Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: Rich46yo on July 28, 2015, 10:14:08 PM
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I'd like a book on the Hellcat fighter by Grumman. Any recommendations? Thanks.
Specifically I'd like to get some first person reports from both sides during the first months it went into battle in 1943. Or at least I'd like a book with these battles included.
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Not exactly what you are after but I would recommend "McCampbell's Heros." It is about Commander David McCampbell, CO of the Fighting 15th off of the USS Essex. He ended the war as the 3rd highest scoring US Ace with 35 kills, I believe. His fighter squadrons flew the F6F, which is also what he scored all of his kills in. It does talk about combat life in the Hellcat a bit.
One great story recounts how a Division of Hellcats (4 birds) comes across an older A6M all by its lonesome. They go in for the kill, almost doing 'paper, scissors, rock' to decide who gets the kill. When the smoke clears, not a single Hellcat placed a single round in the Zero. It flew away after flying circles around them. They noted it must have been flown by some "old school" stick.
Great book!
boo
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F6F Hellcat vs A6M Zero-sen: Pacific Theater 1943-44
F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat Aces of VF-2 (Aircraft of the Aces)
The First Hellcat Ace
Hellcat Tales: A U.S. Navy Fighter Pilot in World War II
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Thanks for the recommendations. Im trying to get as much firsthand accounts of the initial impact of the airplane in 1943. I'll look for these books.
As I understand it the Hellcat was being developed even before PH. So the Zero-san wasnt as big a surprise as one is led to believe.
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As I understand it the Hellcat was being developed even before PH. So the Zero-san wasnt as big a surprise as one is led to believe.
Yeah, think design for the Hellcat started in '38 or '39 and the prototype in mid-'41 to replace the Wildcat. Once the war started the engineers and designers worked with the USN to incorporate lessons learned with the Wildcat against the Zeke.
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Hellcat: The F6F in World War II by Barett Tillman
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Hellcat: The F6F in World War II by Barett Tillman
Seconded.... I've known Barrett for years. Great writer and researcher.
A couple of Facebook links to Barrett and the F6F.
Barrett's page:
https://www.facebook.com/barrett.tillman.3 (https://www.facebook.com/barrett.tillman.3)
Hellcat page maintained by Photo Historian Jack Cook (it's a closed group, so you'll have to request be added).
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1399078083702117/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1399078083702117/)
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Thanks for the Links. Right now Im engrossed in History from thee Japanese side. Only so much time. The intro of the Hellcat appears to be a pivotal moment in the war in Asia. It had such an impact. I want to know what THEY thought.
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Thanks for the Links. Right now Im engrossed in History from thee Japanese side. Only so much time. The intro of the Hellcat appears to be a pivotal moment in the war in Asia. It had such an impact. I want to know what THEY thought.
If you're interested in reading about the Japanese side of the conflict, I recommend the following books:
The Miraculous Torpedo Squadron by Jūző Mori
The Last Zero Fighter: Firsthand Accounts from WWII Japanese Naval Pilots
A Tomb Called Iwo Jima: Firsthand Accounts from Japanese Survivors
ack-ack
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Right now Im engrossed in History from thee Japanese side.
Then you would like this book.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/157684581/Gendas-Blade-Japans-Squadron-of-Aces-343-Kokutai
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The Last Zero Fighter: Firsthand Accounts from WWII Japanese Naval Pilots
Just bought :D I'll letya know how I liked it.
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Clash of the Carriers by Barrett Tillman.
While not specifically about the introduction of the F6F, the book is about the Marianas Turkey Shoot in which the majority of U.S. fighters were Hellcats. It is also a great read.
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Im so excited, my new copy of "The Last Zero Fighter" arrived. Tonight I'll be laying in bed reading the words of actual IJN Zero pilots. :banana:
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Im so excited, my new copy of "The Last Zero Fighter" arrived. Tonight I'll be laying in bed reading the words of actual IJN Zero pilots. :banana:
One thing you'll find very interesting in the book are the comments from the interviewed pilots that took part in the sinking of USS Panay in 1937 on how they felt the IJA misled the IJN into attacking the US river gunboat.
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One thing you'll find very interesting in the book are the comments from the interviewed pilots that took part in the sinking of USS Panay in 1937 on how they felt the IJA misled the IJN into attacking the US river gunboat.
Yes already read it. There were medieval conflicts between not only services in Japan during the early Showa but also between factions in the services. Indeed the faction itself that wanted war for years strengthened their own position by murder and intimidation of moderates. Many thought conflict with the US and Britain to be inevitable and wanted it sooner then later.
This is a hard book to put down. Im enjoying it immensely.
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This is a hard book to put down. Im enjoying it immensely.
You will really enjoy A Tomb Called Iwo Jima, interviews with some of the Japanese survivors, including one that was one of the hold outs that surrendered a few weeks after the battle was over. The interview with the hold out survivor's description of how primitive the hold outs became and how the hold outs divided themselves among "tribal" lines is a very vivid account from the Japanese we really don't hear about.
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Book isnt exactly what I wanted but still fascinating and more then worth the price. To begin with these IJN pilots are proud men. Even as old men they dont like to use the word "defeat", the dont like to acknowledge atrocities, they do like to honor their fallen comrades, they dislike the memory of suicidal missions and the waste of lives, they never fail to acknowledge the courage of their enemies. They were and are in many ways...like our Pilots.
An interesting note. One pilot is of the belief Admiral Yamamoto felt guilt for not arguing against the war even more then he did and that he went on high risk front line visits with the hope of finding an honorable death, which of course he eventually did thanks to Yank code breakers and P-38s. In the opinion of this Pilot tHE Admiral had the most knowledge of the power of the enemy they would be facing and had the most responsibility to talk the Govt. out of the war. He went so far as to call Yamamoto a coward for the death he was seeking and eventually found, as well as lacking the strength to talk the military Govt. out of a war against a terrible enemy. Actually an alliance of enemies.
This was new to me. I never knew this belief existed in the IJN and I'm not sure I agree with it. I did know that most believed America pushed them into the war and I bet most veterans of Japans armed forces died believing this, as they did believing the entire thing was a terrible waste.
They dont go to deep into the American airplanes they faced but it seems to me the P38 was the most feared one. They had a remarkably tough pilot training program at the start of the war and a remarkably terrible pilot replacement program once they had to fill cockpits again. And it only took a few naval losses to decimate their naval fighter pilot ranks.
I recommend the book highly.
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From the Japanese perspective that I liked a lot:
Samurai, by Sakai
Zero, by Okumiya, Horikoshi, and Caiden
Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, the Japanese Navy's Story, by Fuchida and Okumiya
Japanese Destroyer Captain: Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Midway - The Great Naval Battles as Seen Through Japanese, by Capt. Tameichi Hara and Fred Saito
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well rich my interest is perked up right now. Where did you order the book from?