FM2 WILDCAT

[keith A]

In the Osprey book on this aircraft a number of squadrons are noted with their kills in this aircraft. I am looking for more details of those that claimed between 10 and 15 victories. Can anyone help?

I am also looking for details of the claims of VC27 is there a website that highlights this squadron, or the VC squadrons?

[fsbofk]

Barrett Tillman's U.S. Navy Fighter Squadrons in World War II notes that there were a total of 5 aces in FM-2 Wildcats, scoring between 5 and 9 victories.

[Leendert]

Keith,

Perhaps something interesting for you on this website: http://www.acepilots.com/planes/f4f_wildcat.html

Regards,

Leendert

[R Leonard]

And there were some FM-2 drivers with credits awarded flying other types of aircraft as well. VOC-1 scorers, for example included ENS Richard Van Buren Yentzer, ENS Alfred Robie Wood, ENS David Edward Robinson, LT Rene Emile Jean Poucel, and ENS Edward William Olszewski, all of whom scored earlier while the squadron was designated as VOF-1 and flying F6Fs off USS Tulagi in Operation Dragoon.

Rich

[JACK COOK]

Maybe Rich can add to this but when my step-dad was the CAG-19 flight surgeon on the USS Bonnie Dick CV-31 from 1960-63 the ship's XO was CDR Tom Sedaker who was a FM-2 VC squadron division leader with around 4 7/8 kills! My step-dad said he was superior in all catagories.
BTW I have a good friend who owned both a F4F and a FM-2. He said that compared to the FM the F4F is a real dog!

[R Leonard]

Just missed the cut off - - -

LT Thomas Sherwood Sedaker -- VC-84 -- 4.833 / 0.0 / 0.0

FM-2 aces were:

LT Ralph Earle Elliott Jr -- VC-27 -- 9.000 / 0.000 / 0.500
LCDR Harold Nathan Funk -- VF-26 -- 6.000 / 0.000 / 0.000
ENS Joseph Dennis McGraw -- VC-10 & VC-80 -- 5.000 / 0.000 / 1.000
LT Kenneth George Hippe -- VC-3 -- 5.000 / 0.000 / 0.000
LT Leo Martin Ferko -- VC-4 & VC-20 -- 5.000 / 0.000 / 0.000

Sedaker is next on the list.

Your step-father just missed my father. Dad was exec of BHR when she came out of the yard from her SCB-27/SCB-125 modernization/conversion in 1955. He made the first launch with the new catapults and the first trap on her nice new angle deck. Somewhere around here I've a large chunk of wood with a big brass plaque commemorating the event.

My father flew the F4F-3 and the F4F-4 in combat. He always said he preferred the -3 to the -4. He picked up a lot of FM-2 hours while VF training officer at ComFAirWest from the fall of 1943 to fall of 1944. He thought the FM to be similar in handling to the -3, but a shade hotter. Its interesting to note that BuAer thought the FM-2 to be sufficiently different from the F4Fs that they tracked its combat statistics separately.

Rich

[JACK COOK]

Rick,
My step-dad served under 2 COs on the BHR. First was Marshall Beebe and the second was George Bullard both 2 great Naval Aviators!!!
CAG-19 was CDR Carl Cruise.

[rpeck350]

Is there any photo's of these men's aircraft that is mention in this thread.
Have couple of model kits of the FM-2
Thanks
Rick Peck

[R Leonard]

Jack –

Beebe was a little senior to my father, George Bullard, though, was a USNA classmate ('38) and a great friend of the family, he had BHR at about the same time my father had Ranger. Though Bullard went on to flag rank, I believe he made it the same year as my father, he was shortly thereafter felled by a heart attack. Somewhere around here I’ve the message form received aboard USS Wasp, than my father’s flagship, with the news of Bullard’s death. Dad always suspected Bullard’s long term health prospects were permanently ruined by his sojourn as a guest of the Japanese. One of the great funnies Bullard always brought up when visiting was when shortly after he was repatriated and released for duty my father brought him home for dinner where my mother, not knowing who was coming, just that Dad was bringing classmate along, laid on a meal of chicken and,

you guessed it,

rice.

One of the really good guys.

Rich