Flying Leathernecks is a 1951 American Technicolor action war film directed by Nicholas Ray , produced by Edmund Grainger , (who had produced Sands of Iwo Jima ) and starring John Wayne and Robert Ryan . The movie details the exploits and personal battles of United States Marine Corps aviators during World War II. Marines have long had the nickname " leatherneck ", hence the title.
150-740: Major Dan Kirby arrives at VMF-247 (the "Wildcats") as the new commander when everybody in the unit was expecting Captain Carl "Grif" Griffin to take over. Kirby is strict and makes this understood from day one. Assigned to the Cactus Air Force during the Guadalcanal campaign , Kirby has few planes available and a lot to accomplish with a Guadalcanal airfield attacked daily by the Japanese. His pilots are young and immature, sometimes disobeying orders and foolishly risking equipment and lives. Kirby
300-778: A campaign with the goal of isolating the new and major Japanese base at Rabaul while supporting the Allied New Guinea campaign . All of this had the eventual goal of opening the way for the U.S. to retake the Philippines. American Admiral Chester Nimitz , the Allied Commander-in-Chief for all forces in the Pacific, created the South Pacific theater of operations, with Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley placed in command on 19 June 1942, to direct
450-594: A "meatball" by Allied aircrew ) that is still in use to this day , the United States removed all areas of red color (specifically removing the red center to the roundel) and removed any sort of national fin/rudder markings , which at that time had seven horizontal red stripes , from the American national aircraft insignia scheme by 6 May 1942. The British did likewise, starting with a simple paintover with white paint, of their "Type C" roundel's red center, at about
600-502: A Dark Slate Grey/Extra Dark Sea Grey disruptive pattern on top and Sky undersides, but were later painted overall dark blue. As it had become imperative for all Allied aircraft in the Pacific Theater of World War II to abandon all use of any "red devices" in their national insignia — to prevent any chance of misidentification with Japanese military aircraft, all of which bore the circular, all-red Hinomaru insignia (nicknamed
750-537: A Zero at slow speed, one on one. In these instances I considered myself fortunate to survive a battle. Of my 21 victories, 17 were against Zeros, and I lost five aircraft in combat. I was shot down three times and I crashed one that ploughed into the line back at base and wiped out another F4U. VMF-113 was activated on 1 January 1943 at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro as part of Marine Base Defense Air Group 41. They were soon given their full complement of 24 F4U Corsairs. On 26 March 1944, while escorting four B-25 bombers on
900-464: A better chance of engaging the aircraft on the tails of their wingmen. According to one American pilot, "One Zero against one Grumman is not an even fight, but with mutual support, two Grummans are worth four or five Zeros." The Wildcat had merits. It was well-protected compared to the lightly armored Zero, had a self-sealing fuel tank , and possessed adequate firepower with six .50-caliber M-2 Browning machine guns. U.S. Marine pilots, skeptical since
1050-709: A better fighter than the F4F Wildcat. For them, it was not as important that the F4U could be recovered aboard a carrier, as they usually flew from land bases. Growing pains aside, Marine Corps squadrons readily took to the radical new fighter. From February 1943 onward, the F4U operated from Guadalcanal and ultimately other bases in the Solomon Islands . A dozen USMC F4U-1s of VMF-124, commanded by Major William E. Gise, arrived at Henderson Field (code name "Cactus") on 12 February. The first recorded combat engagement
1200-431: A contract for 584 F4U-1 fighters, which were given the name "Corsair" – inherited from the firm's late-1920s Vought O2U naval biplane scout, which first bore the name – on 30 June of the same year. The first production F4U-1 performed its initial flight a year later, on 24 June 1942. It was a remarkable achievement for Vought; compared to land-based counterparts, carrier aircraft are "overbuilt" and heavier, to withstand
1350-544: A different opinion, stating that "In order to simplify spares problems and also to insure flexibility in carrier operations present practice in the Pacific is to assign all Corsairs to Marines and to equip FightRons [fighter squadrons] on medium and light carriers with Hellcats." VF-12 soon abandoned its aircraft to the Marines. VF-17 kept its Corsairs, but was removed from its carrier, USS Bunker Hill , due to perceived difficulties in supplying parts at sea. The Marines needed
1500-484: A difficult gunnery problem for the bombers, since the high overhead passes of the American fighters put them into the blindspots of the Japanese gunners. This tactic also caused the escorting Japanese fighters to climb and burn more of their fuel, thus reducing their limited time over Guadalcanal. From 3 September to 4 November 1942, the Cactus Air Force claimed 268 Japanese planes downed in aerial combat, and
1650-551: A disadvantage because their F4F Wildcat was slower, heavier, less maneuverable, and a slow climber compared to the agile Japanese A6M Zero . The American pilots learned quickly to not dogfight the Zero. Instead, if they became engaged with one, they would give it a quick diving firing-burst, then dive away to regroup, climb, and attack again. Cactus pilots constantly refined their tactics and techniques, relying on teamwork in dogfights, improving their gunnery to remain effective against
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#17327837483731800-526: A perfect " Vee formation " escorted by fighter planes. It was frequently shelled as well, by Japanese artillery in the day and Japanese warships at night. The worst night of bombardment was on 13–14 October 1942—two Japanese battleships fired more than 700 heavy shells into Henderson Field, providing cover for the Japanese Navy's landing of Imperial Marines and army reinforcements further west on Guadalcanal. The bombardment killed six CAF pilots. From
1950-581: A radio operator/navigator. The Royal Navy hurriedly adopted higher-performance single-seat aircraft such as the Hawker Sea Hurricane and the less robust Supermarine Seafire alongside, but neither aircraft had sufficient range to operate at a distance from a carrier task force. The Corsair was welcomed as a more robust and versatile alternative. In November 1943, the Royal Navy received its first batch of 95 Vought F4U-1s, which were given
2100-529: A raid over Ponape, they recorded their first enemy kills, downing eight Japanese aircraft. In April of that year, VMF-113 was tasked with providing air support for the landings at Ujelang . Since the assault was unopposed, the squadron quickly returned to striking Japanese targets in the Marshall Islands for the remainder of 1944. Corsairs were flown by the "Black Sheep" Squadron ( VMF-214 , led by Marine Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington ) in an area of
2250-461: A scout plane SBD from VMSB-231, killing both of its crewmen. Another CAF scout SBD from VS-3 ditched in the ocean that afternoon during their search patrol, and both crewmen were lost. Later that day, 12 VS-3 SBDs and six VT-8 TBF Avenger torpedo planes arrived at Henderson Field as reinforcements. On 14 September, the R Area force attacked Henderson throughout the day with a total of 24 float fighters and bombers, losing eight of them with no losses to
2400-400: A seaplane base near there. During early July 1942, the Japanese Navy began constructing a significant airfield near Lunga Point on nearby Guadalcanal island. After completion, these bases would protect Japan's major base at Rabaul , threaten Allied supply and communication lines across the South Pacific to Australia and New Zealand, and establish a staging base for potential offensives against
2550-529: A shore-based unit in the Solomon Islands, VF-17 reinstalled the tail hooks so its F4Us could land and refuel while providing top cover over the task force participating in the carrier raid on Rabaul . The squadron's pilots landed, refueled, and took off from their former home, Bunker Hill and USS Essex on 11 November 1943. Twelve USMC F4U-1s arrived at Henderson Field (Guadalcanal) on 12 February 1943. The U.S. Navy did not get into combat with
