Osprey - Aircam Aviation 23 - Vought F4U-1 7 Corsair

VOUGHT 14U1 1 CORSAIR IN USMCUSNIAAAEHDNAVALE Ft FOREIGN SERVICE

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Marine F4U-1A taxying out from its dispersal area on a Pacific island sometime in 1943. Note blown hood and centre line bomb rack, also inboard position of national insignia, typical for this period. (US Marines via R. Kopitzke)

AI R CA M AV I AT IO N SERIES

No . 23

Vought F4U-1 D Corsair, USS Bunker Hill CV-17, early 1945.

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NOUGHT 14U -1 1 CORSAIR IN USMCUSNIAAAERONAVALE ^ FOREIGN SERVICE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Written by Robert Kopitzke Compiled by Richard Ward and Robert Kopitzke Illustrated by Gordon C. Davies

The Corsair, a slow starter as a carrier fighter during World War II, being land based for most of its service with the United States Marine Corps, outlived all its wartime contemporaries to fight on for the duration of the Korean War, to see action over Suez and Algeria, and to finish its career giving excellent service to USMC and USN Reserve units. Thanks are due to all who assisted with photographs and information whose names are listed below in alphabetical order:

R. C. B. Ashworth, J. Cuny, d'E. C. Darby, F. C. Dickey Jr., ECA, IWM, R. Kopitzke, Art Kreiger, D. Noble, G. Vance, USMC, US Navy.

Goodyear FG-1 Corsair, Royal New Zealand Air Force, in standard scheme but with red, white and blue roundels in six positions. Note crude overpainting of the original national insignia.

Published by: Osprey Publications Limited, England Editorial Office: P.O. Box 5, Canterbury, Kent, England Subscription & Business Office: P.O. Box 25, 707 Oxford Road, Reading, Berkshire , England The Berkshire Printing Co . Ltd. © Osprey Publications Ltd. 1971 SBN 85045 028 4

Not for sale in U.S.A.

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Homeward bound after bombing and straffing coast defence and anti-aircraft guns on Maloelap atoll in the Marshall Islands . F4U-1 D Corsairs of vMF _922 of the 2nd Marine Air Wino. 10 June 1944. ( US Marines)

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Marine Corsair bombing a Japanese strong point in the hills of Peleliu in direct support of Marine ground forces, October 1944. (US Marines)

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VOUGH T F 4U -1 / 7 CORSAIR The Chance Vought F4U Corsair will, without a doubt, go down in the history books as one of the outstanding fighter aircraft ever designed. U.S. Navy approval of a Chance Vought design in 1938 provided the green light to proceed with the building of a prototype aircraft with the designation XF4U-1, and the mockup was completed and ready for Navy inspection in early 1939. Outstanding engineering matched the powerful new R-2800 radial engine manufactured by Pratt and Whitney with the airframe of a single-seat fighter aircraft. In order to fit the large powerplant into the Corsair an inverted gull wing design was adopted, to mate with the fuselage at a right angle and to reduce drag. The undercarriage was mounted at the low point in the wing so as to reduce strut length and still provide the desired propeller ground clearance. The first flight of the prototype XF4U-1 Corsair took place on 29 May 1940, with Lyman J. Bullard, Jr. at the controls. The flight proved successful, with the airframe power plant combination showing tremendous capability. During one of the test flights on 1 October 1940, between Stratford and Hartford, Connecticut, the XF4U-1 became the first U.S. fighter aircraft ever to exceed 400 m.p.h. in level flight. The prototype did have some problemsaileron flutter, which was indirectly responsible for the prototype crashing. The aircraft was rebuilt, and continued with the test programme. Two other major problem areas were poor spin recovery and poor visibility. Some major design work was done by moving the cockpit aft three feet to provide room for a large 237 gallon fuel tank; this eliminated the two small fuel tanks originally installed in the wing. Armament on the F4U-1 production aircraft was set at three .50 calibre machine guns in each wing, just outboard of the wing folding point. The first flight of the first production aircraft took place on 25 June 1942, the Navy accepting delivery on 31 July 1942. With the great need for navy fighters, and due to Chance Vought's limited facilities, the Good Year and Brewster Aircraft Companies were designated associate contractors to build the F4U-1 Corsair. The Corsair built by Brewster was designated the F3A-1 and the Good Year aircraft were designated FG-1. The

design and workmanship of the Corsair was so outstanding that it set a standard for all aircraft manufactured during World War II.

CORSAIRS WITH THE U . S. NAVY Although the Navy did receive the F4U-1 Corsair before the Marines (VF-12 began accepting deliveries on 3 October 1942) the Marine Corps had priority on delivery of F4U's. As with all new aircraft the teething period was not without its problems, and VF-12 found the F4U to suffer from a lack of power at altitude caused by air leaks in the intake manifold. Landing characteristics on board aircraft carriers left the Navy with some doubts about the usefulness of the Corsair in this role. VF-12, upon arrival at Espiritu Santo, turned its F4U's over to the Marines and began to re-equip itself with F6F-3 Hellcats for carrier operations. One other squadron, VF-17, commanded by LCdr. J. T. Blackburn, also received the Corsair and was assigned to the carrier Bunker Hill during June 1943. Training went smoothly and on schedule, but the Navy was still unconvinced about the Corsair's performance; when the Bunker Hill arrived in the Pacific, VF-17 was sent ashore to operate in the . New Georgia area in September 1943. An F6F squadron, VF-18, took over the fighter duties on the carrier. An improved model of the Corsair, the bubblecanopy F4U-la, was first issued to VF-17. This squadron was to become one of the outstanding American fighter units of World War II, claiming 154 enemy aircraft shot down in two and one half months of combat and counting twelve aces among its pilots. On one occasion, while flying high cover for two carriers while the Carrier Air Group was conducting a strike on Rabaul, VF-17 splashed all eighteen attacking Japanese torpedo bombers and landed safely on the Essex and Bunker Hill to refuel. It was VF-17 that had attempted using the F4U as a fighter-bomber on one of the strike missions against Rabaul. The completion of its combat tour marked the end of Corsair employment by Navy fighter squadrons until early 1945. A newly formed Navy squadron, VF-301, was assigned the F4U and ordered to proceed with carrier trials in April 1944. The raised canopy improved

forward vision and a completely rebuilt landing strut eliminated the characteristic bounce when the Corsair landed. A Navy evaluation board stated in May 1944 that the F4U was a better fighter, bomber and a more suitable carrier aircraft than the F6F, and strongly recommended that squadrons phase-in F4U aircraft. As squadrons returned to the rear areas, they would gradually exchange their F6Fs for the newly-arrived F4U Corsairs.

CORSAIRS WITH THE MARINES Guadalcanal The U.S.M.C. accepted Corsairs in August and September 1942, assigning the aircraft to VMF-124. The squadron achieved combat readiness by the end of December and was delivered to Espiritu Santo in early February, where it flew into the war zone led by its commanding officer, Major William E. Gise. Arriving on Guadalcanal on 12 February 1942, the squadron provided escort on a rescue mission on their day of arrival. The next day the F4U was flying escort for some PB4Y-l's (Navy version of B-24) on a 300-mile bombing mission to Bougainville and back, a feat no previous Marine fighter could perform. On 14 February the Corsair was blooded in its first enemy contact while acting as escort on an attack mission to Kahili Field on Bougainville. The enemy was waiting with 50 Zeros, and in the melee which followed the Japanese downed two F4U's, two P-40's, four P-38's and two PB4Y-l's against a loss of three Zeros, one of which collided with an F4U. Shortly thereafter, the Marine Corp Corsairs gained an aerial superiority over the Japanese fighters which they were to hold until the war ended. During its combat tour in the Solomons, VMF-124 claimed 68 enemy aircraft against a combat loss of 11 F4U's and three pilots; however, operational losses accounted for 17 additional aircraft and four pilots. By the middle of July the following seven squadrons in the South Pacific were all re-equipped with the new F4U : VMF-213 on 11 March, VMF-121 on 15 April, VMF-112 and VMF-221 on 19 May, VMF-122 on 16 June, VMF-214 on 19 June and VMF-123 on 2 July. A typical escort mission would consist of Army Air Corps P-38's flying high cover at 34,000 feet, with layers of four to eight F4U's between 20,000 and 30,000 feet, weaving back and forth. The bombers would be flying at 20,000 feet and low protective cover was flown by Royal New Zealand Air Force P-40's. The Japanese fighters came up to look over the formation at a safe distance, but would not attack unless formation was broken. A Japanese attempt to knock out the Guadalcanal defenders was attempted, beginning on 1 April, by a force of 58 Zeros. In the ensuing battle six defenders were shot down against a loss of 18 Zeros, with credit for ten going to the Marines and eight to the Navy fighters. This was the preliminary bout, with the main event following on 7 April, when no less than 177 enemy aircraft were reported by the coastwatchers to be moving down the Slot toward Guadalcanal. One hundred and ten Zeros were escorting 67 "Val" dive-bombers on their intended mission to destroy the defenders. A mixture of 76 Army, Navy and Marine fighters rose to do combat with the oncoming enemy. As the fighters became entangled, the dive-bombers severely damaged three ships, all of which sank. In the aerial clash above, the enemy

Neat peel-off by an early Marine F4U-1 Corsair; code in black on second and third aircraft is F-27 and F-31 respectively. (US Marines)

was to lose 39 aircraft. Of this number 28 were credited to the Marine units, some of which were still flying the F4F Wildcat. After this costly raid, enemy operations were conducted with reduced frequency, but were still considered a potent threat. On 25 April, while returning from an escort mission, four F4U's of VMF-213 ran into a force of 20 Zeros and 16 bombers. The Marines shot down five of the fighters and drove off the bombers, with a loss of two Corsairs and one pilot. On 17 May 25 Zeros, escorting a single reconnaissance plane in an apparent attempt to check on Allied airfield progress, ran into Army and Marine fighters. Of the 16 Zeros shot down, 15 were credited to Marine Corsairs and one to a P-38. Three F4U's were lost including VMF-124's commanding officer, Major Gise. A raid on 7 June saw 112 enemy aircraft clash with the island defenders. Of 23 enemy aircraft lost, the Corsairs of VMF-112 claimed seven for a loss of four F4U's, the pilots of which were saved. The last large daylight raid occurred on 16 June when out of an estimated 120 raiders, 107 were shot down-80 by aircraft and the others by ground fire. VMF-121, VMF-122 and VMF-124 accounted for a total of eight against a loss of one pilot. The other aircraft were shot down by Army and Navy squadrons.

