F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat Aces of VF-2

Thomas McKelvey Cleaver, Jim Laurier, Mark Postlethwaite

• Publisher: Osprey Publishing
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781472805584
• eBook ISBN: 9781472805607
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: 20th Century History
• Index: History

An illustrated history of the pilots of VF-2 who had a spectacular scoring rate and fought in many of the major aerial campaigns of the Pacific War.

The first VF-2 was a prewar unit that had been dubbed the 'hottest outfit afloat' due to the skill of their non-commissioned pilots. This first unit only saw combat at the Battle of the Coral Sea, although VF-2 pilots flying Grumman F4F Wildcats were able to rack up 17 claims there during the bitter 48-hour period of fighting.

The second 'Fighting Two' was armed with the new Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighter. Arriving in Hawaii in October 1943, the squadron so impressed Cdr Edward H 'Butch' O'Hare, the Medal of Honor-winning first US Navy ace of World War 2, that he requested the squadron replace VF-6 in his CAG-6 aboard USS Enterprise. No unit US Navy unit created more aces than VF-2, whose pilots went into action over the Carolines, Marianas, Guam, Iwo Jima and the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

Using exquisite photographs and first-hand accounts from the elite fliers themselves, this volume tells the story of the ace pilots who comprised the original VF-2 and the second.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter One: 19 June 1944
• Chapter Two: The ‘Flying Chiefs’
• Chapter Three: ‘Ramsey’s Lambsies’
• Chapter Four: ‘The Rippers’
• Chapter Five: Westpac
• Chapter Six: ‘Hey Rube!’
• Chapter Seven: Pacific High Tide
• Appendices
• Colour Plates Commentary
• Imprint