US Navy Aircraft verses Luftwaffe Aircraft During WW 2
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Colin1
Senior Master Sergeant
During the relief of Malta
HMS Eagle launched reinforcement Spitfires for the island. Cover was provided by the F4Fs of USS Wasp, so USN fighters were certainly in the frame for a Luftwaffe engagement. I don't know if they actually ran into any trouble so I'll have a look when I get home.
HMS Eagle launched reinforcement Spitfires for the island. Cover was provided by the F4Fs of USS Wasp, so USN fighters were certainly in the frame for a Luftwaffe engagement. I don't know if they actually ran into any trouble so I'll have a look when I get home.
DBII
Senior Master Sergeant
I read about a big carrier strike mission planed for the USMC but the army refused to let them in theather. The army was still mad that the Corps got all of the press during WWI. The navy flew missions during Tourch. I do not remember if they flew during the Italian invasion.
DBII
DBII
otftch
Staff Sergeant
I believe the F-4-F make the first kill against a German aircraft,a Ju-88,by a US fighter flown by the Brits.They called it the Martlet.
Ed
Ed
Colin1
Senior Master Sergeant
Yeah
I was thinking Op Torch too but again, I wasn't sure if USN fighters actually tangled with the Luftwaffe so I didn't mention it; obviously the P-40s eventually did.
Thought it was a Condor. Or I may be thinking about the first US kill during the war. IRMC, a Wildcat out of Iceland dropped a Condor within a week or two of Pearl Harbor.
Njaco
The Pop-Tart Whisperer
Martlets were also used around Norway and the Baltic. I believe there were some scrapes there as well.
Butters
Senior Airman
It was a P-38 that made the first Luftwaffe kill in WWII. The mission was flown from Iceland, and IIRC, a P-39 or P-40 also played a role in the downing of the FW200.
Does anyone know if USN Wildcats were ever based in Iceland?
JL
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
During Operation Torch (November 1942), 15 Vichy French fighters were shot down by US Navy Wildcats. They also encountered Luftwaffe aircraft, but I'm not aware of any victories.
Also, flying from the USS Ranger (CV-4) in October 1943, USN Wildcats intercepted and shot down a Ju88 and a He115 during support of a British operation near Bodo, Norway.
And the only opportunity for an encounter between the USN Hellcat and the Luftwaffe that I'm aware of, would have been during the invasion of southern France in August 1944. However, the Hellcat conducted ground attack missions and didn't get a chance to tangle with any enemy aircraft.
It doesn't look like there was much action between the US Navy and Luftwaffe fighters in the ETO or MTO.
otftch
Staff Sergeant
JU-88 was shot down by a Martlet on Dec 25,1940 over Scapa Flow. I'm tryimg to find pilot data.
Ed
Ed
A long time ago I was researching this question when I found some claims on kills by german fighters on the F4U corsairs on Tony Woods web site below. I had asked the question also and the response I got was they where British Corsairs that had gotten shot down. Other then that, It was all I found out. I do know that at least on British carrior was hit by bombs in the Med. Its possible that some of the fighters where shot down during this raid by escorting fighters.
http://www.lesbutler.ip3.co.uk/tony/tonywood.htm
http://www.lesbutler.ip3.co.uk/tony/tonywood.htm
Glider
Captain
I am confident that the British didn't use Corsairs in the Med so can only put this down to poor identification. Wldcats were used in the med and a small number of Buffalo's were on Crete but neither of these look anythng like a Corsair.
Im not so sure, if I remember right the dates where toward the end of 1944. I could see a wildcat and a buffalo poor dentifictation between the two but a corsair with its bent wings looks totally different, When I get home I will see if I still can find the info.
The invasion of southern France in '44 saw at least one Hellcat shooting down a He 111.
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
I believe British Corsairs were used to escort bombers on the raids on the Tirpitz so it was used in the ETO. However, I do not recall them every encountering the Germans.
Ok guys I found what I was looking for, I was wrong it wasnt the corsair but the hellcat at tony woods sight but was right on the year.
JaFü Norwegen/Lfl. 5:
08.05.44 Uffz. Hallstick 10./JG 5 Hellcat £ CO-3: 200 m. 08.25 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.6
08.05.44 Uffz. Hallstick 10./JG 5 Hellcat £ CO-3: 200 m. 08.26 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.7
08.05.44 Ltn. Prenzler 10./JG 5 Hellcat £ CO-3: 50 m. 08.25 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.5
JaFü Norwegen/Lfl. 5:
08.05.44 Uffz. Hallstick 10./JG 5 Hellcat £ CO-3: 200 m. 08.25 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.6
08.05.44 Uffz. Hallstick 10./JG 5 Hellcat £ CO-3: 200 m. 08.26 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.7
08.05.44 Ltn. Prenzler 10./JG 5 Hellcat £ CO-3: 50 m. 08.25 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.5
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
Had no idea, great info!
Crimea_River
Marshal
My instruciton sheet for Eduard's Hellcat MkI s/n JV132 states:
"With this aircraft on [May8, 19944] during Operation 'Hoops', Lt Blythe Ritchie of No 800 Sqn [FAA flying from HMS Emperor], gained a kill over an FW 190A from JG 5...Six days later, during Operation 'Potluck A', Ritchie gained another aerial victory flying JV132. He attacked a formation of He 115 floatplanes, and got an individual kill, and one more shared with Lt. Stan Ohrr."
"With this aircraft on [May8, 19944] during Operation 'Hoops', Lt Blythe Ritchie of No 800 Sqn [FAA flying from HMS Emperor], gained a kill over an FW 190A from JG 5...Six days later, during Operation 'Potluck A', Ritchie gained another aerial victory flying JV132. He attacked a formation of He 115 floatplanes, and got an individual kill, and one more shared with Lt. Stan Ohrr."
