his book F6F Hellcat Philippines 1944.

The Aircraft Action Report for VF-19 stated:

“The six who went up to Clark ran into 15 enemy planes, of which they destroyed 13 without losing themselves. They were led by Lt. Lindsay, the new squadron commanding officer, who shot down two “Tojos” and one “Oscar.” The group was attacked first by five “Oscars,” but when our planes turned into them, they climbed into the overcast, where Ens. Tatman got onto the tail of a straggler and shot it down in flames. Then singles and pairs of enemy planes came down out of the overcast, and several other enemy planes joined in from the side. All fights took place under the overcast and from 5,000ft down to the ground. A “Tojo” came in on Lt. Lindsay, firing both 7.7 and the two 20mm guns in his wings from above. He was a poor shot, missing, and Lt. Seckel pulled up a bit, centering him with a 60° deflection shot, and he burst into flames, crashing.”

Lt. Seckel says:

“We encountered 12 to 15 enemy planes, in groups of three to five planes. Lindsay’s division and my section kept weaving, covering each other, and by aggressively climbing and turning right into the enemy we kept the initiative, scaring off all but one or two of the planes in the group we attacked. Thus, all of us would gang up on a single plane or two as their pals fled, and we would take turns knocking them down. In a long chase, McLaughlin damaged a single-engine fighter of unknown type, and as he pulled out I hit him with a burst and he crashed. This plane was very fast – I was doing 290 knots indicated at 100ft and gaining only a very little. Its wing was a low mid-wing, and the plane resembled a P-47, with a heavy belly below the wing. Carried bombs or tanks under the wings.”

Lt. Lindsay added the following observations:

“We all stayed together in excellent fashion and supported each other with no strain. One “Oscar” approached Ens Sassman head-on, then suddenly whipped around and was on Sassman’s tail in amazingly short time. He began firing but broke away when he saw my tracers pass him. A few short bursts set his center section afire, and he crashed without bailing out. The “Tojos” pressed their head-on attacks to a very dangerous collision range, where we broke away. One “Tojo,” after making such a run on another F6F, tried to pull up sharply into the overcast but burst into flame from my gunfire just before entering the cloud. The sight of a burning “Tojo” spinning out of an overcast is beautiful indeed. I found another “Tojo” (or unidentified plane) in my sights soon after, and a short burst sent him flaming to the ground.”

The powerful new N1K1-J Shiden fighter, code-named “George,” of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force (IJNAF) matches the pilots’ description. It had been flying over the airfields of Luzon for a few weeks, but it didn’t seem to have been recognized as a new type of Japanese fighter until then.

F6F Hellcat Philippines 1944 is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by Jim Laurier and Gareth Hector via Osprey

November 22, 2023 0 comment

History

The first time an Imperial Japanese fighter pilot encountered the F6F Hellcat was the last

by Till Daisd May 3, 2023

written by Till Daisd

More effective than the renowned Japanese A6M Zero, the F6F Hellcat downed 5,156 enemy aircraft in just two years, accounting for 75% of the Navy’s aerial wins throughout the war

The F6F Hellcat, one of the best fighters of World War II, was developed by Grumman and went from experimental to operational use in less than 18 months. Fighting Squadron (VF) 5 aboard USS Yorktown (CV-10) launched an attack on Marcus Island in August 1943, which marked the beginning of its combat operations. In just two years, the F6F downed 5,156 enemy aircraft (19:1 ratio), outperforming the renowned Japanese A6M Zero and contributing to 75% of the Navy’s aerial victories in the conflict.

But when did an Imperial Japanese fighter pilot first encounter the legendary Hellcat?

‘Ensign Robert Duncan was deployed on the USS Yorktown in Fighting Squadron 5 in the fall of 1943. This rookie naval aviator was the first to secure a victory against the vaunted A6M Zero in an F6F Hellcat,’ says Maryellen Reilly, a WWII expert, on Quora.

‘Duncan’s second chance at aerial combat involved an A6M Zero flown by Japanese Ace Warrant officer Toshiuki Sueda with nine victories.

‘Sueda was very good at luring F4F Wildcats into a climbing loop and when the Wildcat stalled and fell away, Sueda would wing over and destroy the Wildcat.

‘Misidentification is a bitch, and Sueda assuming his opponent was a Wildcat went into his climbing loop and Duncan with his spanking new F6F Hellcat with a 2000 HP P&W R-2800 engine followed Sueda into his climb and blew him out of the sky.