2700-532: A total of 21 kills during the war. He remembered: I learned quickly that altitude was paramount. Whoever had altitude dictated the terms of the battle, and there was nothing a Zero pilot could do to change that — we had him. The F4U could outperform a Zero in every aspect except slow speed manoeuvrability and slow speed rate of climb. Therefore you avoided getting slow when combating a Zero. It took time but eventually we developed tactics and deployed them very effectively... There were times, however, that I tangled with
2850-608: Is a fan of low-level ground attacks to support the Marine units, but HQ does not approve of his tactics until Marines are in imminent danger from the Japanese. Kirby adjusts tactics and losses increase, but there are successes and he leads the squadron in an attack on a huge Japanese convoy – a scene likely based on the Battle of Guadalcanal . The Wildcats' line chief, MSgt Clancy, is an old Marine veteran and comrade-in-arms of Kirby and he uses unorthodox methods to obtain provisions for
3000-420: Is pushing for maximum effort, whilst Griffin stays closer to his young pilots, one of whom is his own brother-in-law, Vern "Cowboy" Blithe. Kirby hates the decisions he has to make, knowing he is sending pilots to their death, but the success of the missions is the most important thing. The hard conditions of war force Kirby to get even stricter with his exhausted pilots and tensions with Griffin increase. Kirby
3150-509: The 26th Air Flotilla ) under Vice Admiral Seigo Yamagata from Tinian with 27 Type 1 bombers joined the 5th Air Attack Force at Rabaul. Around the same time, Admiral Tsukahara moved from Tinian to Rabaul to supervise air operations against Allied forces around Guadalcanal. The 4th and Misawa Air Groups took heavy losses during attacks on the Allied landing fleets off Guadalcanal on 7 and 8 August, losing 24 bombers and 153 crewmen killed while
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#17327837483733300-460: The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing . The majority of the Japanese aircraft engaged by the Cactus Air Force were from Imperial Japanese Navy air units. On 7 August, during the Guadalcanal campaign, 5th Air Attack Force, under Rear Admiral Sadayoshi Yamada , operated from Rabaul , New Britain , and Lae , Papua New Guinea, and were responsible for naval air operations in eastern New Guinea and
3450-463: The Battle of Midway , placed a great deal of confidence in their aircraft. Because they could not effectively dogfight the Zeroes, Henderson Field's defenders could not gain air superiority to thwart Japanese attacks. They realized the best thing they could do was disrupt up each day's raid, whittle down the Japanese, then break-off to fight another day. With this in mind, their primary targets became
3600-433: The Battle of Okinawa . During a crucial moment in the battle, to avoid splitting his formation, Griffin denies assistance to his brother-in-law Blithe, who is killed as a result. During the battle Kirby’s guns jam and he crashes his plane into a bomber. He is able to bail out but is injured and picked up by a Navy launch. Leaving the squadron, Kirby appoints Griffin as CO of VMF-247, as he understands that Griffin now can place
3750-684: The Battle of the Coral Sea (May 1942) and the Battle of Midway (June 1942). These two strategic victories for the Allies provided an opportunity to take the initiative and launch a counter-offensive against the Japanese somewhere in the Pacific. The Allies chose the Solomon Islands, specifically the southern Solomon Islands of Guadalcanal , Tulagi, and Florida. Allied strategists knew the Japanese Navy occupied Tulagi in May 1942 and constructed
3900-525: The Chitose Air Group of the 24th Air Flotilla joined them at Kavieng. Both groups participated in subsequent bombing raids on Guadalcanal. Thirteen Zeros and pilots from the 6th Air Group joined the 2nd Air Group at Rabaul on 31 August, flying combat missions over Guadalcanal on 11 September. From 1 October until the end of the war, the 11th Air Fleet was commanded by Jinichi Kusaka , also located at Rabaul. Some notable pilots flying with
4050-538: The Dutch East Indies . In July and August 1945, Corsair naval squadrons 1834, 1836, 1841, and 1842 took part in a series of strikes on the Japanese mainland, near Tokyo. These squadrons operated from Victorious and Formidable. On 9 August 1945, days before the end of the war, Corsairs from Formidable attacked Shiogama harbor on the northeast coast of Japan. Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve pilot, Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray , of 1841 Squadron
4200-555: The New Hebrides , Fiji, Samoa, and New Caledonia . The Allied plan to attack the southern Solomons was conceived by U.S. Navy Admiral Ernest King , Commander-in-Chief of the United States Fleet . King proposed the counter-offensive to deny the use of the southern Solomon Islands by the Japanese as bases to threaten the supply routes between the United States and Australia, and to use them as starting points for
4350-610: The New Hebrides . From April, these workshops became responsible for assembling all Corsairs for the RNZAF units operating the aircraft in the South West Pacific; and a Test and Despatch flight was set up to test the aircraft after assembly. By June 1944, 100 Corsairs had been assembled and test flown. The first squadrons to use the Corsair were 20 and 21 Squadrons on Espiritu Santo, operational in May 1944. The organization of
4500-677: The P-39 ); and on August 24, by 11 x SBD dive bombers from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise because they were unable to land on their carrier, which was damaged in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons . At the end of August, these warplanes were joined by 19 more Wildcats from VMF-224 under Major Robert E. Galer , and a dozen more SBD dive bombers from VMSB-231 , also part of the Marine Air Group 23. This varied assortment of Army, Marine, and Navy pilots and warplanes were
4650-534: The Ryūjō launched six "Kate" bombers and 15 A6M Zero fighters to attack Henderson Field in conjunction with an attack by 24 "Betty" bombers and 14 Zero fighters from Rabaul. Unknown to the Ryūjō force, the Rabaul aircraft encountered severe weather, and returned to their base at 11:30am. The Ryūjō' s aircraft arrived over Henderson Field at 14:23pm, and tangled with 14 Marine Wildcats and four Army P-400s while bombing
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4800-449: The escort aircraft carrier USS Long Island , they included 18 x F4F Wildcat fighter planes of VMF-223 led by Major John L. Smith and 12 x SBD Dauntless dive bombers of VMSB-232 led by Lt. Colonel Richard Mangrum . These warplanes conducted combat missions the following day. They were joined on August 22 by the U.S. Army's 67th Pursuit Squadron under Major Dale Brannon , with five Army P-400s (an "export" version of
4950-771: The 11th Air Fleet included Hiroyoshi Nishizawa and Junichi Sasai . A force of Japanese seaplanes called the R-Area Air Force was created on 28 August under Rear Admiral Takatsugu Jojima , and operated from Rabaul as well as forward operating bases at Buin, the Shortland Islands , and Rekata Bay , Santa Isabel . The R-Area aircraft came from the four squadrons assigned to the Japanese seaplane tenders Kamikawa Maru , Chitose , Sanyo Maru , and Sanuki Maru . The R-Area Air Force mainly provided cover for Japanese convoys delivering troops and supplies to Guadalcanal, conducted reconnaissance missions around
5100-509: The 57-year-old Geiger. Geiger turned over the command on 7 November to his Chief of Staff , Brigadier General Louis E. Woods . Brigadier Woods, a 21-year aviation veteran, commanded the Cactus fliers during the lowest point of the campaign. He quickly transformed from a "kindly colonel to a blood thirsty brigadier general." The day after Christmas, Woods turned the Cactus command to Brigadier General Francis P. Mulcahy , Commanding General of
5250-427: The Allied code name for the island. In 1943, the Cactus Air Force was absorbed into AirSols , a joint command of Allied air units in the Solomon Islands . On 7 December 1941, the Japanese attacked the U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor , Hawaii. The attack crippled much of the U.S. Pacific battleship fleet and led to a state of war between the two nations. In launching this war, Japanese leaders sought to neutralize
5400-654: The Allied offensive in the Solomons. On 7 August 1942, the First Marine Division landed on Tulagi and Guadalcanal at Lunga Point, capturing the uncompleted Japanese airfield, and marking the first counter-offensive by the Allies in the Pacific Theater . The Allies continued construction on the airfield immediately using captured Japanese equipment. On 12 August, the airfield was renamed Henderson Field, for Major Lofton R. Henderson , killed during
