One of the most formidable fighters in World War II, the Grumman F6F Hellcat, progressed from experimental roots to activation in operational service in just less than 18 months. Its first action was on August 19, during an attack on Marcus Island by Fighting Squadron VF-5 from the USS Yorktown (CV-10). The F6F Hellcat, better flying than the legendary Japanese A6M Zero, accounted for 5,156 enemies destroyed, which comprised 75 percent of the U.S. Navy’s air-to-air victories.
Development of the Hellcat started in mid-1941 with Grumman’s G-50 design, which was initially designated XF6F-1; it first flew in June 1942 with a fitted Wright R-2600-10 engine developing 1,700 horsepower. Further design adjustments eventually led to the mounting of a more powerful 2,000-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10 engine. Just a month later, the XF6F-3 prototype made its first flight and an immediate contract for large-scale production was issued.
The first production F6F-3 flew in October 1942, and initial deliveries were made to Fighting Squadron VF-9 in early 1943. The F6F-3 first saw combat with VF-5 during the Marcus Island raid on August 31, 1943, flying from the carrier Yorktown CV-10. In 1944, the Hellcat became the Navy’s standard carrier-based fighter. Grumman delivered 4,403 F6F-3s, including 150-night fighters and several photo-reconnaissance variants.
In 1944, the F6F-5 model became available with many improvements, including a reworked cowling area, improved windshield, and an attachment point for carrying a 2,000 lb. bomb on the centerline. Some of the F6F-5s were fitted with two British 20mm cannons and four .50-caliber machine guns instead of the earlier six .50-calibers. A total of 6,681 F6F-5s were produced, and this list also includes 1,189 night fighters and a few photo reconnaissance aircraft. The Royal Navy received 1,182 F6F-3 and -5 aircraft.
The Grumman design philosophy was to provide an aircraft that pilots could master in a very short time, yet was easily operable from a carrier, but with the performance to better the enemy. Hellcat pilots attained a kill ratio of 19:1, downing 5,156 enemy aircraft in two years. In the closing stages of the war, an assessment of American and captured Axis fighters found the Hellcat to be the best in almost all areas, thus it held the reputation as one of the best fighters of the war. Grumman produced 12,275 Hellcats at its Bethpage Plant Number 3 during only 30 months.
In addition to the dominance that the Hellcat expressed during the Battle of Leyte Gulf on October 24, 1944, U.S. Navy Capt. David McCampbell and wingman Ens. Roy Rushing, in his F6F Hellcat, was jumped by a squadron of 60 Japanese aircraft. Although vastly outnumbered, they engaged their enemy with two thousand horsepower engines and six .50-caliber machine guns. McCampbell and Rushing shot down a record 15 enemy aircraft to become “ace in a day,” meaning that during one mission, at least five or more aircraft were shot down. McCampbell netted nine kills, seven of them Zeroes and two Oscars while Rushing added significantly to that total.
In this image of sturdy, versatile design, the Hellcat became an instant favorite among pilots. In a report by Thomas Paone, a curator at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, “The Grumman Hellcat was better than the Zero in almost every major category. While it wasn’t the fastest aircraft, it was certainly faster than the Zero. The F6F could fly higher and deliver more firepower than the Japanese plane, making it the superior aircraft in the Pacific.”
Part of the legacy of the Hellcat is preserved at the National Air and Space Museum, which houses a Grumman F6F Hellcat. Assigned to Fighter Squadron 15 on board the USS Hornet, this particular model had service in World War II but never saw combat. The Smithsonian received the gift of this model from the U.S. Navy in 1948 to be preserved, upon which it was subjected to a full restoration in 1983.
The Hellcat was initially an afterthought to the development of a better version of the F4F Wildcat but became an entirely new fighter with different landing gear, larger wings, and a bigger engine and propeller. Grumman’s hastily prepared Hellcat, coupled with its sterling performance, assured it a place as one of the mainstays of U.S. Navy aerial victories in World War II.