Having to concentrate on F6F Hellcat development and production as well as TBF Avenger production, the Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors was chosen to continue Wildcat production and a contract was signed on 18 April 1942 to supply 1,800 Wildcats.
General Motors started producing the F4F-4 Wildcat as the FM-1 Wildcat on 1 September 1940.
Later Grumman constructed two XF4F-8 prototypes which served as a basis for General Motors FM-2 Wildcats. A contract was signed with General Motors for the supply of 1,265 FM-2 Wildcats, but by the time that FM-2 production ended in August 1945, a total of 4,777 had been delivered.
Source: American Aircraft of World War II
Chancellor Press
