The Chance Vought F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is arguably the greatest and most effective single-engine fighter plane ever utilized by the United States (U.S.) military. Its service timeframe ranges from mid-WWII through the Korean War and into the fighter jet age. While it did have a shaky and unsure start in life, the Corsair would prove itself repeatedly throughout its time in service. The Corsair came in to being because of a need by the U.S. Navy for a new carrier-based fighter plane in 1938. The Chance Vought Aircraft Engineering department submitted two designs in hopes of securing the contract, which were the V-166A and V-166B. The latter made the cut due to its utilization of a new Pratt & Whitney air cooled, two-staged
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Marine fighter squadron to receive the Corsair was the Marine Fighter Squadron 124 (VMF 124), in September of 1942. The aircraft went through many modifications by the Marines in order to get them “combat ready” in their eyes. The VMF-124, as well as several other Marine and Navy squadrons, would train on the Corsair at their respective stateside airbases for the next several months in order to prepare for the fight to come in the Pacific. The VMF-124 would leave California, bound for the South Pacific in January 1943. (Musciano, 1979) The Corsair first saw combat at Guadalcanal, an island in the Solomon Island chain just of the coast of New Guinea, on 12 February 1943. Up until the arrival of the F4U, the Marine fighter squadrons of the South Pacific had been using the F4F Hellcat, which the Japanese Zero out-performed in nearly every aspect, and the Marines had to develop new and more superior tactics to begin defeating the Japanese. Once the Corsairs entered the picture in the Solomons, they were able to not only out maneuver the Zeros in most instances, but also conduct long distance bomber escort from the southern islands in the chain up to the northern ones; something the Hellcat could not even consider due to its shorter range. During its time in the Solomon Island campaign, the Marines of VMF-124 shot down 68 enemy aircraft, losing 11 of their own F4U’s, and only three pilots killed. (Abrams,
Marine fighter squadron to receive the Corsair was the Marine Fighter Squadron 124 (VMF 124), in September of 1942. The aircraft went through many modifications by the Marines in order to get them “combat ready” in their eyes. The VMF-124, as well as several other Marine and Navy squadrons, would train on the Corsair at their respective stateside airbases for the next several months in order to prepare for the fight to come in the Pacific. The VMF-124 would leave California, bound for the South Pacific in January 1943. (Musciano, 1979) The Corsair first saw combat at Guadalcanal, an island in the Solomon Island chain just of the coast of New Guinea, on 12 February 1943. Up until the arrival of the F4U, the Marine fighter squadrons of the South Pacific had been using the F4F Hellcat, which the Japanese Zero out-performed in nearly every aspect, and the Marines had to develop new and more superior tactics to begin defeating the Japanese. Once the Corsairs entered the picture in the Solomons, they were able to not only out maneuver the Zeros in most instances, but also conduct long distance bomber escort from the southern islands in the chain up to the northern ones; something the Hellcat could not even consider due to its shorter range. During its time in the Solomon Island campaign, the Marines of VMF-124 shot down 68 enemy aircraft, losing 11 of their own F4U’s, and only three pilots killed. (Abrams,