Moving up the Slot The invasion of the New Georgia group of islands finally took place on 30 June 1943 after months of bombing and strafing of airfields, barracks, supply depots, barges and anti-aircraft installations. Fighter patrols maintained 32-plane cover throughout the landings, and in so doing ran up a score of 101 enemy aircraft shot down. The Marine squadrons took credit for 58, as follows : VMF-121 18, VMF-122 four, VMF-213 20, VMF-221 16. VMF-121 lost four F4U's and three pilots. With ground forces now having a sound footing in territory considered to be under Japanese control, air attacks became more numerous. Hardly a day passed without a patrol clashing with flights of "Bettys" escorted by Zeros; however, the attacks were futile, if not disastrous, for the enemy. A flight of 60 Zeros and 12 "Bettys" bound for the ships at Rendova on 7 July lost a total of 16 aircraft (ten to VMF-122, three to VMF-121, three to VMF-221). Another attack on 15 July was equally disastrous for the enemy, costing them 15 bombers and 29 fighters of which 14 were claimed by VMF-122 and 16 by VMF-213. The success of the invasion can be attributed directly to successful fighter coverage. One noticeable event occurring during the New Georgia campaign was the innovation of close ground air support (the term "close"

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implying within 1,000 yards of the front lines). The performance was crude during the initial stages; however, it would be perfected during the invasion of the Philippines. In yet another air strike on 17 July in the Kahili area, which took the enemy by surprise, 78 bombers and 114 fighters, of which 44 were Marine F4U's, shot down 41 enemy aircraft out of 52 (seven for VMF-121, 14 for VMF-122, 14 for VMF-213 and six for VMF-221). On a typical fighter escort bombing mission, if enemy aircraft failed to appear, the fighters would strafe the aeroplane revetments and gun emplacements prior to the bombers making their run. When Munda finally fell on 5 August-the main target in the New Georgia invasion -the final tally of enemy aircraft shot down came to 358 of all types. Of this total, the Marines claimed 187 against a loss of 34 F4U's. The remainder of enemy aircraft credits were divided among Army, Navy, New Zealanders and anti-aircraft gunners.

Bougainville One island lay in the path to the key target of Rabaul,

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the largest island in the Solomon chain, Bougainville. The primary reason for .invading this island was its airfields, which would bring Rabaul within reach of the SBD's, the TBF's and their F4U and P-40 escorts. The plan was to seize a beachhead of six by eight miles, and then to defend the perimeter around the captured airstrips. All Marine fighter squadrons were in action against the enemy from the beginning of the operation against Bougainville. Corsairs would sortie from the Russells (VMF-211), Munda (VMF-215), Villa Lavella (VMF221), and Barakoma (VMF-212). Marine policy at this time was to keep a squadron in the forward combat area four to six weeks, then to give the pilots a week's leave in Sydney or Auckland. Following this rest period, the squadron was usually eased back into fighting shape, spending two to four weeks in the "back areas" at Espiritu Santo or Efate. The time was devoted to training and absorbing replacements, after which the squadron would return to the forward area. Pre-invasion strikes against Bougainville began in October, gaining momentum as the invasion date drew nearer. October 15 saw 16 F4U's and 12 P-38's escorting B-24's on a bombing mission against Kahili. Between ten and 15 Zeros were encountered, six of which were shot down without any loss of lives. On 17 October 21

F4U's engaged 30 to 40 Zeros during an attack on the Ballale Island airstrips, shooting down 14 of the enemy for a loss of one Corair. Again, in a strike against Kahili while escorting B-24's and SBD's, 19 F4U's tangled with from 15 to 20 Zeros. Score-eight Zeros destroyed. October 20 was to be one of the last days during which sizeable aerial resistance was to be encountered, with twenty-four F4U's tangling with twenty Zeros-the tally was three Zeros and two F4U's lost. Escort missions were flown daily but no enemy aircraft were encountered until 27 October when the Corsairs, while providing fighter cover for the Treasury Island invasion, encountered fighters and quickly disposed of twelve enemy aircraft. The invasion of Bougainville took place on 1 November at Cape Torokina, catching the enemy off-guard on the beaches, but the enemy air force was alerted and the first defensive strike consisted of thirty Zeros. Half of this group was shot down before they came near the invasion area-VMF-221 got two confirmed and one probable. At about noon a flight of F4U's from VMF-215 met an enemy force of 20 to 30 Zeros and "Kates", engaging eight of them, of which five were shot down for a loss of one F4U, the pilot escaping safely. The day saw four major air strikes which cost the enemy 26 aircraft, 22 to fighters and four to anti-aircraft fire. Two F4U's were lost along with one pilot. While reinforcements landed near Empress Augusta Bay on 8 November, more than 100 bombers with Zero escorts attempted to disrupt the operation. However, the 28-plane screen stopped all except a few aircraft from attacking the landing forces. Twenty-six enemy aircraft were claimed, including five by VMF-212. The defenders lost four P-40's, two F6F's, a P-38 and one Corsair and its pilot. One last attempt was made on the morning of 17 November, when 55 Zeros and ten carrier bombers attacked eight transports and ten destroyers at Empress Augusta Bay. A combined patrol of Army, Navy and Marine Corps aircraft were awaiting their arrival. Of the 16 raiders claimed shot down, six were credited to VMF-221. Activity after this date amounted to nothing more than nuisance raids. It was during the Bougainville campaign that close air support was perfected. Prior to this time aircraft were not used to their fullest capability since, on occasion, the bombs fell on American troops, and the ground forces had little faith in air support. Flight personnel were taught air/ground communications, after which they

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Marine Corsairs flying escort to Grumman Avengers on the homeward run after an attack against targets on Formosa. This was the first time Marine fighters had operated from a carrier, 3 January 1944. (US Marines) worked with ground forces and provided air liaison support successfully. A high degree of accuracy was attained, with the ability to drop bombs on the enemy a mere 100 yards from friendly troops.

Isolating Rabaul Located on the north-eastern tip of New Britain and containing one of the best natural harbours in the South Pacific, Rabaul was captured by the Japanese on 23 January 1942 and was quickly developed into a key base to support offensive operations to the west and southeast. Close to 100,000 troops were stationed at Rabaul, along with 200 Navy and 173 Army fighter aircraft operating out of four separate airfields. With the loss of Bougainville by the enemy, Army, Navy, Marine Corps and New Zealand aircraft were now within striking range of Rabaul. The commanding officer of VMF-214, Major Gregory ("Pappy") Boyington, led the first major sweep of Rabaul on 17 December 1943, at the head of 31 Corsairs, 23 P-40's and 22 F6F's. A reluctant enemy sent up a small force of fighters to meet the attackers, and seven enemy aircraft were shot down for a loss of three New Zealand aircraft and pilots. On 23 December, following a heavy bomber strike, "Pappy" Boyington, with 48 fighters, caught some 40 Japanese aircraft still in the air, 30 of which were claimed shot down including a dozen credited to VMF-214. Another strike on 25 December, when 15 heavy bombers, escorted by 63 fighters, hit Rabaul, saw 13 more aircraft shot down. The four Marine Corsair Squadrons (VMF's 214, 216, 223 and 321) based at Torokina claimed 52 enemy aircraft shot down on 27 and 28 December. Air sweeps over Rabaul between 17 December and New Year's Day claimed 147 aircraft shot down. The third of January was an unlucky day. Major Boyington was shot down, along with his wingman; the Major baled out of his burning aircraft at 300 feet, landing in St. George's Channel. Unknown to the allies, he was captured by a Japanese submarine and held prisoner until VJ Day. Boyington, at that time, described how on his last mission he shot down two enemy aircraft (bringing his final score to 28 aircraft) before he was himself shot down. Bombing strikes continued against Rabaul, concentrating on the airfields with shipping targets being second in priority. A strike against enticing shipping targets in Simpson Harbour on 14 January using SBD's and TBF's, with F4U's and F6F's escorting, claimed hits on nine ships and the loss of 29 enemy aircraft, with VMF-214

