F4F

[BigPlay]

I took someone up in a SBD as a gunner not to long ago.  He ended up exiting out because he told me he started to feel sick to his stomach from all the twisting and turning I was doing.


ack-ack

Sure he didn't turn around and see your face? Only joking AkAk  

[RedTeck]

Just to chime in because I happen to love the Wildcats, the FM-2 was only around from 43 onward. Once the F4U/F6F came around, it was used almost exclusively from escort carriers where their small size helped. Not that it changes the argument.

[BaDkaRmA158Th]

I thought the zekes did box turns, and that is how they got around on the six's of most aircraft so quickly, otherwise being easly out dove before reaching a firing spot, as the americans' would most likely spot the enemy and dive away.


-Shrugs-

[1pLUs44]

Countless? I think you exaggerating the term countless. Runyon was one of the leading F4F "Aces", credited with shooting down 8 Japanese aircraft while flying "Wildcats". ...

Top wildcat aces:

Top USMC and USN Wildcat Aces     Kills     Medals     Squadron     Plane
Joseph Foss    26.0    MH    VMF-121    F4F
John L. Smith    
19.0
   MH    VMF-223    F4F
Marion E. Carl    
18.5
   NC    VMF-223    F4F
James E. Swett    15.5    MH    VMF-221    F4F
F4U
Lt. Elbert McCuskey (USN)    13.5    NC    VF-3/VF-42/VF-8    F4F/F6F
Robert E. Galer    13.0    MH    VMF-224    F4F
William P. Marontate    13.0    -    VMF-121    F4F
Kenneth D. Frazier    12.5    -    VMF-223    F4F
Loren D. Everton    12.0    -    VMF-212    F4F
Harold W. Bauer    11.0    MH    VMF-212    F4F
Jefferson DeBlanc    9.0    MH    VMF-112    F4F
Stanley W. "Swede" Vejtasa (USN)    10.3    NC    VF-10    F4F
Whitey Feightner (USN)    9.0    -    VF-10/VF-8    F4F/F6F
Ralph E. Elliott (USN)    9.0    -    VC-27    FM-2
Edward "Butch" O'Hare (USN)    7.0    MH    VF-3    F4F

[BigPlay]

Top wildcat aces:

Top USMC and USN Wildcat Aces     Kills     Medals     Squadron     Plane
Joseph Foss    26.0    MH    VMF-121    F4F
John L. Smith    
19.0
   MH    VMF-223    F4F
Marion E. Carl    
18.5
   NC    VMF-223    F4F
James E. Swett    15.5    MH    VMF-221    F4F
F4U
Lt. Elbert McCuskey (USN)    13.5    NC    VF-3/VF-42/VF-8    F4F/F6F
Robert E. Galer    13.0    MH    VMF-224    F4F
William P. Marontate    13.0    -    VMF-121    F4F
Kenneth D. Frazier    12.5    -    VMF-223    F4F
Loren D. Everton    12.0    -    VMF-212    F4F
Harold W. Bauer    11.0    MH    VMF-212    F4F
Jefferson DeBlanc    9.0    MH    VMF-112    F4F
Stanley W. "Swede" Vejtasa (USN)    10.3    NC    VF-10    F4F
Whitey Feightner (USN)    9.0    -    VF-10/VF-8    F4F/F6F
Ralph E. Elliott (USN)    9.0    -    VC-27    FM-2
Edward "Butch" O'Hare (USN)    7.0    MH    VF-3    F4F

Your figures are a little misleading since many of those pilots didn't acheive all of their kills in wildcats. Some flew F4U's  and F6F's .Runyon was the leading Navy Wildcat ace while Foss was the Marines. From what I see here the totals of all the pilots listed are just below 200 kills, many were scored in other planes other than the F4F. The top 3 Zero ace's have a better collective record then these 15 American pilots do. So countless is a term that confuses me.

[Saxman]

Has anyone else notice the guy who started this thread hasn't said a thing since?

 

[1pLUs44]

Your figures are a little misleading since many of those pilots didn't acheive all of their kills in wildcats. Some flew F4U's  and F6F's .Runyon was the leading Navy Wildcat ace while Foss was the Marines. From what I see here the totals of all the pilots listed are just below 200 kills, many were scored in other planes other than the F4F. The top 3 Zero ace's have a better collective record then these 15 American pilots do. So countless is a term that confuses me.

You said Runyon was one of the leading F4F aces, when Foss scored 26 all in the F4F.

Says what plane(s) they scored their kills in, and it says Runyon wasn't the leading navy Ace

Ralph E. Elliott (USN)    9.0    -    VC-27    FM-2
Stanley W. "Swede" Vejtasa (USN)    10.3    NC    VF-10    F4F

[Ack-Ack]

You said Runyon was one of the leading F4F aces, when Foss scored 26 all in the F4F.

Says what plane(s) they scored their kills in, and it says Runyon wasn't the leading navy Ace

Ralph E. Elliott (USN)    9.0    -    VC-27    FM-2
Stanley W. "Swede" Vejtasa (USN)    10.3    NC    VF-10    F4F

He said Runyon was the USN's leading Wildcat ace while Foss was the leading USMC Wildcat ace.  Vejtasa didn't score all of his kills in the Wildcat, 3 of them were in a SBD.


ack-ack

[BigPlay]

You said Runyon was one of the leading F4F aces, when Foss scored 26 all in the F4F.

Says what plane(s) they scored their kills in, and it says Runyon wasn't the leading navy Ace

Ralph E. Elliott (USN)    9.0    -    VC-27    FM-2
Stanley W. "Swede" Vejtasa (USN)    10.3    NC    VF-10    F4F

First Vejtasa got 7 in the F4F and 3 in the SBD.His only Zero kills were in the SBD  Second the Fm2 is not the F4F by any means and I would have to do a bit of research to make sure in fact that Elliott scored all his victories in the FM2.