‘With its speed, armament, and armored protection the Grumman F6F Hellcat was a rude awakening for the Imperial Japanese pilots.’

Finally, Reilly says;

‘The question was about their first encounter…. It was usually their last encounter.’

The Navy evaluated captured Axis and Allied fighters toward the end of the war. Given the extremely quick turnaround from design to production, the Hellcat placed first in the majority of categories, making it among the best fighters in the war. Grumman’s Bethpage Plant Number 3 produced 12,275 Hellcats in just 30 months, with much of the facility still under construction when the first F6Fs were being assembled inside.

Here’s why an Imperial Japanese fighter pilot’s first encounter with the F6F Hellcat was usually his last — Ensign Robert Duncan of Fighting Squadron 5 became the first ace of the USS Yorktown on February 16 of 1944 when he shot down his fifth Japanese plane. Duncan would go on to shoot down two more before the war’s end.

Photo by Osvaldo 201 via Live War Thunder and Marion Illinois History Preservation

May 3, 2023 0 comment

History

Until the F6F Hellcat pilot was shot down over Indochina, he and his puppy were inseparable

by Till Daisd February 12, 2022

written by Till Daisd

Before “Rabbit” Moranville was shot down over Indochina in January 1945, he and “Gunner” were inseparable

On January 12, 1945, VF-11 “Sundowners” F6F Hellcats attacked Tan Son Nhut airport in French Indochina from the USS Hornet (CV-12). Using 5-inch High-Velocity Aerial Rockets (HVARs) and 0.50-cal machine guns, F6F pilots strafed Japanese aircraft that were parked and fired their projectiles into buildings and hangars. Lt. (JG) H. Blake Moranville was in charge of Lt. James S. Swope’s division’s second section.

Because of the similarities between his last name and that of a well-known pre-war baseball star, Moranville earned the nickname “Rabbit.” He was a 21-year-old ace with six wins under his belt.

According to Barrett Tillman and Henk Van der Lugt in their book VF-1 1/111 ‘Sundowners’ 1942-95, Moranville joined VF-11 as its junior pilot in July 1943 after receiving his U.S. Navy wings.

In October 1943, the unit traded its F4F-4s for F-6F-3s. Not long after acquiring Hellcats, the ‘Sundowners’ also acquired a mascot. All pilots had to qualify on the pistol range, and the small-arms instructor gave Lt. Gordon Cady one of a litter of Boston Bull Terrier pups. The dog was given the name “Gunner,” and Cady assigned Blake Moranville, the squadron’s newest pilot, to take care of him.

Before the mission of January 12, 1945, Blake and “Gunner” quickly grew close.

Moranville F6F-5 BuNo 70680, call sign “Ginger 30,” was struck by ground fire while making a low-level pass over the target. Hey “Rabbit,” you’re on fire! called Moranville’s wingman as he pulled off the target.

Oil was leaking from the fighter’s Pratt & Whitney R2800, and it caught fire before quickly burning out. Moranville felt he had only a few minutes left in the air because his engine gauges showed falling oil pressure and rising temperature. He was flying 75 miles before his engine gave out as he departed from Tan Son Nhut in the southwest. ‘I saw a big rice paddy and decided to belly in there’, Moranville recalled. ‘I set up a landing pattern and locked my canopy back, tightened my shoulder harness, and dropped my tailhook – the latter would tell me when I had gotten down to within a few feet of the water. I kept my flaps up until I’d cleared a row of trees’.

After successfully landing, Moranville was led by helpful villagers to temporary safety. A Vichy official was summoned, and he took the aviator to Saigon’s main prison, where American pilots were kept separate from the Japanese. Moranville’s squad eventually made it to Dien Bien Phu and was airlifted to safety in China after walking to safety with a regiment of the French Foreign Legion.

The fact that “Rabbit” was spotted walking around his airplane on the day that Moranville went down helped allay some fears, and five days later Hornet learned that he was with the French. However, the school’s mascot “Gunner” was dejected over the death of his owner. They happily met up again in Nebraska a few months later. The aviator discovered that “Gunner” was actually his dad’s dog when he got home.

The following video tells the tale of H.B. “Rabbit” Moranville, a VF-11 fighter ace, and his dog “Gunner.”

VF-11/111 ‘Sundowners’ 1942-95 is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

February 12, 2022 0 comment