5550-428: The American fleet, seize possessions rich in natural resources, and obtain strategic military bases to defend their far-flung empire. Japanese forces also attacked and took control of Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaya , Singapore, the Dutch East Indies , Wake Island , New Britain , and Guam . Two attempts by the Japanese to extend their defensive perimeter in the south and central Pacific were thwarted in
5700-612: The Americans brought in 23 fighters and bombers to Henderson Field. On 20 September, the Japanese counted 117 total aircraft at Rabaul while the CAF tallied 71 aircraft at Henderson Field. On the evening of October 13-14, the Japanese Battleships Kongō and Haruna sailed into Ironbottom Sound and proceeded to shell Henderson Field with 14-inch shells . After the 90-minute bombardment, 41 Americans were killed, and
5850-588: The Americans. In all, out of 18 carrier-based squadrons, eight saw combat, flying intensive ground attack/interdiction operations and claiming 47.5 aircraft shot down. At the end of World War II, under the terms of the Lend-Lease agreement, the aircraft had to be paid for or to be returned to the U.S. As the UK did not have the means to pay for them, the Royal Navy Corsairs were pushed overboard into
6000-474: The Battle of Midway, the first Marine Corps pilot killed during the battle. By 18 August, Henderson Field was ready for operation. Immediately after landing on Guadalcanal, Marines from the 1st Engineer Battalion worked around the clock using captured Japanese heavy equipment to complete construction of the airfield. The first plane to land was a US Navy PBY Catalina that touched down on August 12 to assess
6150-523: The British Solomon Islands Protectorate), Leif Schroeder, Donald Macfarlan, Ken Hay, and Ashton Rhoades. On August 14, Clemens entered the Marine lines at Lunga Point and met with General Vandegrift. The general placed him in charge of native administration and intelligence operations outside the Marine lines. These coastwatchers, with help from native Solomon Islanders, helped rescue and return several Allied pilots during
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6300-671: The CAF. A fighter sweep by seven 2nd Air Group Zeros from Rabaul also attacked Lunga that day, losing one aircraft and pilot. A Japanese reconnaissance aircraft was also shot down over Guadalcanal that day. The only CAF loss was one VMF-223 Wildcat that wrecked on takeoff, seriously injuring the pilot. From 15 to 27 September, bad weather over the Bismarck Islands caused a lull in the air campaign over Guadalcanal, with no Japanese air raids. During this period, both sides reinforced their respective air units. The Japanese delivered 85 fighters and bombers to their air units at Rabaul, while
6450-565: The Cactus Air Force possessed only five SBDs and 7 Wildcats that were still operational. The CAF reached its peak of combat power on 12 November with 47 fighters, 23 tactical bombers, and 12 medium bombers. On the morning of November 14, scout planes from the USS ; Enterprise spotted a large number of Japanese troop transports north of New Georgia headed for Guadalcanal. Every available Cactus aircraft supported by additional carrier aviation and B-17s flying from Espiritu Santo attacked
6600-430: The Corsair entered service. Carrier suitability was a major development issue, prompting changes to the main landing gear, tail wheel, and tailhook . Early F4U-1s had difficulty recovering from developed spins, since the inverted gull wing's shape interfered with elevator authority. It was also found that the Corsair's left wing could stall and drop rapidly and without warning during slow carrier landings. In addition, if
6750-481: The Corsair was "...an excellent carrier type and very easy to land aboard. It is no different than any other airplane." Two Navy units, VF-12 (October 1942) and later VF-17 (April 1943) were equipped with the F4U. By April 1943, VF-12 had successfully completed deck landing qualification. At the time, the U.S. Navy also had the Grumman F6F Hellcat, which did not have the performance of the F4U, but
6900-472: The Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts were given to Goodyear , whose Corsairs were designated FG , and Brewster , designated F3A . The Corsair was designed and principally operated as a carrier-based aircraft , and entered service in large numbers with the U.S. Navy and Marines in World War II. It quickly became one of the most capable carrier-based fighter-bombers of
7050-434: The Corsair's payload and range in the attack role and to help evaluate future viability of single- versus twin-engine fighter design for Vought. Lindbergh managed to get the F4U into the air with 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg) of bombs, with a 2,000 pounds (910 kg) bomb on the centerline and a 1,000 pounds (450 kg) bomb under each wing. In the course of such experiments, he performed strikes on Japanese positions during
7200-536: The Corsair, was considered simpler to land on a carrier by an inexperienced pilot and proved to be successful almost immediately after introduction. The Navy's decision to choose the Hellcat meant that the Corsair was released to the U.S. Marine Corps. With no initial requirement for carrier landings, the Marine Corps deployed the Corsair to devastating effect from land bases. Corsair deployment aboard U.S. carriers
7350-482: The F4U were given different armaments. While most Corsair variants had the standard armament of six .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns, some models (like the F4U-1C) were equipped with four 20 millimeter M2 cannons for its main weapon. While these cannons were more powerful than the standard machine guns, they were not favored over the standard loadout. Only 200 models of this particular Corsair model were produced, out of
7500-610: The F4U-1D, but not separately designated in British use). 430 Brewster Corsairs (334 F3A-1 and 96 F3A-1D), more than half of Brewster's total production, were delivered to Britain as the Corsair Mk III. 857 Goodyear Corsairs (400 FG-1/-1A and 457 FG-1D) were delivered and designated Corsair Mk IV. The Mk IIs and Mk IVs were the only versions to be used in combat. The Royal Navy cleared the F4U for carrier operations well before
7650-671: The F4U-1s were assembled by Unit 60 with a further batch assembled and flown at RNZAF Station Hobsonville . In total there were 336 F4U-1s and 41 F4U-1Ds used by the RNZAF during the Second World War. Sixty FG-1Ds arrived late in the war. The first deliveries of lend-lease Corsairs began in March 1944 with the arrival of 30 F4U-1s at the RNZAF Base Depot Workshops (Unit 60) on the island of Espiritu Santo in
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#17327837483737800-564: The Guadalcanal campaign are unknown. Japanese records show that several Marine and Army pilots were captured on Guadalcanal after being shot down over enemy-occupied jungle areas, but none of the pilots survived their captivity. Vought F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War . Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought ,
7950-494: The Japanese aircraft to ditch upon returning to the previous location of their carrier. On 31 August, the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. Returning to Pearl Harbor for drydock repairs, most of the Saratoga's aircraft and aircrewmen remained behind at Espiritu Santo . Admiral McCain planned to send some of these aircraft to reinforce the Cactus Air Force at Guadalcanal. On 2 September,
8100-499: The Navy requested the maximum obtainable speed, and a minimum stalling speed not higher than 70 miles per hour (110 km/h). A range of 1,000 miles (1,600 km) was specified. The fighter had to carry four guns, or three with increased ammunition. Provision had to be made for antiaircraft bombs to be carried in the wing. These small bombs would, according to thinking in the 1930s, be dropped on enemy aircraft formations. In June 1938,
8250-481: The Pacific War, this was due in part to operational circumstances; it primarily faced air-to-air combat in the Solomon Islands and Rabaul campaigns (as well as at Leyte and for kamikaze interception), but as operations shifted north and its mission shifted to ground attack the aircraft saw less exposure to enemy aircraft, while other fighter types were exposed to more air combat. Against the best Japanese opponents,
