This was the plane Lt. Cdr. Robert "Doc" A. Weathercup flew and scored to kills in on April 15, 1945 from CVL-22 USS Independence.
The following is from the VF-46 Combat Diary.
LIEUT.-COMDR. R. A. WEATHERUP COMES INTO HIS OWN-15 APRIL
"One of those frequent last minute dispatches appointed Lieut.-Comdr. "Doc" Weatherup flight leader of a 28-plane sweep against Kushira Airfield in Kyushu. Kanoya Airfield was named as the secondary target in case nothing of interest was found at Kushira. Some of the other air groups were assigned to hit airfields in the same 3-mile area simultaneously. The source of recent raids on the Fleet was sought. Approaching Kushira Airfield up Kagoshima Bay many A/C parked on Kanoya Airfield were noticed and also several taxiing preparing to take off. Lieut.-Comdr. Weatherup decided to nip a possible raid in the bud and immediately swooped down on the field followed by seven of his chickens. He splashed one SE on a stern run at 400 feet, did a high wing over and got the second at 800 feet as he was climbing. Ensign Kooyenga shot down a SE 75 feet from the deck and Lieut. (jg) Thomas got his second single when he liquidated a TE. In addition, on the ground Lieut.-Comdr. Weatherup destroyed one TE, Lieut. (jg) Gentry two SEs, Lieut. (jg) Sparks two SEs and one TE, Lieut. Schroeder one TE destroyed and two SE damaged and Lieut. Rivers one TE destroyed and two SE damaged. Ensign Pete Kooyenga was hit by flak which eliminated his starboard aileron control and shredded a hole 3 feet by 4 feet in that area. Sans aileron Engine Kooyenga returned 260 miles to make a perfect landing. That "Golden Gloves" right arm came in handy for holding up the starboard wing."
These would be his only kills of the war. Unknown to anyone at the time the two Shiden-Kai "George" kills were of IJN Ace Shoichi Sugita (30-70 kills) and his wingman Toyomi Miyazawa. Both were part of the Elite 343rd Kokutai which included Saburo Sakai, Sakai witnessed the the attack from the ground.
F6F-5-Hellcat-VF-46 CVL-22-USS-Independence-01 by
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VF-46-CVL-22-USS-Independence-02 by
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vf46 f5f 2 by
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vf46 f5f by
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