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RAF 400 Series Sqdns Credits For Destruction of Enemy Aircraft In Air Combat WW2 | eBay
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I haveBarrett's Osprey Titles (all of them)Frank's USN victory credits volume is the Bible on the subject with individual credits for pilots/gunners, units, and overall by date. The 420 figure for the FM-2 "Wilder Wildcat"mainly tracks with the postwar USN statistical summary (432) with credits by each naval aircraft type, but of course lacking Frank's details.
My Osprey volume Wildcat Aces of WW2 (as if there were other wars!) shows the top 12 FM-2 squadrons including
V-27 with 61.5
VF-26 with 32 (yes, VF v. VC gofigger)
VC-81 21
VOC-1 with 20
Cheers, mateFrank Olynyk's compilation, I believe, gives a total of 428 credits to FM pilots, not counting probables and damaged, but including 1.5 credits where the squadron was not identified. The USN Combat Statistics tables give us a total of 422 FM credits, just VF and VTB types.
By squadrons, (and I have the list by names, but that might get a little long) from Olynyk:
VC-3 - 17.0
VC-4 - 12.0
VC-5 - 16.0
VC-10 - 16.0
VC-11 - 1.0
VC-13 - 8.0
VC-20 - 18.0
VC-21 - 17.0
VC-27 - 59.5
VC-33 - 11.0
VC-41 - 9.0
VC-63 - 1.0
VC-65 - 5.0
VC-66 - 1.0
VC-68 - 10.0
VC-75 - 18.0
VC-76 - 4.0
VC-78 - 4.0
VC-80 - 14.0
VC-81 - 20.0
VC-83 - 2.0
VC-84 - 19.0
VC-85 - 9.0
VC-86 - 1.0
VC-87 - 6.0
VC-88 - 14.0
VC-90 - 7.0
VC-91 - 6.0
VC-92 - 8.0
VC-93 - 17.0
VC-94 - 7.0
VC-96 - 6.0
VC-97 - 7.0
VF-26 - 31.0
VOC-1 - 20.0
VOC-2 - 5.0
VC-? - 1.5
Total - 428.0
This is brilliant. It gives me a project! I'm away on business until Sunday but when I get back I will be building a database of the claims of the Taffy-3 squadronsCheers, mate
Just found claims for VC-98 and VC-99 (2) in Eric Hammel's Air War Pacific Chronology. VC-99 claims are for two Oscars in June 1945 and VC-98 (Lt Eugene R Beckwith, a Frances on 5 August 1945.This is brilliant. It gives me a project! I'm away on business until Sunday but when I get back I will be building a database of the claims of the Taffy-3 squadrons
Also found the War Diary of VC-65. Ten pilots are credited with victories, with the squadron claiming 16 Japanese aircraft in aerial combat. The highest scorer being Lt Joseph T Riley with 3-4. No details except 10 were claimed in June at Saipan (I have found four of these), one at Morotai in September and 5 at Leyte. Most of their records were lost when their carrier was lost.Found my answer
Another update. VC-78 claim seven victories (one shared with a pilot of VC-80) Ensign OJ Miller claims 3 kills.Also found the War Diary of VC-65. Ten pilots are credited with victories, with the squadron claiming 16 Japanese aircraft in aerial combat. The highest scorer being Lt Joseph T Riley with 3-4. No details except 10 were claimed in June at Saipan (I have found four of these), one at Morotai in September and 5 at Leyte. Most of their records were lost when their carrier was lost.
I am going to stop posting updates to this until I complete the research (if I ever do). Have done a bit more research and there are quite a few major and minor errors to the FM-2 squadron tallies. Sometimes it's exaggeration but mostly it's undercounting because of shares with other squadrons but also I note that sometimes campaigns have been missed. All my stuff is from Fold3 but it's been an eye-opener. The errors are honest ones and stem from a time when searching combat reports without access to the internet was a vocation (a shout out to the late, very great Frank Olynyk). Happy to answer questions. Overall it seems the FM-2 squadrons made more claims than has been accepted until now.Another update. VC-78 claim seven victories (one shared with a pilot of VC-80) Ensign OJ Miller claims 3 kills.