receiving credit for 19 of them. The 17 January strike consisted of 29 SBD's and 18 TBF's escorted by 70 fighters. Of 79 enemy aircraft encountered, 17 were shot down. Marine Corsairs of VMF-321 got three as did VMF-212, and VMF-211 destroyed four. Returning on 24 January with 84 fighters escorting, 18 TBF's hit Keravia Bay, south of Rabaul. Sixteen of the 23 enemy aircraft shot down were credited to the Marines, the other seven being divided up between Army, Navy and New Zealanders. A late afternoon attack against Rabaul on 30 January revealed the absence of any large ships; however, fighter reinforcements had been flown in earlier and these aircraft came up to engage in combat, coming off second best with a loss of 21 fighters against two F4U's and one TBF. Lieutenant Robert M. Hanson of VMF-215 shot down four, bringing his total to 25 (he shot down all but five in a 17-day period). He was killed three days later when his Corsair failed to pull out of a strafing run on Cape St. George. The last important aerial combat took place over Rabaul on 19 February, when a strike force totalling 145 TBF's, SBD's, F4U's, P-40's and F6F's were met by 50 defending Japanese fighters. With the loss of 23 aircraft, the Japanese high command decided to withdraw their remaining aircraft to Truk Island. Thus ended the great air battles over Rabaul. The final tally of enemy aircraft claimed shot down credits the Marines with 393, the Navy with 166, the Army with 131, and the R.N.Z.A.F. with 40. The accuracy of these figures will probably never be known, since in some cases two separate aircraft would claim the same victim. Following the raid of 19 February, no more than six defenders ever rose to meet the Allies. The islands surrounding Rabaul were occupied by Allied forces and provided airfields within easy range of Rabaul; frequent raids prevented further utilization of the island as a major supply depot.

The Night-Fighter Corsair Production was well under way on the F4U-1 when the Navy asked Chance Vought for a night-fighter version of the Corsair. Wartime demands were so high that Chance Vought could not devote space or personnel to this project; therefore, the Naval Aircraft Factory took delivery of twelve F4U-l's and modified them to a nightfighter version by equipping the aircraft with airborne intercept radar, the radome and antennae being located on the right wing just inboard of the wing tip. Armament was reduced from six to four .50 calibre machine guns, and an autopilot installed.

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A Marine pilot guns his Corsair off the strip at Cape Torokina, Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville; note the Army P-39 Airacobra in background. (US Marines)

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F4U-2 aircraft were assigned to two night-fighter squadrons; VF(N)-75 commanded by Lt.-Cdr. G. "Gus" Widhelm, and VF(N)-101 commanded by Lt.-Cdr. R. E. Chick Harmer. VF(N)-75 was to make the first successful night interception of a Japanese "Betty" bomber on the night of 31 October-1 November. The squadron had arrived in the New Georgia area on 23 September and was operating from Munda Strip; it was to score five more kills during the next three months. If the score seems low, one has to take into account that a single man had to fly, navigate, scan the radar scope to intercept, and then fire on his target. The other squadron, VF(N)101, was assigned duty aboard the aircraft carrier CV-9 Essex until she returned to Pearl Harbour. The squadron shifted over to the U.S.S. Hornet for a short tour and then moved again to the U.S.S. Intrepid. The aircraft were later transferred to VMF(N)-532 under the command of Major E. H. Vaughn. The F4U-2's were based at Hawkins Field on newly won Tarawa, thereby becoming the first night-fighter squadron assigned to operate in the Central Pacific area, covering the newly captured Marshall and Gilbert Islands. After a brief stay on Tarawa the night-fighters moved to Roi Island in the Kwajalein Atoll, stopping at Makin Island on the way. The end of February saw yet another move by VMF(N)-532, this time from Roi to Engebi Island on the north end of the Eniwetok Atoll. The enemy in his night nuisance raids used "window" to clutter the radar scopes, and on occasion also used decoys to lure the interceptors away from the main strike. However, this wasn't always successful; on 14 April VMF(N)532, using the F4U-2, were to shoot down two intruders within four minutes, plus one probable, against the loss of two aircraft-one heavily damaged and the other failing to return from its mission. Since only twelve Corsairs were converted to nightfighters, they were traded in for new F6F-3N aircraft. Not until late 1944 would the Corsair again appear as a night-fighter in a later production model-the F4U-4N. Fighter - Bomber Corsairs First use of the F4U-1 as a fighter-bomber took place in the Marshall Islands group, when eight Makin Islandbased Corsairs of VMF-111 dropped 1,000 pound bombs on the anti-aircraft installations on Mille Atoll. Further experimenting revealed that the F4U could (by extending the landing gear) be used safely as a dive-bomber in dives of up to 85 degrees. During the final stages of the dive, the six .50 calibre guns would be used for strafing. The Navy's VF-17, also flying land-based Corsairs, had begun similar experiments a month earlier, with Rabaul as the target. In both instances home-made bomb racks were used. Following the successful experiments, all future attacks on enemy installations would see the Corsair operating in a dual role as a fighter-bomber. During mid-1944 Charles A. Lindbergh, serving as a Technical Representative, pioneered the process of doubling the bomb load on the Corsair from 2,000 to 4,000 pounds. Demonstrations conducted successfully against the enemy on Wotje Island increased the importance of the F4U in tactical support. During a seven-week period, the F4U's would drop 200,000 pounds of bombs on the

Japanese installations in the Marshall Islands. The Marines had shown the Corsair to be an outstanding fighter, in some instances exceeding all expectations. However, the F4U was still land-locked and would be until the end of the year 1944. Meanwhile it would be operated as a fighter-bomber on the by-passed enemy strongholds in the South Pacific. By-passed bases don't shrivel up, but have to be raided periodically to prevent reinforcement. One advantage to this was that new pilots received adequate training which proved extremely useful on Okinawa, the Philippines and Kyushu. The first new major conflict in which Marine Corsairs would participate wal on the island of Peleliu. VMF-114, with white-nosed Corsairs led by Major R. F. Stout, arrived on D+4. The F4U's were used for the thorough pre-invasion bombing and strafing of an adjacent island, which was successfully invaded and captured. In October two more "U-Bird" squadrons, VMF's 121 and 122, arrived. Close air support missions were flown to reduce the enemy gunfire from Bloody Nose Ridge, and the use of napalm proved highly effective in cutting enemy resistance. Bombing attacks against islands for pre-invasion softening-up between October 1944 and June 1945 cost 28 Marine aircraft and 16 pilots.

The Philippines The return of U.S. forces to the Philippines brought forth a new menace-the Kamikaze, a piloted aircraft loaded with explosives intended to crash into Allied ships, shore installations or aircraft. On 4 December 1944, 66 Corsairs of the Marine Air Corps arrived on the island of Leyte. Patrols were flown in search of enemy aircraft and shipping; aircraft were downed on several occasions, and a destroyer was so thoroughly shot up it had to be beached. Small cargo ships were bombed and sunk or left in a sinking condition. A Japanese attempt to reinforce their troops on Leyte was met by F4U's from VMF-115, VMF-211, VMF-218 and VMF-311, which scored hits on a transport and an AK, and shot down nine fighters. The next day the cripples were hit again, and a destroyer and a transport were sunk. The Corsairs, flying defensive patrols over the supply lines, downed five Kamikazes while trying to protect a destroyer, which was struck in the magazine by yet another enemy aircraft and sank in 15 seconds. In January support missions in preparation for the invasion of Lingayen saw MAG-12 fly 306 missions and MAG-14 1,590 sorties. The Corsairs were based at Tacloban first; subsequently as the U.S. forces advanced, MAG-12 was located at Tanauan on Leyte and MAG-14 was assigned to the south-east corner of SAMAR at Guiuan. Close air support missions were flown during the retaking of Luzon Island, with Corsairs of MAG-24 and -32 operating from Mangaldan. The story was much the same in the recapture of the Southern Philippines during March and April 1945; as airfields were occupied by ground forces and repaired by Seabees, Marine Corsairs operated out of Dispolog (MAG-12), Zamboanga (MAG-12 and -32) and Malabang (MAG-24).

Carrier Marines The Kamikaze threat was the primary topic of discussion at a Pearl Harbour conference on 24-26 November 1944. The Pacific Fleet high command decided to increase the number of fighters aboard carriers to meet this menace, and as an interim measure to accomplish this, the Navy called on the Corsair-flying Marines. After some hurried carrier landing practice, VMF-123 and VMF-124 boarded the Essex in Ulithi Harbour on 28 December 1944. Both squadrons were under the command of Lt.-Col. W. Millington, and conducted their first strike against Okinawa on 3 January 1945. Subsequently they joined Task Force 38, moving into the China Sea and conducting a raid on Saigon on 12 January. During the final year of the war, shipboard Corsairs would see action during the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and would participate in strikes against Formosa and the Japanese homeland.