8400-482: The Pacific has been smartly blended with studio shots to strike a note of realism." Cactus Air Force The Cactus Air Force was the ensemble of Allied air power assigned to the island of Guadalcanal from August 1942 until December 1942 during the most heavily contested phases of the Guadalcanal Campaign , particularly those operating from Henderson Field . The name is based on "Cactus",
8550-499: The Pacific without tailhooks installed. Corsairs also served well as fighter-bombers in the Central Pacific and the Philippines. By early 1944, Marine pilots were beginning to exploit the type's considerable capabilities in the close-support role in amphibious landings. Charles Lindbergh flew Corsairs with the Marines as a civilian technical advisor for United Aircraft Corporation in order to determine how best to increase
8700-615: The R-2800. But whereas the P-47 achieved its highest speed at 30,020 feet (9,150 m) with the help of an intercooled turbocharger , the F4U-1 reached its maximum speed at 19,900 ft (6,100 m) using a mechanically supercharged engine. The U.S. Navy received its first production F4U-1 on 31 July 1942, though getting it into service proved difficult. The framed "birdcage" style canopy provided inadequate visibility for deck taxiing, and
8850-438: The RNZAF in the Pacific and New Zealand meant that only the pilots and a small staff belonged to each squadron (the maximum strength on a squadron was 27 pilots): squadrons were assigned to several Servicing Units (SUs, composed of 5–6 officers, 57 NCOs, 212 airmen) which carried out aircraft maintenance and operated from fixed locations: hence F4U-1 NZ5313 was first used by 20 Squadron/1 SU on Guadalcanal in May 1944; 20 Squadron
9000-646: The Solomon Islands called " The Slot ". Boyington was credited with 22 kills in F4Us (of 28 total, including six in an AVG P-40 , although his score with the AVG has been disputed). Other noted Corsair pilots of the period included VMF-124's Kenneth Walsh , James E. Swett , Archie Donahue , and Bill "Casey" Case; VMF-215 's Robert M. Hanson and Donald Aldrich ; and VF-17's Tommy Blackburn , Roger Hedrick , and Ira Kepford . Nightfighter versions equipped Navy and Marine units afloat and ashore. One particularly unusual kill
9150-471: The Solomon Islands' area, and occasionally attacked Henderson Field. Also, air units from Japan's Combined Fleet's aircraft carriers, including Shōkaku , Junyō , Zuikaku , and Ryūjō , either operating from land bases with the 11th Air Fleet, or operating from the carriers, engaged Cactus Air Force aircraft during the Guadalcanal campaign. On August 20, the first Marine aircraft landed at Henderson Field. Part of Marine Aircraft Group 23 flying from
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#17327837483739300-404: The Solomon Islands. The 5th was a hybrid organization consisting of attached units from the 25th Air Flotilla , and reported to the 11th Air Fleet (also called the "Base Air Force"), under Nishizo Tsukahara . On the morning of 7 August, the 5th's air strength consisted of 39 fighters, 32 medium bombers, 16 dive bombers, and 17 seaplanes, including the 15 seaplane aircraft at Tulagi destroyed in
9450-550: The Tainan Air Group lost four Zeros and four pilots. Until reinforcements could arrive, the 5th Air Attack Group was unable to continue attacking Marine positions on Guadalcanal, giving the U.S. time to prepare the captured airfield at Lunga Point uninterrupted by air attack. On 20 August 19, Type 1s from the Kisarazu Air Group of the 6th Air Attack Force arrived at Kavieng. On 2 September, ten Type 1s from
9600-405: The U.S. Marine 3rd Defense Battalion began operating an air search radar at Henderson Field, which, along with reports from the coastwatchers , helped provide early warning of incoming Japanese warplanes. By 3 September, the day of Geiger's arrival, the CAF consisted of only 64 flyable airplanes. Due to the heavy losses that the CAF had sustained, Admiral McCain decided to immediately deploy
9750-566: The U.S. Navy and showed that the Corsair Mk II could be operated with reasonable success even from escort carriers . It was not without problems; one was excessive wear of the arrester wires, due both to the weight of the Corsair and the understandable tendency of the pilots to stay well above the stalling speed. A total of 2,012 Corsairs were supplied to the United Kingdom. Fleet Air Arm (FAA) units were created and equipped in
9900-587: The U.S. Navy signed a contract with Vought for a prototype bearing the factory designation V-166B , the XF4U-1, BuNo 1443. The Corsair design team was led by Rex Beisel . After mock-up inspection in February 1939, construction of the XF4U-1 powered by an XR-2800-4 prototype of the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp twin-row, 18-cylinder radial engine , rated at 1,805 hp (1,346 kW) went ahead quickly, as
10050-567: The U.S. east of the Solomon Islands, Japanese Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo sent the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) light carrier Ryūjō ahead of the main Japanese warship force to send an aircraft attack force against Henderson Field. The Ryūjō mission was likely in response to a request from Nishizo Tsukahara , the naval commander at Rabaul, for help from the Japanese combined fleet in neutralizing Henderson Field. At 12:20 and 200 miles (320 km) northeast of Guadalcanal,
10200-562: The USS Saratoga's fighter squadrons to Guadalcanal. On 4 September 24 F4Fs of VF-5 flew from Espiritu Santo to Henderson Field. From 1 September through 8 September the Japanese aviation units at Rabaul concentrated on providing air cover for Japanese Army forces operating along the Kokoda Track on New Guinea , during the Kokoda Track campaign . On 9 September the Japanese resumed air operations against Henderson Field, with
10350-478: The United States, at Quonset Point or Brunswick and then shipped to war theaters aboard escort carriers. The first FAA Corsair unit was 1830 NAS , created on the first of June 1943, and soon operating from HMS Illustrious . At the end of the war, 18 FAA squadrons were operating the Corsair. British Corsairs served both in Europe and in the Pacific. The first, and also most important, European operations were
10500-564: The Zero pilots. Because of the Zero's maneuverability, American pilots quickly adapted hit-and-run tactics similar to those used by the American Flying Tigers in China and Burma. They also used a two-plane flight section , a technique developed by the U.S. Navy fighter pilots John Thach and Edward O'Hare , and dubbed the " Thach Weave ." The two aircraft remained in the same general area, and, if Zeroes showed up, they had
10650-523: The action. That night the field was shelled by the Japanese cruiser Sendai and three destroyers in support of the Japanese Army attacks on the Lunga perimeter – the first night of the Battle of Edson's Ridge . This shelling killed two pilots from VMSB-232 and one pilot from VMSB-231, but it did not damage any aircraft or the airfield. On 13 September 18 Wildcats arrived at Henderson Field from
10800-790: The added benefit of minimizing complexity. (These Corsairs’ wings could still be manually folded. ) A second option was to remove the folding mechanism in the field using a kit, which could be done for Vought and Brewster Corsairs as well. On 6 December 1943, the Bureau of Aeronautics issued guidance on weight-reduction measures for the F4U-1, FG-1, and F3A. Corsair squadrons operating from land bases were authorized to remove catapult hooks, arresting hooks, and associated equipment, which eliminated 48 pounds of unnecessary weight. While there are no data to indicate to what extent these modifications were incorporated, there are numerous photos in evidence of Corsairs, of various manufacturers and models, on islands in
10950-578: The aircraft claimed a 12:1 kill ratio against the Mitsubishi A6M Zero and 6:1 against the Nakajima Ki-84 , Kawanishi N1K -J, and Mitsubishi J2M combined during the last year of the war. The Corsair bore the brunt of U.S. fighter-bomber missions, delivering 15,621 short tons (14,171 metric tons) of bombs during the war (70% of total bombs dropped by U.S. fighters during the war). Corsair losses in World War II were as follows: In
11100-431: The airfield. In the resulting engagement, three Kates, three Zeros, and three Marine fighters were shot down... but no damage was done to Henderson Field. Two Marine pilots were killed in the engagement as well as eight Japanese aircrewmen. All of these Japanese aircraft were eventually lost because, while they were attacking Henderson Field, the Ryūjō was sunk by aircraft from the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga , forcing
