Consider the number of Aircraft Carriers available between late December 1942, and when the Hellcats started appearing. At that time, Or at least for most of it, a U.S. Navy Carrier Air Group consisted of 1 Fighter Squadron, 2 Squadrons of Dive Bombers, and 1 Torpedo Bomber Squadron. Shore based squadrons were on Wake Island, Midway, and, later, Cuadalcanal. Not a lot of aircraft, and not a lot of combat engagement opportunities. If I get a chance, I'll pull the numbers over the weekend, and put them up.Its very interesting to see the data. When I add all the F4F (not FM) sorties, I get 2,628. Considering the F4F was the only USN, USMC at least until March 1943, that's an average of 6 sorties a day over the first months of the War (Dec '41 to Feb '43). Ignoring F4Fs continued to be used. I would have thought the number would have higher, but admit, I don't a have sense of the values.