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Against a background of shell-shattered coconut palms a Marine Corsair taxis down the runway on muddy Munda, New Georgia Island, 26 August 1943. (US Marines)

WORLD WAR II STATISTICS Enemy aircraft destroyed in aerial combat ... 2,140 Aircraft lost to enemy action in aerial combat ... 189 Victory ratio : 11 to 1

Other Corsair Losses: Enemy anti-aircraft fire ... 349 Operation during action sorties ... ... 230 On other flights ... ... ... ... 692 On ships or on ground ... ... ... ... 164 Total sorties flown ... ... 64,051 U.S.M.C . WORLD WAR II CORSAIR SQUADRONS VMF-111 ("Devil Dogs")

VMF-112 ("Wolf Pack") VMF-122 VMF-123 VMF-124 VMF-212 VMF-213 VMF-214 ("Blacksheep") VMF-215 ("Fighting Corsairs") VMF-216

VMF-221 ("Flying Falcons") VMF-222 ("Flying Duces") VMF-223 VMF-225 VMF-311 VMF-323 ("Death Rattlers") VMF-411 VMF-422 VMF(N)-532 U.S.N. WORLD WAR II CORSAIR SQUADRONS VF-12 VF-17 ("Skull and Crossbones") VF(N)-75 VF-82 VF(N)-101 VF-301 THE KOREAN WAR June 25 1950, the day the Korean conflict began, caught the U.S. forces completely by surprise. Fortunately the Seventh Fleet was within fast cruising distance of Korea, and was in a high state of readiness. The carrier, Valley Forge, with Air Group Five aboard (consisting of VF-51 and VF-52 operating F9F's, VF-53 and VF-54 operating F4U's, and VA-55 with Skyraiders) was the premier carrier and jet-trained air group in the Pacific Fleet. During the hectic eighty-two days from 25 June until the invasion of Inchon on 15 September 1950, the ground forces fought a desperate holding action followed by retreat to a defence perimeter around Pusan. The primary functions of carrier aircraft during this period consisted of flying interdiction missions, armed reconnaissance and close air support. The Corsair was instrumental in contributing to the holding of the Pusan Perimeter. The first strike by Corsairs was to Pyongyang (North Korea) to destroy enemy aircraft and airfields and also

railroad marshalling yards and bridges. The pre-dawn strike left the Valley Forge at 05.45, consisting of sixteen F4U's, led by Lt.-Cdr. D. K. English, plus twelve AD Skyraiders from VA-55. The AD's struck first with their bombs, followed by the rocket-firing Corsairs. The bomb and rocket pattern was excellent, with very little of the airfield installations escaping damage. Another strike in the afternoon destroyed most of the railroad yards, locomotives and boxcars. No damage was inflicted on the aircraft by enemy anti-aircraft gunners. The 4 July strikes saw more destruction of locomotives, a bridge and some river gunboats. A damaged AD, attempting to land back on the carrier, missed the barrier and crashed into and destroyed one AD and two F4U's and damaged six other aircraft. These two strikes played an important role in maintaining control of the skies over South Korea. On 18 July an air strike was ordered against the oil refinery located at Wonsan, North Korea. Again, a combination of eleven AD's from VA-55 and ten F4U's from VF-53 led the attack. The Corsairs went in first to fire their rockets, followed by the AD's with bombs. The aircraft were so spaced as to cover the entire refinery area. The raid was highly successful, and it proved extremely difficult to distinguish portions of the plant not destroyed. Smoke could be seen from 60 miles away, and the fire burned for four days. A request was received on 23 July 1950 from the ground force commanders for close air support, due to the rapidly deteriorating situation around the Pusan Perimeter. The next two months saw a major portion of the aircraft carriers' time and energy devoted to close air support. Thus a means of supporting the ground forces developed and improved by the Marines during World War II helped to hold the line successfully around Pusan. The first close air support mission took off at 08.00 on 25 July, arriving over the front lines some twenty minutes later and awaiting further instructions. Due to limited communications channels and too few spotter planes the support aircraft, after circling the area futilely awaiting instructions, flew westward searching for targets of opportunity. A few of the aircraft found targets, others dumped their loads into the sea. On 26 July success was limited at best-VF-53 Corsairs got seven trucks in two strikes. August 1 saw the arrival of Air Group Eleven aboard the Philippine Sea, consisting of two F9F jet squadrons, VF-111 and VF-112; two F4U squadrons, VF-113 and VF-114; and one AD squadron, VA-115. The Happy Valley at long last had a team mate. The carriers would stagger their operations so that one would always be on station, and would operate for two days, re-supplying each third day. A typical load for the F4U on a close air support mission was 800 rounds of ammunition; one 1,000 pound bomb; eight five-inch HVAR rockets; and fuel for a four-hour endurance. Strikes were conducted daily, weather permitting. With improved ground communications and more spotter planes, the air strikes brought about marked results against the enemy. In some instances the Navy Corsairs would move deep behind enemy lines to find and destroy enemy targets. Such missions were referred to as being "deep support" instead of "close air support". A total of 263 sorties were flown from Task Force 77 during this period. The escort carrier U.S.S. Badoeng Strait arrived at Kobe, Japan, on 31 July. On board were 70 Corsairs plus Marine Squadrons VMF-214 and VMF-323. A few days previous, the escort carrier Sicily had arrived at Kobe after having disembarked its anti-submarine squadron on Guam. VMF-214, led by Lt.-Col. W. E. Lischeid, U.S.M.C., was assigned to the Sicily and launched its first strike on the afternoon of 3 August. The Badoeng Strait with VMF-323, and VMF-214 on Sicily, were assigned the primary duty of furnishing close air support to the First Provisional Marine Brigade. Six Corsairs were flown above the Brigade constantly during daylight hours carrying either a 500-pound bomb or a napalm tank plus a fuel drop tank (to extend endurance time), eight rockets, and a full load of machine gun ammunition. Between 8 August and 14 September, the Sicily Corsairs

flew 6^ 671 m averag box sci or dar buildin questio weapo "the bl Duri; serious F4U's other F In p: taken Walmi and -3; photo r 44 war area b north l over t self, w; Corsair. The in enemy tion prevent The ing tovv was re Septem destroy (VF-63 Group The stn targets up" T' receivi port, to naval that thf Duri resulte carrier minefie from Philippi 1,000-p^ five-mil ref erenc determi capture attempt suitable to the n the ad squadr problerx cleared means c by truc twelve c

Corsair

Intel!. units ac U.N. f some R ber; s troops, vention forces In anti direction Hagaru ing airc benefici support

awn :teen AD their omb

the .e in loco-

the July and land into d six ^rtant :orea. ie oil com14U's rst to The finery d exit not i, and

n the lue to Pusan ion of >se air forces World hound 08.00 twenty )ue to spotter futilely )r tar:argets, 6 July seven of Air :ing of a F4U radron, 1 mate. lat one or two for the Inds of ye-inch urance. With spotter results :orsairs destroy being total of ng this ived at irs plus ;w days t Kobe iron on ischeid, ;bed its 3adoeng y, were support Corsairs daylight napalm e time), Munition. Corsairs

flew 688 sorties and the Badoeng Strait F4U's recorded 671 missions. Each Marine squadron flew 24 planes and averaged an outstanding 92 per cent availability. The box score for this period of time included as destroyed or damaged 20 tanks, over 150 boxcars, 208 vehicles, 85 buildings, 38 bridges, plus 17 supply dumps. Prisoners questioned during this period as to which American weapons they feared most almost invariably answered "the blue aeroplanes". During a low-level strafing mission, two Corsairs were seriously damaged by enemy ground fire. One of the F4U's was ditched in a bay, the pilot being rescued. The other F4U crashed into a rice paddy killing the pilot. In preparation for the invasion of Inchon, steps were taken to neutralise one of the obstacles, the island of Walmi-do. September 10 saw Marine squadrons VMF-212 and -323 drop a total of 95 napalm tanks on Walmi. A photo reconnaissance flight the next day recorded 39 of 44 warehouse buildings destroyed, the entire residential area burned out, and 80 per cent of the buildings on the north peninsula destroyed. Additional strikes continued over the next two days. Prior to the actual invasion itself, when the cruisers finished bombarding the island Corsairs strafed the beaches before the Marines landed. The invasion at Inchon was also a success, catching the enemy completely by surprise. The F4U's flew interdiction missions north and south of the invasion area, preventing the arrival of reinforcements. The enemy was in complete rout at this time, retreating towards North Korea. A force of 5,000 enemy troops was reported to be in bivouac at Fankochi Point on 27 September. After heavy shelling by a cruiser and four destroyers, thirty-three rocket and bomb-loaded Corsairs (VF-63 and VF-64) and AD's (VA-65) from Boxer's Air Group Two roared in to attack the communist defenders. The strikes continued for four days, destroying military targets and enemy forces. During the post-Seoul "mopup", Task Force 77 lost six aircraft and one pilot, plus receiving damage to 20 aircraft. Close and deep air support, target air coordination and spotting of targets for naval gunfire had so effectively reduced enemy targets that the carrier aircraft soon lacked employment. During this slack period the lack of suitable targets resulted in a rather unusual assignment for the Navy carrier pilots. In an attempt to clear a path through the minefield into Wonsan Harbour, Corsairs and Skyraiders from Leyte (VF-33, VF-34, VA-35) and from the Philippine Sea (VF-113, VF-114 and VA-115) dropped 1,000-pound bombs in two columns, hoping to clear a five-mile lane into the harbour. Due to inadequate visual references, the results of the mission could not be determined. Wonsan, along with a suitable airfield, was captured by R.O.K. forces shortly after the mine-sweeping attempt. A hurried inspection showed the field to be suitable for flight operations, and VMF-312 was assigned to the new base to keep the F4U's in close proximity to the advancing troops. On 17 October another F4U squadron (VMF(N)-513) arrived, creating a logistics problem. Wonsan Harbour was still not completely cleared of mines, and the Corsairs had to be fuelled by means of hand pumps from 55-gallon drums brought in by truck. This primitive arrangement continued for twelve days until the mines were cleared from the harbour. Corsairs vs. Red China Intelligence detected the movement of Chinese Army units across the Yalu River on 16 October 1950. The U.N. forces were spread throughout North Korea, with some R.O.K. units reaching the Yalu River on 26 October; some resistance was encountered from Chinese troops, and an official announcement of Chinese intervention was made on 5 November. U.S.M.C. ground forces were located at the Chosin Reservoir at this time. In anticipation of forthcoming combat, a tactical air direction centre (TADC) was centrally located at Hagaru-ri, along with an airstrip capable of accommodating aircraft up to the size of C-47's This foresight proved beneficial in the fighting that lay ahead, providing close support facilities for use by Marine and Navy aircraft.

