THE SECOND WORLD WAR

ACE-215     Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat, 
"WHITE F-15", VF-3 USS Lexington,  
Lt. edward Henry "Butch" O'Hare.   February 1942. (13pcs)      US$278

The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft
that began service with both the United States Navy
and the British Royal Navy in 1940,
where it was initially known by the latter as the Martlet.
The F4F was Grumman's first monoplane fighter design
and was to prove to be one of the great naval fighter aircraft of World War 2.
In 1939 Grumman were successful in obtaining a Navy order for 54 F4F-3's.
The RAF also received 81 F4F-3's which were named the Martlet I.
The initial deliveries to the US navy were in December 1940,
with the first of the planes going to the USS Ranger, and USS Wasp.
These were the only carriers which had the F4F-3's when war broke out.

First used in combat by the British in the North Atlantic,
the Wildcat was the only effective fighter available
to the United States Navy and Marine Corps in the Pacific Theater
during the early part of World War II in 1941 and 1942;
the disappointing Brewster Buffalo was withdrawn
in favor of the Wildcat and
replaced as units became available.
With a top speed of 318 mph (512 km/h),
the Wildcat was outperformed by the faster 331 mph (533 km/h),
more maneuverable, and longer-ranged Mitsubishi A6M Zero.
However, the F4F's ruggedness,
coupled with tactics such as the Thach Weave,
resulted in a claimed air combat kill-to-loss
ratio of 5.9:1 in 1942 and 6.9:1 for the entire war.

Lessons learned from the Wildcat were later applied to the faster F6F Hellcat.
While the Wildcat had better range
and maneuverability at low speed,
the Hellcat could rely on superior power
and high speed performance to outperform the Zero.
The Wildcat continued to be built throughout the remainder of
the war to serve on escort carriers,
where larger and heavier fighters could not be used.

Lieutenant Commander Edward Henry "Butch" O'Hare
(March 13, 1914 - November 26, 1943)
was an American naval aviator of the United States Navy,
who on February 20, 1942,
became the Navy's first flying ace
when he single-handedly attacked a formation of nine heavy bombers
approaching his aircraft carrier.
Even though he had a limited amount of ammunition,
he managed to shoot down or damage several enemy bombers.
On April 21, 1942,
he became the first naval recipient of the Medal of Honor in World War II.










We now accept PAYPAL,
to purchase your figures please send your order by e-mail to
inquiry@johnjenkinsdesigns.com
after checking that everything is available,
you will be billed via PAYPAL.
your order will be shipped on confirmation of payment.
worldwide airmail 15%
(minimum postage us$15)


JOHN JENKINS DESIGNS
UNIT 6E, TOWER 2,
KING LEY INDUSTRIAL BUILDING,
33-35 YIP KAN STREET,
WONG CHUK HANG,
HONG KONG
Tel: 852 9041 9065