Grumman F4F Wildcat: books - history and technology

Grumman F4F Wildcat : Early WWII Fighter of the US Navy (Legends of Warfare)

The F4F and FM Wildcat aircraft was the US Navy's front-line fighter in the early days of WWII. This iconic aircraft was designed and produced by Grumman, as well as the newly-formed Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors.
As larger and more powerful fighters joined the fleet in the later stages of the war, the Wildcat remained in the fray, flying from the decks of escort carriers, which were too small to permit the operation of the later aircraft.

The Wildcat was remarkable not only because it served through the duration of the war, but also because it was the mount of some of the nation's most distinguished aces, including Butch O'Hare and Joe Foss. This book is part of the Legends of Warfare series.

Author:	David Doyle
Specs:	112 pages, 23.5 x 24 x 1.8 cm / 9.25 x 9 x 0.71 in, hardback
Illustrations:	242 b&w and colour photographs
Publisher:	Schiffer Publishing Ltd (USA, 2017)
Series:	Legends of Warfare

F4F Wildcat vs A6M Zero-Sen - Pacific, 1942 (Osprey)

The Grumman F4F Wildcat and the Mitsubishi A6M Zero-sen were contemporaries, although designed to very different requirements. The Wildcat, ruggedly built to survive the rigors of carrier operations, was the best carrier fighter the US Navy had available when the USA entered World War II, and it remained the principal fighter for the US Navy and the US Marine Corps until 1942-43.
With a speed greater than 300mph, exceptional manoeuvrability, long range, and an impressive armament the slick Zero-sen could out-perform any Allied fighter in 1941-42.
The battles between the Wildcat and the Zero-sen during 1942 represent a classic duel in which pilots flying a nominally inferior fighter successfully developed air-combat tactics that negated the strengths of their opponent.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Design and Development - Technical Specifications - The Strategic Situation - The Combatants - Combat - Statistics and Analysis - Aftermath - Bibliography - Index.

Author:	Edward M. Young
Specs:	80 pages, 24.5 x 18.5 x 0.7 cm / 9.7 x 7.3 x 0.28 in, paperback
Illustrations:	photographs and drawings (in b&w and colour)
Publisher:	Osprey Publishing (GB, 2013)
Series:	Duel (54)

F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat Aces of VF-2 (Osprey)

The first VF-2 was a prewar unit that had been dubbed the 'hottest outfit afloat' due to the skill of their non-commissioned pilots. This first unit only saw combat at the Battle of the Coral Sea, although VF-2 pilots flying Grumman F4F Wildcats were able to rack up 17 claims there during the bitter 48-hour period of fighting.

The second 'Fighting Two' was armed with the new Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighter. Arriving in Hawaii in October 1943, the squadron so impressed Cdr Edward H 'Butch' O'Hare, the Medal of Honor-winning first US Navy ace of World War 2, that he requested the squadron replace VF-6 in his CAG-6 aboard USS Enterprise.
No US Navy unit created more aces than VF-2, whose pilots went into action over the Carolines, Marianas, Guam, Iwo Jima and the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

Using exquisite photographs and first-hand accounts from the elite fliers themselves, this volume tells the story of the ace pilots who comprised the original VF-2 and the second.

Author:	Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
Specs:	96 pages, 25 x 18.5 x 0.7 cm / 9.8 x 7.3 x 0.28 in, paperback
Illustrations:	photographs and drawings (in b&w and colour)
Publisher:	Osprey Publishing (GB, 2015)
Series:	Aircraft of the Aces (125)

Wildcat Aces of World War 2 (Osprey)

Arguably the most important piston-engined single-seat fighter design ever to see service with the US Navy and Marine Corps, the aesthetically inelegant F4F Wildcat achieved much acclaim during its bloody frontline career.
Thrown into combat at Coral Sea, Midway and Guadalcanal, the handful of Wildcat units of the Navy and Marine Corps took on large numbers of fighters and bombers and came out victorious. On the European front, the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm also put the fighter to effective use from escort carriers, protecting Atlantic convoys from Luftwaffe attacks.

Contents: Pre-War Naval Aviation and Early Campaigns - Midway - Guadalcanal - On the Offensive - Torch and Leader - The Eastern Wildcat - Fleet Air Arm - Training - Victory Credits and Wildcat Evaluation - Appendices.

Author:	Barrett Tillman
Specs:	96 pages, 25 x 18.5 x 0.8 cm / 9.8 x 7.3 x 0.31 in, paperback
Illustrations:	photographs and drawings (in b&w and colour)
Publisher:	Osprey Publishing (GB, 1995)
Series:	Aircraft of the Aces (3)