11250-430: The arrival of Brigadier General Roy Geiger on board the first Marine Aircraft Group 25 plane to land on the island, an R4D Skytrain . As the "Commander, Aircraft, Guadalcanal" (ComAirCACTUS) and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing , Geiger established his headquarters in a wooden Japanese pagoda on a hill about 200 yards (180 m) from the airfield. Through his energy, example, and sheer force of personality, he raised
11400-477: The arrival of fuel trucks, aviation gasoline still had to be hand-pumped into the trucks. On 9 September 1942, the U.S. 6th Naval Construction Battalion (SeaBees) opened up a second runway about 1 mile (1.6 km) to the east of Henderson Field's original runway. This new runway, called "Fighter 1", consisted of tamped-down sod, and it was about 4,600 feet (1,400 m) long and 300 feet (91 m) wide. The Marine fighter squadrons operated out of Fighter 1, while
11550-565: The battle for the Marshall Islands. By the beginning of 1945, the Corsair was a full-blown "mudfighter", performing strikes with high-explosive bombs, napalm tanks, and HVARs . It proved versatile, able to operate everything from Bat glide bombs to 11.75 in (298 mm) Tiny Tim rockets. The aircraft was a prominent participant in the fighting for the Palaus , Iwo Jima and Okinawa. In November 1943, while operating as
11700-403: The bombers rather than the fighters, and many of the tactics introduced were devised by Marine Major John L. Smith . The American pilots always sought to begin their attack at least 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above the Japanese formations, and they concentrated their attacks on trailing aircraft. This gave them good angles to shoot at the exposed fuel tanks of the Japanese bombers, and it presented
11850-638: The campaign. The Cactus Air Force's dive bombers and torpedo planes sank or destroyed 17 large enemy vessels, including one Japanese battleship , one heavy cruiser (the Kinugasa ), one light cruiser (the Yura ), three destroyers (the Asagiri , Murakumo , and Natsugumo ), and twelve transports, possibly sank three destroyers and one heavy cruiser, and heavily damaged 18 other ships, including one heavy cruiser and five light cruisers . The largest vessel
12000-472: The carriers USS Hornet and USS Wasp . The morning of this same day, Tsukahara sent a reconnaissance mission of two Type 2 aircraft escorted by nine Zeros to find out if the Japanese Army had captured Henderson Field during the night. The Zeros tangled with Cactus Air Force fighters from VMF-223, VMF-224, and VF-5, losing four Zeros along with their pilots. The CAF lost four fighters, two in combat and two to accidents with two CAF pilots killed. An afternoon raid
12150-472: The coastwatcher Donald Kennedy, and by the radar at Henderson Field, 20 Wildcat fighters from the Marine and Navy fighter squadrons took off to intercept this raid. In the resulting battle, two Betty bombers were shot down by Marine anti-aircraft fire, and four Bettys and one fighter were shot down by the Wildcats. One U.S. Navy pilot died attempting to land his damaged fighter back at Henderson Field following
12300-420: The collective spirits of the squadron's survivors. He was described as "...curt, cold, and some said ruthless....he was determined to squeeze the ultimate ounce of performance from men and machines". During his time in command, press-releases said there was a "sense of desperation but never defeatism," Ultimately, the strain of command and harsh living conditions seriously fatigued, both mentally and physically,
12450-399: The condition of the field. At that time the field was 2600ft long, good enough for fighters but still too short and soft for bombers. Three days later the first Seabee unit arrived with a Carryall which dramatically sped up construction. The field was declared ready for flight operations on August 18. As the first planes arrived, Henderson Field could barely be described as an airfield. It
12600-534: The control surfaces and access panels, and in one case, an engine failure. The spin recovery standards also had to be relaxed, as recovery from the required two-turn spin proved impossible without resorting to an antispin chute. The problems clearly meant delays in getting the design into production. Reports coming back from the war in Europe indicated an armament of two .30 in (7.62 mm) synchronized engine cowling-mount machine guns, and two .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns (one in each outer wing panel)
12750-476: The convoy. Four transports were sunk that afternoon and three more were set on fire and turned back north into New Georgia Sound . Two of these burning transports sank later that evening. After a month and a half of enduring continual shelling at night, the CAF got their first crack at a Japanese battleship on 15 November, after the first night of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal , in which Hiei 's steering
12900-646: The cowl flaps across the top of the engine compartment, diverting oil and hydraulic fluid spray around the sides of the fuselage. The curved approach used with the Seafire was also adopted for landing Corsairs, ensuring the flight deck was kept in sight as long as possible. The Royal Navy initially received 95 "birdcage" F4U-1s from Vought which were designated Corsair Mk I in Fleet Air Arm service. Next from Vought came 510 "blown-canopy" F4U-1A/-1Ds, which were designated Corsair Mk II (the final 150 equivalent to
13050-705: The damage inflicted on others is estimated to be as great. Because of the limited number of aircraft and fuel available during the early stages of the campaign, the CAF was unable to maintain a standing combat air patrol over Henderson Field. Therefore, CAF needed early warnings of incoming Japanese aircraft so their aircraft were in the air during Japanese air attacks. Members of the Australian Coastwatchers , including W. J. Read in northern and Paul Mason in southern Bougainville , Donald Kennedy on New Georgia , and Geoffrey Kuper on Santa Isabel relayed as Japanese airplane formations were heading for
13200-473: The deckhead. The change in span brought about the added benefit of improving the sink rate , reducing the F4U's propensity to "float" in the final stages of landing. The Royal Navy developed a number of modifications to the Corsair that made carrier landings more practical. Among these were a bulged canopy (similar to the Malcolm Hood ), raising the pilot's seat 7 in (180 mm), and wiring shut
13350-604: The designation "Corsair [Mark] I". The first squadrons were assembled and trained on the U.S. East Coast and then shipped across the Atlantic. The Royal Navy put the Corsair into carrier operations immediately. They found its landing characteristics dangerous, suffering a number of fatal crashes, but considered the Corsair to be the best option they had. In Royal Navy service, because of the limited hangar deck height in several classes of British carrier, many Corsairs had their outer wings "clipped" by 8 in (200 mm) to clear
13500-476: The early days of World War II, Royal Navy fighter requirements had been based on cumbersome two-seat designs, such as the fighter/dive-bomber Blackburn Skua (and its turreted derivative the Blackburn Roc ) and the fighter/reconnaissance Fairey Fulmar , since it was expected that they would encounter only long-range bombers or flying boats and that navigation over featureless seas required the assistance of
13650-423: The end of the war indicate that the F4U and FG flew 64,051 operational sorties for the U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy through the conflict (44% of total fighter sorties), with only 9,581 sorties (15%) flown from carrier decks. F4U and FG pilots claimed 2,140 air combat victories against 189 losses to enemy aircraft, for an overall kill ratio of over 11:1. While this gave the Corsair the lowest loss rate of any fighter of
13800-433: The extreme stress of deck landings. The F4U incorporated the largest engine available at the time, the 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) 18-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial . To extract as much power as possible, a relatively large Hamilton Standard Hydromatic three-blade propeller of 13 feet 4 inches (4.06 m) was used. To accommodate a folding wing, the designers considered retracting
13950-451: The first air-to-air victory for the CAF, but two other pilots crashed while landing their damaged aircraft, with both of the Wildcats deemed a total loss except for salvaged parts. The Japanese suffered no losses. That same night, an SBD Dauntless blew a tire on take-off, causing it to ground loop and crash for another aircraft loss. On 24 August, during the naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons between aircraft carrier forces of Japan and