Early F4U-1 Corsairs of VF-17, the censor has erased the figure 17 ahead of the fuselage insignia. (IWM)

Close air support by Marine Corsairs of VMF-312 from Badoeng Strait using rockets, cannon, bombs and napalm helped break up daily Chinese assaults on Marine ground forces. To counter the initial attack by enemy troops, the F4U's dropped napalm into the oncoming hordes, tearing large holes in the forward ranks. As the last F4U dropped its napalm, the first "U-Bird", followed by the others, would be making a strafing run on the scattered enemy forces. The assaults would quickly lose momentum and break up. Elsewhere in the Marine defence perimeter Skyraiders from VA-115 and Corsairs from VF-113 and -114 aboard the Philippine Sea appeared and rendered similar support. Support for Tenth Corps was also provided successfully; but due to communications difficulties with Eighth Army tactical air controllers, similar support could not be provided for these ground forces. Navy Corsair squadrons VF-33 and 34 and Skyraider squadron VA-35 from Leyte provided support for Tenth Corps.

Breakout to Hungnam The Marine ground forces proceeded to withdraw from Yudami-ni on 2 December through territory literally swarming with Red Chinese troops. Flights of close air support Corsairs with some AD's from Philippine Sea, Leyte, Badoeng Strait and from Yonpo strip would spearhead the breakout. Air support, some 20 to 50 aircraft, would provide daily assistance the entire distance to the sea, some sixty miles away. To improve communications further during the withdrawal, an R5D from VMR-152 was equipped as an airborne tactical air direction centre. Circling above the ground forces, it improved communications between ground units in the mountainous terrain and all fighter flight leaders. On some strafing runs the empty shell cases dropped among the Marines, with the bullets and light bombs falling on the enemy fifty yards ahead of them. Throughout the entire withdrawal to Hungnam, Chinese troops were unable to counter the Navy-Marine method of close air support. The best defensive equipment available to the enemy was the normal infantry issue of rifles and light machine guns. During this entire operation only two carrier pilots were lost to enemy action. L.Cdr. R. M. Bagwell, the CO of VA-35, crashlanded his AD and was captured. Ensign J. L. Brown was shot down while providing close air support near Hagaru-ri on 4 December; he was injured and trapped in his wrecked F4U. A squadron mate, Lt.(jg). T. J. Hudner, made a successful wheels-up landing behind enemy lines and attempted to assist Ensign Brown in abandoning his aircraft. Unfortunately, Ensign Brown died before he could he freed; Lt.(jg). Hudner was rescued and later received the Medal of Honour for his selfless efforts on behalf of a friend and fellow pilot. A new record for close air support was reached on 4 December, when 239 individual close air support sorties were controlled by Tactical Air Control. The ground forces arrived at Hungnam on 10 December, thanks to

close air support provided by the F4U. During the evacuation of Hungnam an aerial canopy of Marine and Naval aircraft from no less than seven carriers would defend the withdrawal (four CV's-Leyte, Philippine Sea, Valley Forge and Princeton, and three CVE's-Sicily, Badoeng Strait and Bataan). A total of 1,700 sorties were flown between 15-24 December inside the Hungnam perimeter. Additional missions were flown outside the area. Cutting the Supply Lines With the successful withdrawal of all ground and naval farces from Hungnam, the war settled down to a battle line stretching from the Yellow Sea across Korea to the Sea of Japan between the 37th and 39th parallels. Navy and Marine Air units were assigned two major objectives at this time : to destroy the major bridges across the Yalu River, and to fly armed reconnaissance missions, including "search and destroy target of opportunity". The bridges were attacked between 8-30 November 1950 by Navy carrier aircraft from Valley Forge, Philippine Sea and Leyte. A strike group would consist of between 24 and 40 aircraft. The F9F-2 jets would provide high cover protection for F4U's carrying either eight five-inch rockets, or eight 100 pound bombs, or a single 500 pound bomb and six five-inch rockets. In some cases, the carstir carried the eleven-inch Tiny Tim rockets; AD Skyraiders would carry bombs and full belts of cannon ammunition. The period 9-21 November saw Navy aircraft fly 593 sorties on the Yalu River bridges, dropping 232 tons of bombs. The Corsairs would go in first to strike the Korean anti-aircraft positions followed by additional F4U's dropping time-fused bombs. Then the AD's would follow, dropping their bomb load on the bridges. Three major bridges were destroyed and four others severely damaged. With the oncoming cold weather further attempts at destroying the bridges were of little value, since the Yalu River was starting to freeze and the enemy would be able to cross the river at any point over the heavy ice. The attack on Hwachon Dam on 1 May 1951 saw the only use of torpedoes in Korea. In previous attempts to destroy the dam bombs dropped by AD's proved unsuccessful, even though the F4U escort provided adequate flak suppression suppor'. VF-192 and -193 Corsairs from Princeton accompanied VA-195's torpedo-equipped AD's to the dam, dropping their time-fused bombs after strafing the flak installations. The AD's then launched their torpedoes, which ran true and knocked huge holes in the dam. The anti-aircraft fire during the Korean War gradually improved in accuracy and intensity, having increased tenfold in just over one year. An indication of this is provided by Air Group Five from Essex, which went through two sets of aircraft because of a heavy operating schedule and from damage received from flak. Between 22 August and 30 November 1951 Air Group Five air-

craft received 318 flak hits, resulting in the loss of 27 aircraft and 11 pilots.

Night Operations With carrier aircraft on armed reconnaissance flights during the day attacking targets of opportunity, the enemy shifted troop and supply movements to a night time schedule. For night operations small composite squadrons were assigned to the CV's. Composite squadrons operating in Korea were VC-3, VC-4 and VC-35 using F4U-5(N) Corsairs and AD-4(N) Skyraiders. Results were very encouraging on a successful attack, as the pyrotechnic display of burning vehicles or locomotives would light up the countryside. The initial attack was always made with the aircraft engine throttled back to avoid alerting the enemy. Napalm and cannon were the favoured weapons, raising the score of equipment destroyed compared to conventional bombing. Towards the end of the Korean War the enemy adopted a tactic of night harassment utilizing either the YAK-18 or the P0-2. These aircraft would fly low to avoid radar detection and upon reaching their target would drop one or two small bombs, seldom doing damage but creating a nuisance. The possibility of the enemy finding an airfield and inflicting extensive damage caused some concern; the jet night-fighters could not slow down sufficiently to engage night "hecklers". The Marines were operating F4U's out of K-8 airfield south of Seoul, and the Navy sent two F4U-5(N) night-fighters from each carrier to K-8 to resolve the night heckler problem. The VC pilots received a week's familiarization, and on the night of 29 June 1953 Lt. G. P. Bordelon shot down two hecklers. On 5 July Lt. Bordelon once again shot down two intruders, and twelve nights later scored once more to become the only Corsair ace in the Korean War. Air strikes by the F4U Corsair continued against enemy targets until the last day of the war, 27 July 1953. In that time there was only one successful encounter between a Corsair and a MiG-15 jet-not surprisingly. Captain J. G. Folmar, a Marine F4U pilot from the Sicily, managed to destroy a MiG before being shot down himself by one of the communist pilot's team mates.

U.S. Navy squadrons flying the Corsair in the Korean War: Carrier

Squadron

Valley Forge CVA-45

Philippine Sea CVA-47

Date

ID Letter

VF-53 VF-54 VF-113 VF-114

6/ 50-11/50 6 /50-11/50 3/51 3/51

S S V V

VF-24 VF-63 VF-653* VF-92 VF-113 VF-114 VF-24

12/50- 3 / 51 12/50- 3/51

M M

12/51- 6/52

U

12/52- 6/53 8/50- 3/51 8/50- 3/51 3/51- 6/51

S V V M

CORSAIR SPECIFICATIONS

Span (ft.)

Leyte CVA-? Boxer CVA-

Princet CVA-3

Bon H Richara CVA-3 Essex CVA-9

Antieta CVA-3c

Kearsa CVA-3:

Oriskan CVA-3q

Lake C. CVA-3S

Campos

U.S. M Carrier Sicily CVE-1

Badoen CVE-11 ^ Bataan CVL-29 Bairoko CVE-11

Total F4U Production: 12,571

F4U-1 /FG-1

F4U-1 D / FG-1 D F4U-4

F4U-5

F4U-5N

AU-1

F4U-7

41

41

41

41

41

41

41

Marine

Length (ft.)

