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Hello, I would like to build some planes from operation torch and I came across this picture, it is saying that it is F4F-3 but I have found no more information about this plane.
In this forum I also found that all the wildcats in operation Torch were F4F-4s, so i don't know if this plane is F4F-3 or F4F-4 with two machine guns taken out.
I would really appreciate your help.
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A very interesting list. American Samoa had SBC-4s on active duty NOV 42. And a VJ. Have to look it up.
but if it is F4F-4 why does it have only 4 machine guns, F4F-4 has 6 machine gunsIt is a fitted with drop tanks F4F-4 of VF-41 taking off from USS RANGER (CV-4) on a photo-recon mission over French North Africa, during the operation, November 1942.
the info source: 80-G-30311 Grumman F4F-4
May this be an early production FM-1 ?
They had only four guns, basically a -4 with -3's armament setup
Removing guns just because of some pilot's preference was an extremely big no-no. More likely the outboard gunports were covered with tape.
Sounds good. But not sure if the Torch operation was the time the kites were in service with the squadron.
Removing the outer guns wouldn't make the gunports disappear.That is also possible. Especially if we have a close up view at the leading edge where something like the darker square patch can be noticed. See the yellow arrow.
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The first FM1 was flying at the end of August 1942 so it is possible the picture shows one.
Removing the outer guns wouldn't make the gunports disappear.
All books about the Wildcat say on 31st August. But it doesn't mean that the delivering of the FM-1s started on the same day. The Torch operation started on 7/8th November 1942. So there is the two months difference. Dana Bell states that the VF-4 (VF-41) used F4F-4 at that time. Also the VF-9 used the variant of the Wilcat at the same time period. See my post #14 above.
The caption in the Dana Bell's book says that's the F4F-4P, the photo-recon plane. As mamo serves that's a field modification done in the same way as the F4F-3P. This means that the base was the F4F-4 and there was added the camera with its mounts and the small window in the fuselage . It is very likely they could dismount the outher MGs to make the variant lighter. Especially that the version was fitted with the additional underwing fuel tanks. The remaining gunports at the wing leading edge could have been covered with a fabric patch and overpainted.
Here is a shot of the F4F-4P I found years ago via the net. IMHO that's the same Wildcat no.28 wiating for lifting to the aircraft carrier flight deck. The caption says it was a F4F-4P embarked on the (CV-4) USS Ranger used for the Torch operations. Unfortunately it isn't of the greatest quality and the open ports for the inner MGs at the wing leading edge can be noticed only.
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the source: the net.