The Myth of the British "Fixing" The Corsair (4 Viewers)

[GregP]

The tests conducted by the USN were of the two aircraft flying side by side.

According to the pilot manuals, the Wildcat should easily dive away from the Zero.

The original designer, Jiro Horikoshi, never claimed it was a good-diving airplane.

Great point that's often over-looked..

In early 1943 the US Navy considered both the F4U and F6F to be excellent carrier-based fighters but during this period the US Marines desperately needed newer fighters in the Solomon Islands to replace their worn-out F4Fs. With Grumman ceasing production of the F4F in favor of newer more advanced F6F, the ready available F4U seemed like the best candidate as the Wildcat's replacement within US Marine air units.

The F6F was just becoming operational with the US Navy during this time. With it's more docile handling characteristics it was thought that carrier pilots could be commissioned at an even faster rate so the US Navy decided to continue equipping US Marine air units with the F4U and made the F6F the standard shipboard fighter.

This makes perfect sense, as the supply chain was already fully established for the F4U so why change anything when you have Grumman solely concentrated on F6F production to fill the need for future shipboard fighters? It was the simplest answer which allowed for both requirements to be met in the shortest logistical time-frame possible.

I seriously doubt the US anything saw the Corsair as an excellent carrier fighter. They were not in Service until 2 Feb 1943 on Guadalcanal.

They didn't see actual combat until Sep 1943, and weren't carrier-approved until early 1944.

 

[RCAFson]

According to the pilot manuals, the Wildcat should easily dive away from the Zero.

I gave you a link to the flight test report, which says otherwise.

We also have to remember that Zeros were often used on long range missions, where they couldn't afford to pursue diving F4F-4s. This was certainly the case during Rabaul-> Guadalcanal Zero missions.

 

[EwenS]

I seriously doubt the US anything saw the Corsair as an excellent carrier fighter. They were not in Service until 2 Feb 1943 on Guadalcanal.

They didn't see actual combat until Sep 1943, and weren't carrier-approved until early 1944.

???

12 F4U-1 of VMF-124 flew into Guadalcanal on 12 Feb 1943, and flew their first combat sortie that afternoon, cover for a rescue mission. Next day it was an escort mission to take PB4Y-1 to Bougainville. Their first claims, and losses, were on the 14th Feb. That squadron was in theatre for the next 6 months, being joined over that time by about 7 more IIRC.

VF-17 was equipped with F4U-1 and worked up on the new carrier Bunker Hill, first going aboard on 28 June 1943. When the carrier reached San Diego in Sept, VF-17 was replaced aboard by a Hellcat squadron to simplify Pacific Fleet logistics. VF-17 was then sent to the South Pacific.

When US carriers hit Rabaul on 11th Nov 1943, aircraft from VF-17, by then shore based in the Solomons, were used to provide additional fighter cover. These were refuelled and rearmed that day on the Bunker Hill, although that was very much a one off operation.