33

33

33

34

342

342

342

FOREI(

Height (ft.)

12

12

13

13

13

13

13

Fleet A

Wing Area (sq. ft.)

314

314

314

314

314

314

314

Gross Weights (no external loads)

12,820

12,028

12,500

12,900

13,450

12,900

13,270

438

The 1 ments 2 Squadro initial end of t the Cors fications become British c wing tip upper c British months F.A.A. u Squadro

Max. Speed (m.p.h.) 405

417

446

462

470

Ceiling

35,200

36,900

41,500

44,100

41,400

19,500

Range

1,015

1,015

1,005

1,036

1,120

484

Power Unit

R -2800-8

R-2800-8W

Pratt & Whitney

2,000 h.p.

2,000 h.p.

R-2800-18W or -24W 2,100 h.p.

Armament

6 x 50 cal. mg. 8 x Sin, rockets 1 x 1.000tb bomb

6 x '50 cal. mg. 8 x Sin, rockets 2 x 1,000tb bombs

6 x 50 cal. m.g. 4 x 20mm 8 x Sin. rockets 8 x Sin, rockets 2 x 1,000tb 2 x 1,0001b bombs bombs

R-2800-32N , 2,300 h.p.

32W

R-2800-83WA

2800-18W

2,300 h.p.

2,300 h.p.

2,100 h.p.

4 x 20mm 8 x 5in. rockets 2 x 1,000lb bombs

4 x 20mm 10 x Sin. rockets 2 x 1,000tb bombs

4 x 20mm 10 x Sin, rockets 2 x 1,000tb bombs

)f 27

lights nemy time drons Deratusing were ^chnic ht up with g the pons, ed to

[opted ^K -18 radar p one eating airfield ncern; fitly to 'rating Navy ier to pilots

of 29

cklers. vo inore to fir. Air ly tarn that veen a captain Sicily, n him-

VF-63

3/51- 6/51

M

VF-114

1/52- 7/52

V

Boxer

VF-94 VF-33 VF-34 VF-21

CVA-21

1/53- 7/53 10/50- 1/51 10/50- 1/51 9/50-10/50

N K K M

VF-22

9/50-10/50

M

VF-63 VF-64

9/50-10/50 9/50-10/50 3/51-10/51

M M A

Leyte

CVA-32

VF-884* VF-791*

VF-63 VF-64 VF-44

A

M M F B

Princeton

VF-192

CVA-37

10/50- 5/51

VF-193

10/50- 5/51

B

VF-821* VF-871*

6/51- 8/51 6/51- 8/51

VF-34 VF-192 VF-193

B B

6/51- 8/51 4/52-10/52 4/52-10/52

B B B

VF-152

3/53- 7/53

H

VF-783* VF-874* VF-74

5/51-11/51 5/51-11/51 6/52-12/52

D D L

VF-53 VF-871* VF-713*

8/51- 3/52

S

7/52- 1/53

W

10/51- 3/52

H

Kearsarge CVA-33

VF-884*

9/52- 2/53

A

Oriskang CVA-34

VF-874*

10/52- 5/53

D

Lake Champlain

VF-44

6/53- 6/53

F

on Homme Richard

CVA-31 Essex

CVA-9 Antietam CVA-36

CVA-39 Composite Sqdn.

Royal New Zealand Air Force A total of 425 Corsairs were delivered to the Royal New Zealand Air Force, with first delivery in early 1943. The New Zealand Corsairs were assigned to 13 squadrons, first becoming operational in early 1944. They were flown side by side with U.S.M.C. Corsairs on raids to Rabaul mounted from Bougainville, and later on fought over the Philippines and Okinawa.

French Corsairs The French Navy air arm Aeronavale received a small number of AU-1 Corsairs (a low level heavily-armoured ground attack version) when the Korean truce talks commenced. The aircraft, formerly flown by U.S.M.C. pilots, were utilized by the French during the Indo-Chinese War, and after the fall of Dien Bien Phu were taken back to France. Impressed with the performance of the AU-1, France placed an order for a modified version to be designated F4U-7. Ninety-four were built for the French, being assigned to the close support and attack squadrons 12F, 14F, 1 SF and 17F. The Corsairs saw action in the Suez campaign of 1956, and as recently as the early 1960's flew strikes against the Algerian insurgents. Argentina

U.S. Marine squadrons flying the Corsair in Korea

The Argentine Aviacion Naval operate Attack Squadrons I and II of F4U-5 and -5(N) Corsairs from its lone aircraft carrier, Indepencia. The aircraft were supplied by the U.S. Government under a defence agreement after the U.S. forces had phased out the prop-driven Corsairs in favour of jet fighter aircraft.

San Salvador

^e Letter

3/51-10/51

3/52- 9/52 3/52- 9/52 6/53- 7/53

on an attack against the German battleship Tirpitz. Along with operations in the Atlantic, Corsairs were active on carriers in the Indian Ocean and in 1945 some British carriers joined the U.S. Navy Task Forces operating in the Pacific Ocean. In many instances, due to a lack of aerial opposition, the F.A.A. Corsairs were used as bombers. A total of 19 F.A.A. squadrons were eventually outfitted with the Corsair. Just prior to VJ day, during a strike in Japanese home waters, Lt. R. H. Gray, R.C.N.V.R., of No. 1841 Squadron, sank a Japanese destroyer before being shot down. He was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously.

VC-3 VC-35

NP NA

* Reserve Squadrons

S S V V

Carrier

Squadron

Sicily

VMF-214

WE

CVE-118

VMF-323

MS

M

Badoeng Strait

VMA-312 VMF-323

M U S V V M

CVE-116

WR MS

VMF-212 VS-931

LD

Bataan

VMF-212 VMF-312 VMA-312

LD WR WR

VMF(N)-513 VMA-332 VMJ-3

WS MR MW

CVL-29 Bairoko CVE-115

Marine Utility Sqdn .

ID Letters

FOREIGN SERVICE Fleet Air Arm

The Royal Navy accepted under lend -lease arrangements 2,012 Corsairs, as from 1 June 1943 . No. 1830 Squadron , formed at Quonset Point, R.I., accepted the initial F4U- 1's, designated Corsair I's, and before the end of the year seven additional squadrons had received the Corsair I and the F4U-1A, or Corsair II. Some modifications had to be carried out before the aircraft could become operational . To permit stowage on the smaller w British carriers some 18 inches had to be clipped off the ^. wing tips. Another change was to form a bulge in the m upper canopy to improve visibility. By early 1944 the rockets British Corsairs were operating from carriers-a full nine Olb months before the U.S. Navy. The first strike by the F.A.A. using Corsairs was on 3 April 1944, by No. 1834 Squadron, providing fighter cover for torpedo bombers

This tiny Central American country has also been provided with Corsairs by the U.S. Government. Still in operational use in San Salvador are some F4U-4 models, forming one flight of fighter-bombers. Some FG-1D's, among the first to be delivered, have since been phased out. Honduras In an attempt to standardize its fighter equipment this State disposed of its mixture of surplus aircraft and purchased from a surplus dealer enough F4U-4's to supplement its F4U-5 and -5(N) aircraft as the equipment of two squadrons of fighter-bombers. The main base of operation is Tocontin, but there are fifteen other airfields from which the Corsair can operate. Marine pilots scrambling on a Pacific island; aircraft are "bubble-top" F4U-1's. (Vought)

Abov Above: F4U-1 Corsair escorting a flight of B-24's on a mission in the Solomon Islands, August 1943. (via R. Kopitzke)

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1

Above: "Bird cage" F4U-1 Corsair, the first model to see combat at Guadalcanal; the aircraft illustrated is flying over NAS Norfolk, Virginia in July 1942. (US Navy) Below: Interesting shot of Corsairs of an unknown Marine unit taxying out for take-off on Russell Island, Solomon Islands, October 1943. Note the variety of upper surface markings, double marked, single marked with yellow surround and single with blue surround. (US Marines)

Above: Goodyear FG-1 D's flying patrol somewhere in the Pacific. (Goodyear)

U

■

S

Above: "Cease Fire" being sounded as a pair of Marine Corsairs start out on combat patrol; note "IFF ON 1' sign. (US Marines)

Below: Marine Corsairs revving up on the airstrip on Vella Lavella Island, Solomon Islands, 1 November 1943. (US Marines)

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Above: A trio of Marine Corsairs of a large formation heading for Japanese bases in the Marshall Islands. Note 260 has no bar to the wing insignia; bomb racks are home-made carrying 1000-pounders. 4th Marine Air Wing, June 1944. (US Marines) Below: A line-up of F4U-1 D Corsairs on Peleliu, September 1944, (US Marines)

Below: Marine Corsairs taxying out from their dispersal area on Guam for a straffing mission against the enemy held airstrip on Rota Island. 12 October 1944. (US Marines) ■

F4U-4 Corsair of VMBF-231, "Ace of Spades" Squadron, note insignia ahead and below windscreen. (US Marines)

"Ole 122" of VMF-111 "Devil Dogs 4th Marine Air Wing, on an airstrip in the Gilberts.

