News

Hosted on MSN16d
Two Marine Wildcats vs. the Japanese Invasion - The Defense of Wake Island
On December 11, 1941, just days after Pearl Harbor, two Marine Corps F4F Wildcat pilots found themselves as the last line of defense against a massive Japanese assault on Wake Island. Facing ...
Smithsonian Magazine4y
The “Hit and Git” Fighter
Captain Herbert Frueler took down two Nakajima B5N bombers before crash-landing on Wake. The next day, the island fell to the Japanese. Wildcat pilots were a scrappy bunch. F4F fliers won more ...
Business Insider4y
Hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, US Marines took on the Japanese in what became the Alamo of the Pacific
Within minutes, Wake Island's garrison of just 449 Marines rushed to their defensive positions, and four of the 12 Marine Corps F4F-3 Wildcat fighters on the island took off to patrol the area.
Smithsonian Magazine4y
How the Rugged F4F Wildcat Held the Line During World War II
The F4F Wildcat, a carrier-based aircraft, saw service from the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor in 1941 to the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri nearly four years later. NASM As Joe Foss ...
The National Interest1y
Japan’s Zero vs.Grumman F4F Wildcat: World War II Fighter Showdown
The Wildcat’s supercharged 1,200 horsepower R-1830 radial engine allowed it to attain speeds of 331 mph while armed with four jam-prone .50-caliber machine guns, or 320 mph on the heavier F4F-4 ...
The National Interest6y
Wildcat vs. Zero: How America’s Naval Aviators Held Their Own Against Japan’s Superior Fighter
The Wildcat’s supercharged 1,200 horsepower R-1830 radial engine allowed it to attain speeds of 331 mph while armed with four jam-prone .50-caliber machine guns, or 320 mph on the heavier F4F-4 ...