14100-416: The first airframe ever designed from the start to have a Double Wasp engine fitted for flight. When the prototype was completed, it had the biggest and most powerful engine, largest propeller, and probably the largest wing on any naval fighter to date. The first flight of the XF4U-1 was made on 29 May 1940, with Lyman A. Bullard, Jr. at the controls. The maiden flight proceeded normally until a hurried landing
14250-399: The first part of the film are not the historically accurate Grumman F4F Wildcats but Grumman F6F Hellcats , provided from the training units based at the nearby Marine Corps Air Station El Toro . The Wildcats did not continue in U.S. service after the war, while an appreciable number of Hellcats were available in 1951, the year the film was produced. In close-up shots, it is easy to make out
14400-466: The first prototype delivery to the U.S. Navy in 1940, to final delivery in 1953 to the French, 12,571 F4U Corsairs were manufactured in 16 separate models. Its 1942–1953 production run was the longest of any U.S. piston-engined fighter. In February 1938, the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics published two requests for proposal for twin-engined and single-engined fighters. For the single-engined fighter,
14550-460: The foundation of the Cactus Air Force. The first air-to-air combat for Cactus Air Forces took place on August 21 and ended with mixed results. Japanese Zeros from the Tainan Air Group on a bomber escort mission (the bombers were searching for American carriers south of Guadalcanal) passed over Henderson Field on their way back to Rabaul, and six of these were met by four Cactus Air Force F4F Wildcats at 14,000 feet (4,300 m). Major Smith claimed
14700-614: The initial Allied air strikes during the landings on Tulagi and Guadalcanal. The 5th's principal bomber unit was the 4th Air Group operating Mitsubishi G4M Type 1 "Betty" bombers. Twenty-four of the fighter aircraft in the 5th belonged to the Tainan Kōkūtai under Captain Masahisa Saito. The Tainan contained some of the top-scoring Japanese fighter aces, and flew the A6M2 Zero fighter. With 55 pilots and 24 aircraft, only
14850-851: The island, giving the defenders on Guadalcanal time to get airborne. On 16 August, Lieutenant Commander Hugh A. Mackenzie of the Royal Australian Navy , the Deputy Staff Intelligence Officer for the British Solomon Islands Protectorate , established a radio station at Henderson Field to monitor coastwatcher transmissions and relay their warnings to the CAF. Admiral Bull Halsey said the coast-watchers "saved Guadalcanal". Several coastwatchers were stationed around Guadalcanal, including Martin Clemens (a local official for
15000-428: The legs allowed the hydraulic pressure to be released gradually as the aircraft landed. The Corsair was not considered fit for carrier use until the wing stall problems and the deck bounce could be solved. Meanwhile, the more docile and simpler-to-build F6F Hellcat had begun entering service in its intended carrier-based use. The Navy wanted to standardize on one type of carrier fighter, and the Hellcat, while slower than
15150-442: The lives of his pilots second. They split with a friendly promise to meet again. Kirby admits that every moment in which he – and now Griffin – is required to make a decision is a nightmare, but that comes with the territory of being a leader under these circumstances. The film's screenplay was credited to James Edward Grant , based on a story by Kenneth Gamet, but some sources claim that Beirne Lay, Jr.
15300-566: The long "hose nose" and nose-up attitude of the Corsair made it difficult to see straight ahead. The enormous torque of the Double Wasp engine also made it a handful for inexperienced pilots if they were forced to bolter . Early Navy pilots called the F4U the "hog", "hosenose", or "bent-wing widow maker". Carrier qualification trials on the training carrier USS Wolverine and escort carriers USS Core and USS Charger in 1942 found that, despite visibility issues and control sensitivity,
15450-478: The main landing gear rearward, but for the chord of wing that was chosen, making the landing gear struts long enough to provide ground clearance for the large propeller was difficult. Their solution was an inverted gull wing , which considerably shortened the required length of the struts. The anhedral of the wing's inboard section also permitted the wing and fuselage to meet at the optimum angle for minimizing drag , without using wing-root fairings. The bent wing
15600-433: The most difficult faced by Marine aviation. Pilots and mechanics lived in mud-floored tents in a flooded coconut plantation called "Mosquito Grove." Most contracted tropical diseases such as malaria , dysentery , dengue fever , or fungal infections . The misery was accompanied by mortal danger. The airfield was bombed nearly every day around noon by Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bombers flying at 20,000 feet (6,100 m) in
15750-478: The most experienced and able Tainan pilots were allowed to consistently participate in combat operations. The dive bombers ( Aichi D3A1 "Vals" ) and the rest of the fighters ( A6M3 Zeros ) belonged to the 2nd Air Group . Most of the dive bombers were lost during the 7 and 8 August strikes on the Allied landing forces. Also on 7 and 8 August, the Misawa Air Group of the 6th Air Attack Force (also called
15900-633: The objective of destroying the CAF and isolating the American forces on Guadalcanal. Between 21 August and 11 September, the Japanese raided Guadalcanal a total of ten times, losing 31 aircraft destroyed and seven more heavily damaged, primarily due to the defensive efforts of CAF fighter planes. Most of the Japanese aircrewmen in the destroyed aircraft were killed. During this same time, the CAF Marine Corps fighter squadrons lost 27 aircraft with nine pilots killed. On 12 September 25 Bettys and 15 Zeros from Rabaul raided Henderson Field. Alerted by
16050-540: The opening scene of the film, Howard Hughes , himself a pilot with interests in aviation, bankrolled the production. Hughes made the decision to film in Technicolor , making use of color wartime combat footage. Principal photography began in November 1950 at Camp Pendelton and El Toro Marine Corps bases and then moved to RKO-Pathé Studios in February 1951 for sound stage sequences. The fighter aircraft appearing in
16200-456: The outer) meant the location of the wing fuel tanks had to be changed. In order to keep the fuel tank close to the center of gravity , the only available position was in the forward fuselage, ahead of the cockpit. Accordingly, as a 237 US gal (897 L) self-sealing fuel tank replaced the fuselage mounted armament, the cockpit had to be moved back by 32 in (810 mm) and the fuselage lengthened. Later on, different variants of
16350-411: The overpainted markings that adorned post-wars Hellcats. T-6 Texan trainers painted white were used as Zero fighters. The Vought F4U Corsair was also featured prominently in the last half of the film. During filming, a near disaster occurred when "Air Boss" Paul Mantz and his photo crew, while filming a low-altitude attack, were caught in a premature dynamite detonation. The B-25 camera platform
16500-441: The pilot with a limited rear view over his shoulders. A rectangular Plexiglas panel was inset into the lower center section to allow the pilot to see directly beneath the aircraft and assist with deck landings. The engine used was the more powerful R-2800-8 (B series) Double Wasp which produced 2,000 hp (1,500 kW). On the wings the flaps were changed to a NACA slotted type and the ailerons were increased in span to increase
16650-407: The rest of the aircraft operating out of Henderson Field continued to use the original runway, referred to as "Bomber Field No. 1". Henderson Field's facilities improved around 15 November, after it was officially a Marine Corps Air Base. Proper runways were installed using shipped-in ground-up coral, since the local coral was deemed rotten and slushy. Living conditions on Guadalcanal were some of
16800-403: The right wing to stall at the same time as the left. Other problems were encountered during early carrier trials. The combination of an aft cockpit and the Corsair's long nose made landings hazardous for newly trained pilots because of the lack of visibility due to said features. During landing approaches, it was found that oil from the opened hydraulically powered cowl flaps could spatter onto