I

Above: Marine Corsairs of the "Hells Angels" Squadron lined-up on the airstrip on Guam. (US Marines) Below: A Corsair on the ready strip on Guam, note the "Hells Angels" insignia ahead of cockpit. Both photos taken in November 1944. (US Marines)

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Below: These particular Corsairs were part of the escort when Admiral Nimitz visited Iwo Jima, March 1945. (US Marines)

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Right: The first a during qualifi CVE-106 Block Marine carrier, (US Marines)

Above: F4U-1 D Corsair of VM F-124 taxying on CV-9 Essex, 1 January 1945. (US Marines)

Right: The first aircraft to have a flat during qualification trials on CVE-106 Block Island, the first all Marine carrier, 4 February 1945. (US Marines)

944. (US

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Below: F4U-1 D about to take off from the deck of first all Marine carrier, the USS Block Island. 3 February 1945. (US Marines)

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Above & below: A four plane Marine division escorting an Army F-5E on the run in to attack a Japanese strong point in central Okinawa. The Corsairs are from VMF-323 and the F-5E from the 28th PRS; the F-5E carried a modified long-range tank with a transparent nose-piece from which Lt. D. D. Duncan shot cine film of this and other attacks, a photograph of this F-5E appears in AIRCAM No. 10. The lower photograph shows a formation of VMF-323 "Death Rattlers" homeward bound after the attack, photo aircraft was a Grumman Avenger. 2nd Marine Air Wing, 10 June 1945. (US Marines)

Below: "Flak Bait", a F4U-1 D Corsair of an unknown Marine unit on le Shima during June 1945. Note "sharkmouth on drop tank. (US Marines)

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1

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Above: Good detail flying shot of a Marine F4U-4 Corsair, unit unknown. (US Marines)

Okinawa. use piece er photo rd Marine

Above. Corsairs of the 2nd Marine Air Wing on the ready track at Kadena airfield whilst Marines pass by in the background on their way to the front line, Okinawa, 9 April 1945. (US Marines) Below: With Mt. Surbachi in the background Corsairs of the 4th Marine Air Wing refuel on Iwo Jima en route to the Ryukyus, 18 April 1945. (US Mar'

S Marines)

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Above:

Above: Corsairs of VM F-323 "Deal: Rattlers head home after a rock strike against Japanese position south of the front lines on Okinaw 10 June 1945. (US Marines)

Left: F4U-4 Corsair of the "Day Knights" Squadron, 2nd Marine Wing, taxying down the runway o Kadena airfield , Okinawa. (U Marines)

Below. A 5001b bomb being loade on a Corsair already armed with full load of rockets, Kadena airfiel Okinawa. (US Marines)

Below: 15,000

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Above: Corsairs of the "Whistling Devil's" Squadron line up on Omura airfield, Kyushu, shortly after VJ Day. (US Marines) Below: A formation of Corsairs of the "Hells' Bell's" Squadron, Marine Air Group 31, flying a surveillance patrol pass over Fujiyama at about 15,000ft, late 1945. (US Marines)

a

Above: An F4U-4 of VMF-461, USS Leyte, about to take-off on a training flight over the Mediterranean, 6th Fleet. (US Marines)

Above: Th Marine Air

Below: F4U-5 Corsair of VMF-224, note USMC insignia under cockpit. (via R. Kopitzke)

Below: Corsairs of VMF-218 lined-up with wings folded awaiting shipment back to the States from Guam due to re-deployment of Fleet Marine Forces, 16 January 1950. (US Marines)

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Above & be first strike ac

Alarine

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Above: The first Corsair being off loaded from the carrier USS Cape Esperance at Ford Island, Pearl Harbour, forthe newly re-activated Kaneohe Marine Air Station, 14 March 1952. (US Marines)

Above & below: Corsairs of VFM-214, three hours after arriving from Japan were re-fuelled and armed with bombs and Sin, rockets for their first strike against Communist positions in Korea. 1st Marine Air Wing. (US Marines)

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Above: An F4U-4B of what is believed to be VMF(N)-513 bogged down in soft sand on Seoul City Air Base, 1st Marine Air Wing, 29 April 1951. (US Marines)

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4 vought F4U-1 o cors

Above: Line-up of Corsairs of VMF-214 " Black Sheep" Squadron on Pohang airfield, stand in readiness for a ground attack mission.1 st MAW. 1 October 1951 . ( US Marines) Below: An F4U-5NL night-fighter of VMF-214 on Wonsan airfield, Korea; note long-range tank, Sin, rockets and 4 x 20mm guns. (US Marines)

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Vought F4U-1 Corsair in non-standard finish. Note barless national insignia under port wing only. Red surround to insignia was Msed from June to September 1943.

2 Vought F4U-1 Corsair, unit unknown , US Marine Corps, Russell Island , Solomon Islands, October 1943. Double marked on upper surfaces.

29 April .

3 Vought F4U-1 D Corsair, probably from CV-18 Wasp.

4 Vought F4U-1 D Corsair in early non-standard night-fighter finish.

St MAW.

Marines)

5 Goodyear FG-1 D Corsair, 2nd Marine Air Vying, Okinawa, April 1945.

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D 1 Vought F4U-1 D Corsair, Marine Air Group 31, Japan 1945.

2 Vought F4U-4 Corsair, flown by Col. John H. Glenn , US Marine Corps , China, 1945.

3 Vought F4U-4 Corsair, VMF-211, US Marine Corps, Portex Manoeuvres, 1949.

4 Vought F4U-4 Corsair, VMF-214, US Marine Corps, Pohang airfield, Korea. October 1951.

5 Vought F4U-4 Corsair, VMF-235, US Marine Corps, Kaneohe Air Station, Hawaii, March 1952.

1 Vought F4U-4 Cor

1 Vought F4U-4 Corsair, VMF-212, US Marine Corps, Yonpo airfield, Korea, November 1950.

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MARINES VMF 2 1 2

2 Vought F4U-4 Corsair, VMF-312, US Marine Corps, Wonsan airfield, Korea, 1951.

3 Vought F4U-4 Corsair, VMF-312, US Marine Corps, CVE-115 Bairoko, Korea, February 1952.

4 Vought F4U-4 Corsair, VMA-332, US Marine Corps, CVE-115 Bairoko, Korea, July 1953.

5 Vought F4U-4 Corsair, Hedron-2, US Marine Corps, equipped for photo-reconnaissance.

MARINE

D

1 Vought

1 Vought F4U-4 Corsair, VMF-224, US Marine Corps.

2 Goodyear FG-1 D Corsair, US Marine Corps Reserve , Columbus, Ohio.

3 Vought F4U-4 Corsair, VMFT-20, US Marine Corps, MCAS Cherry Point, 1952.

4 Vough

5 Voug

NAVY

NIAGARA FAILS

F

1 Vought Corsair Mk . II, unit unknown , Fleet Air Arn1.

3 Vought Corsair Mk. II, No . 1830 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, HMS Illustrious, Indian Ocean.

4 Vought Corsair Mk. II, Fleet Air Arm, British Pacific Fleet.

5 Vought Corsair Mk. II, No . 1834 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, British Pacific Fleet.

G

1 Vought AU-1 Corsair, Aeronavale. Serial 129379. Note early presentation of national insignia.

5 Vought F4U-7 Corsair, Flotille 14-F, Aeronavale, Suez Operations 1952.

1 Vought F4U-1 Corsair, probably of No. 14 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force, Guadalcral, 1945.

2 Vought F4U- 1 Corsair, probably of No. 14 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force, Guadal

3 Vought F4U-1 Corsair, unit unknown, Royal New Zealand Air Force, 1945.

s

4 Vought F4U- 1 Corsair, unit unknown , Royal New Zealand Air Force, 1945.

,;j^y:5rrf1

f

,q

S 4, 44yi C y,:F

5 Vought F4U-5NL Corsair, 2nd Attack Squadron, Argentine Navy, from the carrier ARA Independencia.

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Above: F4U-4B Corsairs revving up on the flight deck of CV-47 Philippine Sea prior to a strike against targets in Korea. Corsairs belong to VF-113 and VF-114, US Navy. (US Navy)

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Above: Corsairs of VMF-212 lined-up on Yonpo airfield, Korea. (US Marines) Below: F4U-4's of VMA-312 taxying out for take-off from Wonsan airfield on a rocket strike against Communist targets, 1951. (US Marines)

1

Above: The 10,000th landing on CVE-115 Bairoko being made by Major Alexander S. Walker of VMA-312 "Checkerboard" Squadron; note the arrester hook has just engaged the wire. (US Marines)

Above: A "Polka Dot" Corsair, VMA-332, landing on a carrier off the Korean coast. (US Marines) Below: Corsairs of VMA-332 ' Polka Dot" Squadron, 1st MAW, being readied for a strike against targets in North Korea. Note variations in position of under wing insignia. (US Marines)

Above: Nice flying shot of a F4U-4 of Hedron 2; this particular Corsair was equipped for photo-reconnaissance. (US Marines) Below: Gull-grey and white AU-1 Corsair based at MAS Quantico, see colour illustration. (via Fred C. Dickey Jr.)

Below: An F4U-4, probably from VF-791, CV-21 Boxer, flown by Lt. R. Pitner, banking over the target area near Wonsan on 15 June 1951. Target was the railway bridge obscured with smoke at the top of the photograph above the radio mast. VF-791 and VF-781 were both Reserve squadrons flying from the USS Boxer. (US Navy)

J

U

Above: A fair formation by Navy Reserve pilots, note the yellow band placed forward. (via Art Kreiger) Below: This three-quarter rear photo shows to good advantage the gull wing of the Corsair. US Navy Reserve Corsair from NAS Minneapolis. (Fred C. Dickey Jr.)

i

Above: Another nice flying shot of Navy Reserve Corsairs. (US Navy) Below: AU-1 from NAS Dallas, note the yellow band has been overpainted, (Fred C. Dickey Jr.)

