Although partially overshadowed by the famous Mustang, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt established a distinguished record as a high altitude interceptor and bomber escort. More Thunderbolts were manufactured during World War 2 than any other American fighter, and the seven-ton aircraft became extremely popular with A.A.F. pilots because of its ability to absorb extensive battle damage and remain flying. Perhaps the most outstanding tribute to this aircraft is the fact that all 10 of the leading Thunderbolt aces survived the war. The P-47 could easily out dive the enemy fighters and could “dish-out” terrible punishment form its eight 50 cal. Browning machine guns.

Early in World War 2, the world was stunned by the effective dive bombing tactics of the JU 87 Stuka. First tested in the Spanish Civil War, it went through considerable design changes before emerging as the formidable bomber of the early 40’s. For two years, this plane was one of the most successful weapons of the Luftwaffe and was used to spearhead the German drives into enemy territory. The JU 87 saw much service on the Russian front as an anti-tank weapon and was also used in the African desert on the Malta raids and in the Italian campaigns. Although considered obsolete within two years after the beginning of the WW-2, the JU 87 went on to see action until the end of the war and enjoyed the distinction of being, besides the American Douglas Dauntless, the only mass-produced dive bomber of WW-2

In two early U.S. Navy engagements of World War 2, the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway Island, the carrier based Dauntless dive bomber played an historic part in blunting the Japanese offensive that began at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Fulfilling the attack role assigned to it at its conception, the SBD, operating from the decks of the carriers Lexington, Yorktown, Wasp, and Enterprise, mortally damaged the main units of the Japanese carrier fleet and set the stage for the ultimate Allied victory in the Pacific theatre. Not as well known is its impressive record for shooting down enemy aircraft when protecting the U.S. carrier form Japanese air strikes- prowess not expected of a dive-bomber. At war’s end, the claim was made that the Dauntless SBD had sunk more enemy combatant tonnage than all other arms of the service combined.

Nicknamed the “Sweetheart of Okinawa” by the U.S. Marines and “Whistling Death” by the Japanese, the Corsair performed effectively in two years- the Pacific conflict of World War 2 and the Korean engagement of the early 1950’s. The first production Corsair flew on June 25, 1942 at a time when the Japanese offensive seemed irresistible. It was not until late that year, with the delivery of the first Corsair squadrons into the hands of the U.S. Marines on Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands, that the tide of air combat was permanently turned in favor of the Allied Forces. To the British Navy in the early 1944 goes credit for introducing the Corsair to carrier service. Nine months later, the U.S. Navy cleared the way for the Corsair to become the mainstay of its mighty carrier fleet.

The first production F6F-3 took to the air in Oct. 1942, and by Jan. 16, 1943, operational F6F-3’s were being delivered to the U.S. Navy. More than 2500 joined the naval service in 1944 with production of the “3’s” coming to a halt in the spring of 1944 when an improved version, the F6F-5 began to roll down the assembly lines. Form its first combat engagement, the Hellcat proved superior to its Japanese opponent and maintained this advantage right up to the end of the hostilities. Largely remembered for its exploits during the war in the Pacific, Hellcats served aboard the following as well as other carriers of the U.S. Pacific Fleet- Yorktown, Essex, Enterprise, Hornet, Lexington, Ticonderoga and Intrepid. Notable combat engagements occurred over Marcus Island, Wake Island, Tarawa, and the Marianas.