16950-515: The roll rate, with a consequent reduction in flap span. IFF transponder equipment was fitted in the rear fuselage. These changes increased the Corsair's weight by several hundred pounds. The performance of the Corsair was superior to most of its contemporaries. The F4U-1 was considerably faster than the Grumman F6F Hellcat and only 13 mph (21 km/h) slower than the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt . All three were powered by
17100-436: The same day by 27 Bettys and 12 Zeros attacked Henderson Field at 14:00 and again resulted in intense clashes with the Cactus defenders. In the skirmish, two Betty bombers were lost and two were heavily damaged, with three crewmen killed and six captured. Two Wildcats were lost, one each from VMF-212 and VF-5, with both pilots killed. On that same day, two R Area floatplane Zeros from Rekata Bay swept over Lunga Point and shot down
17250-674: The sea in Moreton Bay off Brisbane, Australia. Equipped with obsolescent Curtiss P-40s , Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) squadrons in the South Pacific performed impressively, in particular in the air-to-air role. The American government accordingly decided to give New Zealand early access to the Corsair, especially as it was not initially being used from carriers. Some 424 Corsairs equipped 13 RNZAF squadrons, including No. 14 Squadron RNZAF and No. 15 Squadron RNZAF , replacing Douglas SBD Dauntlesses as well as P-40s. Most of
17400-802: The series of attacks ( Operation Tungsten ) in April, July, and August 1944 on the German battleship Tirpitz , for which Corsairs from HMS Victorious and HMS Formidable provided fighter cover. It appears the Corsairs did not encounter aerial opposition on these raids. From April 1944, Corsairs from the British Pacific Fleet took part in several major air raids in South East Asia beginning with Operation Cockpit , an attack on Japanese targets at Sabang island, in
17550-499: The skinning for the top and bottom of each outer wing, aft of the main spar and armament bays, and for the ailerons , elevators , and rudder . The elevators were also constructed from plywood. The Corsair, even with its streamlining and high-speed abilities, could fly slowly enough for carrier landings with full flap deployment of 50°. In part because of its advances in technology and a top speed greater than existing Navy aircraft, numerous technical problems had to be solved before
17700-417: The throttle were suddenly advanced (for example, during an aborted landing ) the left wing could stall and drop so quickly that the fighter could flip over with the rapid increase in power. These potentially lethal characteristics were later solved through the addition of a small, 6 in (150 mm)-long stall strip to the leading edge of the outer right wing, just outboard of the gun ports. This allowed
17850-453: The time of the first Marine squadron landed on 20 August until 25 August, there was no commanding officer for Marine air, which instead reported directly to General Vandegrift. The Marines had not designated an air operations commander, the Army already had a squadron present and the field acquired the air of a naval base after they were promised to certain naval units. The first Marine commander
18000-477: The time the U.S. Navy removed the red-center from their roundel. Later, a shade of slate gray center color replaced the white color on the earlier roundel. When the Americans starting using the added white bars to either side of their blue/white star roundel on 28 June 1943; SEAC British Corsairs, most all of which still used the earlier blue/white Type C roundel with the red center removed, added similar white bars to either side of their blue-white roundels to emulate
18150-458: The total of 12,571. Other variants were capable of carrying mission specific weapons such as rockets and bombs. The F4U was able to carry up to a total of eight rockets, or four under each wing. It was able to carry up to four thousand pounds of explosive ordnance. This helped the Corsair take on a fighter bomber role, giving it a more versatile role as a ground support aircraft as well as a fighter. In addition, 150 lb (68 kg) of armor plate
18300-755: The type until September 1943. The work done by the Royal Navy 's FAA meant those models qualified the type for U.S. carrier operations first. The U.S. Navy finally accepted the F4U for shipboard operations in April 1944, after the longer oleo strut was fitted, which eliminated the tendency to bounce. The first US Corsair unit to be based effectively on a carrier was the pioneer USMC squadron VMF-124 , which joined Essex in December 1944. They were accompanied by VMF-213 . The increasing need for fighter protection against kamikaze attacks resulted in more Corsair units being moved to carriers. U.S. figures compiled at
18450-520: The unit. His improvising helps the poorly equipped Wildcats, although by the end of the film, Clancy is a PFC, having lost six stripes . Kirby is promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and Griffin to Major. Mustered back to Hawaii and destined for Washington D.C., Kirby is given the chance to return to the Pacific front and organize low-level ground attack tactics. He returns to the same unit and aircrew, now equipped with F4U Corsair fighters. Kirby leads his men against Japanese troops and Kamikaze attacks during
18600-482: The war. Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter and U.S. naval aviators achieved an 11:1 kill ratio . Early problems with carrier landings and logistics led to it being eclipsed as the dominant carrier-based fighter by the Grumman F6F Hellcat , powered by the same Double Wasp engine first flown on the Corsair's initial prototype in 1940. The Corsair's early deployment
18750-606: The wheel atop the lower end of the strut when retracted. A pair of rectangular doors enclosed each wheel well, leaving a streamlined wing. This swiveling, aft-retracting landing gear design was common to the Curtiss P-40 (and its predecessor, the P-36 ), as adopted for the F4U Corsair's main gear and its Pacific War counterpart, the Grumman F6F Hellcat . The oil coolers were mounted in the heavily anhedraled inboard section of
18900-422: The windscreen, severely reducing visibility, and the undercarriage oleo struts had bad rebound characteristics on landing, allowing the aircraft to bounce down the carrier deck. The first problem was solved by locking the top cowl flaps in front of the windscreen down permanently, then replacing them with a fixed panel. The undercarriage bounce took more time to solve, but eventually a "bleed valve" incorporated in
19050-441: The wings, alongside the supercharger air intakes, and used openings in the leading edges of the wings, rather than protruding scoops. The large fuselage panels were made of aluminum and were attached to the frames with the newly developed technique of spot welding , thus mostly eliminating the use of rivets. While employing this new technology, the Corsair was also the last American-produced fighter aircraft to feature fabric as
19200-408: The worst, since their hard rubber tires, designed for aircraft carrier landings and take-offs, ripped up the runways like plowshares . Wooden wheels were experimented with, but these did not fare any better. The runway was extended and widened several times during the long Guadalcanal campaign, and it was 3,800 feet (1,200 m) long and 150 feet (46 m) wide by 4 September. Henderson Field
19350-436: Was Colonel William W. Wallace, but he retained command temporarily. Cactus Air Force technically was under the command of Rear Admiral John S. McCain , who commanded all land based Allied aircraft in the South Pacific. Vandegrift and his operational commanders, however, exercised local command over the Allied aircraft operating out of Henderson Field. On 3 September 1942, the fortunes of the beleaguered aviators changed with
19500-495: Was Kirby in the film. A distinct similarity in appearance between Smith and actor John Wayne was noted. Flying Leathernecks was critically received as another example of wartime aerial heroics. Howard Thompson in The New York Times commented that "As long as it stays in the air, Flying Leathernecks is an exciting thing to watch." Variety had a similar review, noting: "Actual color footage of battle action in
19650-469: Was a better deck landing aircraft. The Corsair was declared "ready for combat" at the end of 1942, though qualified to operate only from land bases until the last of the carrier qualification issues were worked out. VF-17 went aboard the USS Bunker Hill in late 1943, and the Chief of Naval Operations wanted to equip four air groups with Corsairs by the end of 1943. The Commander, Air Forces, Pacific had
