Was the hellcat only a naval plane? - Aircraft of World War II

spitfire101 · 11-08-2006, 10:30 PM

I know the F6F hellcat was used mostly in overseas fighting with the navy but i saw it said they did some ground missions, but which ones?

Anyother info you have on the hellcat would be nice to.

mkloby · 11-08-2006, 11:13 PM

Hellcats were the backbone of the USN's fighter squadrons, but she was also used by the Marines, flown off navy escort carriers. Marines also used F6F-3 and 5Ns for night fighter ops. Hellcats were fitted w/ bomb racks and also could launch 5" rockets for CAS.

twoeagles · 11-09-2006, 09:37 AM

And what a shame they also made such lovely aerial target drones for
gunnery practice, or we'd have more of them to enjoy today!

timshatz · 11-09-2006, 10:19 AM

A better question was why was the Corsair only a Navy/Marine Aircraft when USAAC aircrews were screaming for a long range escort in Europe. It would've solved a problem out there a good 6 months to a year before the Mustang arrived in force.

Anybody?

Matt308 · 11-09-2006, 10:28 AM

Why do I think that answer will not be technical...

timshatz · 11-09-2006, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt308

Why do I think that answer will not be technical...

Talk about nailing it in one sentence!

Jank · 11-09-2006, 12:34 PM

I don't think the early Corsair had much of a range advantage over the Thunderbolt.

timshatz · 11-09-2006, 02:08 PM

Possible, I honestly don't know. I had heard it was political (Navy builds their aircraft and generally stays out of Army projects, also vice versa). But there could be a technical point as well.

Matt308 · 11-09-2006, 02:14 PM

One's typically silver. The other blue.

Twitch · 11-09-2006, 02:50 PM

Come on, interservice rivalry would never have let that happen.

mkloby · 11-09-2006, 02:54 PM

The army did adopt the dauntless as the A-24 I think it was...

twoeagles · 11-09-2006, 03:13 PM

Correct - the Army flew them out of Wheeler Field, I believe, but they were
not widespread. The services had different specs to meet and it usually
meant trade-offs, ie. Navy/Marines traded off added weight (and fuel) to
gain the structural strength for carrier operations. But the bottom line truly
was and remains that the Army and Navy had two seperate procurement
bureaucracies. So how did USAAF and Navy and Marines all get to
fly the F4 Phantom? That's a good story for the non-WW2 thread...

timshatz · 11-09-2006, 06:20 PM

I think the F4 was a combination of recognized good aircraft and McNamara's efficiency push.

But back to the thread. There were a few other aircraft that jumped service boundries. The B26 did some time in the Navy, as did a B24 variant with a straight tail. Think the B25 might have gone both ways too (don't quote me on that one). But by and large, two eagles has it right. As one General in the Army said during the war, "We need to win this war so we can get back to fighting our real enemy- THE NAVY".

It wasn't all tongue in cheek.

V-1710 · 11-10-2006, 12:28 AM

Yes, the B-25 had an extensive career as the PBJ with the Marine Corps, who used it with great success in the South Pacific. The Navy also flew the B-24 as the PB4Y-1 patrol bomber, which was the basis for the single-tailed PB4Y-2 Privateer which saw service as a maritime patrol and spy plane after the war.

Matt308 · 11-10-2006, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twoeagles

Correct - the Army flew them out of Wheeler Field, I believe, but they were
not widespread. The services had different specs to meet and it usually
meant trade-offs, ie. Navy/Marines traded off added weight (and fuel) to
gain the structural strength for carrier operations. But the bottom line truly
was and remains that the Army and Navy had two seperate procurement
bureaucracies. So how did USAAF and Navy and Marines all get to
fly the F4 Phantom? That's a good story for the non-WW2 thread...

Multiple response - McNamara and fly off against crappy F-106.

11-08-2006, 10:30 PM	#1
spitfire101 Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 42	Was the hellcat only a naval plane? I know the F6F hellcat was used mostly in overseas fighting with the navy but i saw it said they did some ground missions, but which ones? Anyother info you have on the hellcat would be nice to.

11-08-2006, 11:13 PM	#2
mkloby Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Jacksonville, NC Posts: 3,562	Hellcats were the backbone of the USN's fighter squadrons, but she was also used by the Marines, flown off navy escort carriers. Marines also used F6F-3 and 5Ns for night fighter ops. Hellcats were fitted w/ bomb racks and also could launch 5" rockets for CAS. __________________ If the Army and the Navy ever look on heaven's scenes, they will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines

11-09-2006, 10:28 AM	#5
Matt308 aka Dickcheese Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Washington State Posts: 13,386	Why do I think that answer will not be technical... __________________ "Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the [U.S.] Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan Master of Duplicate Posts

11-09-2006, 02:14 PM	#9
Matt308 aka Dickcheese Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Washington State Posts: 13,386	One's typically silver. The other blue. __________________ "Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the [U.S.] Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan Master of Duplicate Posts

11-09-2006, 02:50 PM	#10
Twitch Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: City of the Angels California Posts: 809	Come on, interservice rivalry would never have let that happen. __________________

11-09-2006, 09:37 AM	#3
twoeagles Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Chambersburg Posts: 665	And what a shame they also made such lovely aerial target drones for gunnery practice, or we'd have more of them to enjoy today!

11-09-2006, 10:19 AM	#4
timshatz Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Phila, Pa Posts: 3,446	A better question was why was the Corsair only a Navy/Marine Aircraft when USAAC aircrews were screaming for a long range escort in Europe. It would've solved a problem out there a good 6 months to a year before the Mustang arrived in force. Anybody?

11-09-2006, 12:34 PM	#7
Jank Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 679	I don't think the early Corsair had much of a range advantage over the Thunderbolt.

11-09-2006, 02:08 PM	#8
timshatz Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Phila, Pa Posts: 3,446	Possible, I honestly don't know. I had heard it was political (Navy builds their aircraft and generally stays out of Army projects, also vice versa). But there could be a technical point as well.

11-09-2006, 02:54 PM	#11
mkloby Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Jacksonville, NC Posts: 3,562	The army did adopt the dauntless as the A-24 I think it was... __________________ If the Army and the Navy ever look on heaven's scenes, they will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines

11-09-2006, 03:13 PM	#12
twoeagles Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Chambersburg Posts: 665	Correct - the Army flew them out of Wheeler Field, I believe, but they were not widespread. The services had different specs to meet and it usually meant trade-offs, ie. Navy/Marines traded off added weight (and fuel) to gain the structural strength for carrier operations. But the bottom line truly was and remains that the Army and Navy had two seperate procurement bureaucracies. So how did USAAF and Navy and Marines all get to fly the F4 Phantom? That's a good story for the non-WW2 thread...

11-09-2006, 06:20 PM	#13
timshatz Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Phila, Pa Posts: 3,446	I think the F4 was a combination of recognized good aircraft and McNamara's efficiency push. But back to the thread. There were a few other aircraft that jumped service boundries. The B26 did some time in the Navy, as did a B24 variant with a straight tail. Think the B25 might have gone both ways too (don't quote me on that one). But by and large, two eagles has it right. As one General in the Army said during the war, "We need to win this war so we can get back to fighting our real enemy- THE NAVY". It wasn't all tongue in cheek.

11-10-2006, 12:28 AM	#14
V-1710 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 163	Yes, the B-25 had an extensive career as the PBJ with the Marine Corps, who used it with great success in the South Pacific. The Navy also flew the B-24 as the PB4Y-1 patrol bomber, which was the basis for the single-tailed PB4Y-2 Privateer which saw service as a maritime patrol and spy plane after the war.

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