From: NAVAL AVIATION COMBAT STATISTICS—WORLD WAR II
The SBD was the safest plane , operationally, followed in order by the F6F and TBF.
F6F operational loss rates were far lower than those for the FM and F4U. The SB2C ranked a poor last operationally.
The F6F was slightly superior to the F4U in combat, apparently chiefly because of its greater ability to survive damage.
The F6F appears to have shot down 15.5 single-engine Jap fighters for each F6F destroyed in combat with them. Against the Zeke the F6F ratio was over 13-to-1; against Oscar over 15-to-1; against Tojo (probably including a large proportion of misidentifications) over 31-to-1. Against the most advanced types the F6F did less well: 8.5 - 1 against the Frank, Jack and George combined.
The F4U nearly matched the F6F performance during this period, with a 15-to-1 ratio against single-engine fighters, and 12-to-1 against Zeke. The F4U, however, included a relatively large number of obsolete Nates among its kills, and while its record against Oscar and Tony was superior to the F6F's, the F4U scored only 13-to-1 against the Tojo and only 6-to-1 against the Frank, Jack and George combined.
Regarding losses from combat damage, The F6F appears to have had considerable advantage over the F4U when flown under the same conditions. Receiving about the same number of hits per sortie in comparable operations, the F6F had a far lower rate of loss per plane hit.
So.... The USAAF considered the F4U to be more rugged than the P-47. However, Navy statistics show that the F6F was notably more likely to survive damage that would otherwise knock down the F4U. One must conclude that the most survivable American fighter was the F6F.