19800-408: Was also very close to the thinly-held lines of the U.S. First Marine Division, so security was always a concern. There were no fuel trucks, aircraft hangars , or repair buildings. Damaged aircraft were cannibalized for spare parts, and with no bomb hoists, all aircraft munitions had to be hand-loaded onto the warplanes. Fuel, always critically low, had to be hand pumped out of 55 gallon drums . After
19950-597: Was an irregular blob cut out of the island growth, half-in and half-out of a coconut grove, with a short runway, and few revetments to protect the aircraft from shrapnel. Upon landing on Henderson Field on 4 September, Commanding Officer of Marine Aircraft Group 25, Colonel W. Fiske Marshall described the scene -- "looked like a Doré drawing of hell." The runway was a northwest to southeast running, 2,400-foot (730 m) long gravel surface with an extra 1,000 feet (300 m) of Marston Mat frequently pockmarked with craters from Japanese artillery and naval gunfire. The strip
20100-466: Was an uncredited contributor as well. Director Nicholas Ray chose Robert Ryan to play opposite John Wayne because Ryan had been a boxer in college and was the only actor Ray could think of who could "kick Wayne's ass". The role of the more "human" Captain Griffin is a fictional one and contrasts with the more austere Major Kirby. Tim Holt was originally announced as part of the cast. As indicated in
20250-592: Was awarded the Navy Cross . At war's end, Corsairs were ashore on Okinawa , combating the kamikaze , and also were flying from fleet and escort carriers. VMF-312 , VMF-323 , and VMF-224 and some other Marine units met with success in the Battle of Okinawa . Since Corsairs were being operated from shore bases, while still awaiting approval for U.S. carrier operations, 965 FG-1As were built as "land planes" without their hydraulic wing folding mechanisms, hoping to improve performance by reducing aircraft weight, with
20400-458: Was badly damaged, but Mantz managed to successfully carry out an emergency landing. The role of Major Kirby portrayed in this film was inspired by real World War II flying ace Maj. John L. Smith for his missions over Guadalcanal in 1942. His actions in the war were renowned by the time the film was made. John L. Smith was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1943 and later promoted to Lt. Colonel, as
20550-425: Was delayed until late 1944, by which time the last of the carrier landing problems, relating to the Corsair's long nose, had been tackled by the British. Production F4U-1s featured several major modifications from the XF4U-1. A change of armament to six wing-mounted .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns (three in each outer wing panel) and their ammunition (400 rounds for the inner pair, 375 rounds for
20700-621: Was disabled. Unable to flee, Hiei was repeatedly attacked by aircraft from Henderson Field and from the USS Enterprise . After suffering numerous direct hits, and being set ablaze, the Hiei was scuttled by the Japanese. The first aviation unit from another country arrived at Henderson Field on 26 November 1942: No. 3 Squadron RNZAF , with Lockheed Hudson light bombers for reconnaissance work. On 26 December there were 161 aircraft of all types at Guadalcanal. U.S. Navy and Marine fighter pilots, with little high-altitude experience, were at
20850-414: Was heavier and more difficult to construct, however, offsetting these benefits. The Corsair's aerodynamics were an advance over those of contemporary naval fighters. The F4U was the first U.S. Navy aircraft to feature landing gear that retracted into a fully enclosed wheel well. The landing gear oleo struts —each with its own strut door enclosing it when retracted—rotated through 90° during retraction, with
21000-417: Was hit by flak but pressed home his attack on the Japanese destroyer escort Amakusa , sinking it with a 1,000 lb (450 kg) bomb but crashing into the sea. He was posthumously awarded Canada's last Victoria Cross , becoming the second fighter pilot of the war to earn a Victoria Cross as well as the final Canadian casualty of World War II. FAA Corsairs originally fought in a camouflage scheme with
21150-424: Was in such poor condition that it caused as many losses to aircraft as enemy action. In the heat, the field was a bowl of black dust which fouled the warplanes' engines; during rain, the airfield quickly turned muddy, miring planes in liquid muck. Major Marion Carl described it as "...the only place on Earth you could stand up to your knees in mud and still get dust in your eyes." The heavier SBD dive bombers had it
21300-402: Was installed, along with a 1.5 in (38 mm) bullet-proof windscreen which was set internally, behind the curved Plexiglas windscreen. The canopy could be jettisoned in an emergency, and half-elliptical planform transparent panels, much like those of certain models of the Curtiss P-40 , were inset into the sides of the fuselage's turtledeck structure behind the pilot's headrest, providing
21450-486: Was insufficient. The U.S. Navy 's November 1940 production proposals specified heavier armament. The increased armament comprised three .50 caliber machine guns mounted in each wing panel. This improvement greatly increased the ability of the Corsair to shoot down enemy aircraft. Formal U.S. Navy acceptance trials for the XF4U-1 began in February 1941. The Navy entered into a letter of intent on 3 March 1941, received Vought's production proposal on 2 April, and awarded Vought
21600-687: Was made when the elevator trim tabs failed because of flutter. On 1 October 1940, the XF4U-1 became the first single-engined U.S. fighter to fly faster than 400 mph (640 km/h) by flying at an average ground speed of 405 mph (652 km/h) from Stratford to Hartford . The USAAC 's twin engine Lockheed P-38 Lightning had flown over 400 mph in January–February 1939. The XF4U-1 also had an excellent rate of climb, although testing revealed some requirements would have to be rewritten. In full-power dive tests, speeds up to 550 mph (890 km/h) were achieved, but not without damage to
21750-404: Was on 14 February 1943, when Corsairs of VMF-124 under Major Gise assisted P-40s and P-38s in escorting a formation of Consolidated B-24 Liberators on a raid against a Japanese aerodrome at Kahili . Japanese fighters contested the raid and the Americans got the worst of it, with four P-38s, two P-40s, two Corsairs, and two Liberators lost. No more than four Japanese Zeros were destroyed. A Corsair
21900-454: Was responsible for one of the kills, albeit due to a midair collision. The fiasco was referred to as the "Saint Valentine's Day Massacre". Despite the debut, the Marines quickly learned how to make better use of the aircraft and started demonstrating its superiority over Japanese fighters. By May, the Corsair units were getting the upper hand, and VMF-124 had produced the first Corsair ace, Second Lieutenant Kenneth A. Walsh , who would rack up
22050-483: Was scored by Marine Lieutenant R. R. Klingman of VMF-312 (the "Checkerboards") over Okinawa. Klingman was in pursuit of a Japanese twin-engine aircraft at high altitude when his guns jammed due to the gun lubrication thickening from the extreme cold. He flew into and chopped off the enemy's tail with the large propeller of the Corsair. Despite smashing five inches (130 mm) off the end of his propeller blades, he managed to land safely after this aerial ramming attack. He
22200-534: Was the battleship Hiei , which was finished off by the CAF, along with aircraft from the Enterprise , and B-17s from Espiritu, after being crippled by American cruisers and destroyers during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal . The fifteen Marine combat squadrons on Guadalcanal during this time suffered 94 pilots killed or missing-in-action, with another 177 evacuated with wounds or with sickness (especially severe malaria ). Losses for Japanese aircraft during
22350-578: Was then relocated to 2 SU on Bougainville in November. In all there were ten front line SUs plus another three based in New Zealand. Because each of the SUs painted its aircraft with distinctive markings and the aircraft themselves could be repainted in several different color schemes, the RNZAF Corsairs were far less uniform in appearance than their American and FAA contemporaries. By late 1944,
22500-599: Was to land-based squadrons of the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy. The Corsair served almost exclusively as a fighter-bomber throughout the Korean War and during the French colonial wars in Indochina and Algeria . In addition to its use by the U.S. and British, the Corsair was also used by the Royal New Zealand Air Force , French Naval Aviation , and other air forces until the 1960s. From
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