Above: Tidy line abreast formation by Corsair Mk. II's of the Fleet Air Arm. (IWM)

Above & below: A clipped wing-tip Mk. I, JT159 being put trough its paces at NAS Quonset. (via Fred C. Dickey Jr.)

Above: Corsair Mk. II of the Fleet Air Arm taking off from a carrier on a training flight. (IWM) Below: Corsair being parked on the flight deck of a carrier, note the clipped wing-tips. (IWM)

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Below: Good shot of a Corsair landing on a carrier of the British Pacific Fleet. (US Navy)

Above: Corsair Mk. II of No..1830 Squadron landing on Illustrious. (IWM) Below: A.Mk. II of No. 1837 Squadron rolling down the flight deck with vortices forming in the hot humid atmosphere. (IWM)

Below: Corsairs being ferried to the British Pacific Fleet by Slinger, February 1945. (IWM)

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Above: Line-up of F4U-7 Corsairs of Flotille 14F, Aeronavale in various stages of paintwork; note the "fouled anchor" marking in use at this time. Algeria 1945. (ECA via J. Cuny)

Right: Close-up of the early Aeronavale insignia. (ECA via J. Cuny)

Below: F4U-7 in later markings probably of Flotille 17F at Hyeres in 1962. (S. P. Peltz)

{l

Above: Corsair of Flotille 14F taking off from the Arromanches during Mediterranean manoeuvres. (via R. C. B. Ashworth)

Above: Good detail photograph of a 14F F4U-7. Below: Corsair of Flotille 14F folding wings after deck landing on the Arromanches. (via R. Kopitzke)

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Above: Nice flying shot of a F4U-7 of Flotille 12F. (ECA via J. Cuny) Below: A pair of bombed-up Corsairs of an unknown unit probably flying over Algeria.

Below: An F4U-7 of Flotille 14F, note rockets and 4 x 20mm cannon. (J. Cuny)

4

Above : Algerian based F4U-7 of Flotille 12F. (via R. C. B. Ashworth) Below : Black and yellow striped Corsairs in the markings of Flotille 15F during the Suez operations . (ECA via J. Cuny)

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I

Below : Line-up of F4U -7 Corsairs of Flotille 14F during the Suez operations: stripes are yellow and black, note the varying shades of blue of the rudder stripes . (ECA via J. Cuny)

iMt

Above: No. 14 Squadron, RNZAF formating down the coast of Guadalcanal, uniformly marked and in good formation. (RNZAF)

Right: Close-up of three aircraft of the above formation, nearest to camera is NZ5316 then 315 and in distance 307. (RNZAF via D. Noble)

F4U-1 of an unknown unit on a ground attack mission, this photograph clearly shows the thin fin flash. Serial NZ5361, (D, Noble)

U

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Corsairs of an unknown RNZAF unit lined-up on an airstrip on Guadalcanal. (RNZAF)

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Above : New Zealand F4U-1 with the maximum three tank fuel load taking off for the Islands, note the fume tapes on the fuselage . Serial NZ5440. Royal New Zealand Air Force. (NZAF via d'E. C. Darby)

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Left: F4U-1 of an unknown unit on Piva airstrip, RNZAF. Serial NZ5218. (via d'E. C. Darby)

A pair of F4U-1's of an unknown unit on a Pacific island airstrip, Serials NZ5385 and NZ5388. Note there is no yellow surround to the roundel. (d'E. C. Darby)

1

F4U-1 NZ5471 of an unknown unit on an island airstrip. Note the roundel has the yellow surround. (via d'E. C. Darby)

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Above: F4U-1 Corsair probably of No. 18 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force; note the rather sloppy painting of the underwing bars to the national insignia. Serial NZ5306. (via d'E. C. Darby)

Right: One of the few air to air shots of RNZAF Corsairs, believed to be No. 19 Squadron, flying along the coast of Guadalcanal. Serials NZ5326, 5315 and 5307. (RNZAF)

Above: A No. 14 Squadron Goodyear FG-1 Corsair displaying standard RNZAF roundels during the closing weeks of the war. Serial NZ5656. (via d'E. C. Darby)

Right: The saddest sight of all, the end of the road of a nation's air might, the salvage yard at Rukuhia, graveyard for the RNZAF Corsair striking force. (via d'E. C. Darby)

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\\\\\\\\\\\ Medium Grey A2 Upper surfaces

Midnite Blue 19d6B3 Upper surfaces, under surfaces identical except for 11 AF on port wing, see colour illustration.

B5 Upper surfaces, under surfaces identical except for MARINES on port wing, see colour illustration.

D3 Upper surfaces.

Gull Grey

E5 Upper surfaces, under surfaces identical except for 52 US NAVY on port wing. see colour illustration.

D4 Upper surfaces, under surfaces identical except for MARINES, see colour illustration.

Midnite Blue

AIRCAM AVIATION SERIES Each publication in the original AIRCAM series illustrates one type or major sub-type of a famous aircraft in the colour schemes and markings of the Air Forces of the World. Each issue contains eight pages of colour sideview illustrations with supporting black and white plan view drawings showing where necessary both upper and under surfaces, one hundred-plus half-tone photographs, more than half of which have never previously been published, and between three and seven thousand words of text. The AI RCAM SPECIALS cover a wide range of subjects from the three single-seat fighters of the Battle of Britain to present day Aerobatic Teams. Air Force Histories and Air Force Colour Schemes and Markings, and the Specials will have new titles added at regular intervals. The content of Specials will vary, depending on subject to between five and ten thousand words and between fifty and one hundred half-tone photographs; all will have eight full colour pages.

22 North American B-25C / H. Mitchell 23 Vought F4U-1 /7 Corsair 24 Hawker Hurricane Mk I/IV 25 Nakajima Ki.44-la / Ilb Shoki 26 Hawker Hunter 27 Douglas A-4 Skyhawk 28 De Havilland Mosquito 29 Nakajima Ki.84 Hayate 30 McDonnell F-4 Phantom

AI RCAM 'SPECIALS' 51 Battle of Britain The Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane and-Messerschmitt Bf.109E.

1 North American P-51 D Mustang 2 Republic P-47 Thunderbolt 3 North American Mustang Mk I/IV North American P-51 B and D Mustang 4 Supermarine Spitfire Mk I/XVI, Merlin Engine 5 North American P-51 B/C Mustang

S2 Finnish Air Force A complete history of the Finnish Air Force from formation to the present day.

Sa l S4 f

Sharkmouth In two Volumes. The history of the SHARKMOUTH markings from its origin in the German Air Force in the first World War to the present day.

S5 Czechoslovakian Air Force 191 8-1 970 6 Curtiss (P-40) Kittyhawk Mk I/IV 7 Curtiss P-40 Warhawk 8 Supermarine Spitfire -Griffon Engine 9 Spad Scouts 10 Lockheed P-38 Lightning 11 Consolidated B-24 Liberator 12 Avro Lancaster

A pictorial history of the Czechoslovakian Air Force through two World Wars to the present day.

S6 Luftwaffe: Colour Schemes & Markings 1935-1945. Vol. 1. Fighters and Ground Attack types.

S7 Aerobatic Teams 1950-1970 Vol. 1 S8 Luftwaffe: Colour Schemes & Markings 1935-1945. Vol. 2. Bombers, Reconnaissance, Maritime, Training and Liaison types.

Royal Netherlands Air Force Belgian Air Force

13 Nakajima Ki.43 14 Republic F / RF-84F Thunderstreak /Thunderflash 15 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress 16 Mitsubishi A6M-Zero-Sen

Regia Aeronautica : Colour Schemes & Markings. Vol. 1. Fighters and Ground Attack types.

Regia Aeronautica: colour Schemes & Markings. Vol. 2. Bombers, Reconnaissance. Maritime, Training and Liaison types.

United States Army Air Force

17 North American F-86A/H Sabre Vol.1

Bombardment Group Identification Markings and codes 1941-1945.

18 Nakajima Ki . 27/Manshu Ki.79

Aerobatic Teams 1950-1970 Vol. 2.

19 Grumman F6F3 /5 Hellcat

Netherlands East Indies Air Force

20 Canadair Sabre Mk 1/VI: Vol. 2. Commonwealth Sabre Mk 30/32

West German Luftwaffe

21 Kawasaki Ki.61-I/III Hien / Ki.100

Battle of Britain Bombers Vol. 2.

Battle of Britain Bombers Vol. 1.

Front cover, top to bottom: Vought F4U-1 D corsair, 1st MarineAir Wing, USS Boxer CV-21, Korea. July1952. Note "sharkmouth" onlong- rangetank. Vought corsair Mk. II, unit unknown, Fleet Air Arm, Indian Ocean. Vought F4U-7 Corsair, Flotille 14F, Aeronavale, Suez Operations. Vought F4U-5 Corsair, 2nd Attack Squadron, Argentine Navy.

SBN 85045 028 4 Not for sale in U.S.A.