Word: grumman
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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...Navy's most famed fighter plane-the hunchbacked, stubby Grumman F4F Wildcat-is a back number in aerial warfare. The Navy gladly made this admission last week. It could afford to. Besides its fancy, high-powered (2,000 h.p.) new Vought Corsair, it also has another brand-new fighter in service around the world...
...today." With amazing promptness the U.S. Navy verified Tokyo's announcement, but added: "No report has been received from the raiding force and it is presumed that there will be none until need for radio silence ceases to exist." Except for a second broadcast from Tokyo that 90 "Grumman fighters" and "about 60 carrier bombers" and two carriers had taken part in the assault, the silence was still unbroken at week's end. The attack could have had one or a number of objectives...
Some of the delegates came from such far places as Chico, Calif, and Quonset Point, R.I. Among them were some of the most famed hot pilots of hot ships. Marine Corps Major Joe Foss (26 Jap victims; Congressional Medal) arrived in a Grumman F4F. Major John Smith (19 victories; Congressional Medal) came in a Corsair. Navy Lieut. Stanley Vejtasa (ten victories; Navy Cross with two stars) dropped down in an F6F. Major Vincent ("Squeak") Burnett, champion stunt flyer and specialist in B-26 bombers, dusted in with one of the sleek Marauders...
...Battle of Midway. "The squadron was like a raw egg thrown into an electric fan, and only three men came out of the action alive." Reformed, Torpedo 8 was flung straight into the Battle for the Solomons under the leadership of ardent, painstaking "Swede" Larsen. Armed with stubby Grumman Avengers, Torpedo 8 changed its old slogan from "Attack" to "Attack-and Vengeance...
Today the "Thach Weave" and the four-plane section are standard and regarded by the Navy as the ideal use of the fire power and ruggedness of its Grumman Wildcats against the nimble but destructible Zero. When the Navy got a newer fighter-the Vought Corsair-it found weaving good for it, too. Said one Marine pilot on Guadalcanal: "We knock them off with the Thach Weave...