F2A-2 Brewster Buffalo photo gallery

Grumann F4F-4 Wildcat

F6F-3 Hellcat photo gallery

F6F-5 Hellcat photo gallery

Chance Vought F4U Corsair photo gallery

USN Composite Squadron Seventy One VC-71
USN Composite Squadron Seventy One VC-71

U.S. Navy Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat from Fighting Squadron 71 (VF-71) and Royal Air Force Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vc of No. 603 Squadron RAF on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-7) on 19 April 1942. Having landed her torpedo planes and dive bombers at Hatson in Orkney (UK) Wasp had loaded 47 Spitfires of No. 603 Squadron at Glasgow on 13 April then departed on the 14th for 'Operation Calendar'. Wasp and her consorts passed through the Straits of Gibraltar under cover of the pre-dawn darkness on 19 April. At 04:00 hrs on 20 April Wasp spotted 11 Wildcats on her deck and launched them to form a combat air patrol. Meanwhile the Spitfires were warming up their engines and later launched for Malta. When the launch was complete Wasp retired toward Gibraltar.

Manila Bay (CVE-61) was laid down as Bucareli Bay (ACV-61) under Maritime Commission contract by Kaiser Co., Inc., Vancouver, Wash., 15 January 1943; renamed Manila Bay 3 April 1943; launched 10 July 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Robert W. Bockins; reclassified CVE-61 on 15 July 1943; acquired by the Navy 5 October 1943; and commissioned the same day at Astoria, Oreg., Capt. Boynton L. Braun in command.

After shakedown along the west coast, Manila Bay sailed for Pearl Harbor 20 November and returned a load of damaged planes to San Diego 4 December. After training exercises, with VC-7 embarked, she departed Hawaii 3 January 1944. A week later, she embarked Rear Adm. Ralph Davidson and became flagship for CarDiv 24. Joining TF 52, she sortied 22 January for the invasion of the Marshalls. Between 31 January and 6 February, she launched air and antisubmarine patrols as well as dozens of combat missions. Her planes bombed and strafed enemy positions from Kwajalein Island north to Bigej Island and destroyed ammunition dumps and ground installations. She remained in the Marshalls during the next month and extended her operations late in February, first to Eniwetok and then to Majuro.

Departing Majuro 7 March, Manila Bay reached Espiritu Santo the 12th. Three days later, she joined TF 37 for airstrikes and surface bombardments against Kavieng, New Ireland, 19 to 20 March. During the next month, she cruised between the Solomons and the Bismarck Archipelago supporting the protracted offensive to neutralize the Archipelago and render impotent the Japanese fortress at Rabaul. Thence, on 19 April, she steamed to unleash the fury of her planes against enemy positions on New Guinea.

American naval and ground forces began a three-pronged invasion along northern New Guinea at Aitape, Hollandia, and Tanahmerah Bay 22 April. During and after the invasion, Manila Bay launched protective air patrols and sent fighters and bombers to attack and destroy Japanese installations in the Aitape area. On 4 May, she returned to Manus where Rear Adm. Felix B. Stump relieved Admiral Davidson as Commander, Carrier Division 24. Admiral Stump transferred his flag to Corregidor (CVE-58) 6 May, and the following day, Manila Bay sailed for overhaul at Pearl Harbor where she arrived 18 May.

After loading 37 Army P-47 fighters, Manila Bay sailed 5 June for the Marianas. Steaming via Eniwetok, she reached the eastern approaches to Saipan 19 June. During the next 4 days she remained east of the embattled island as ships and planes of the Fast Carrier Task Force repulsed the Japanese Fleet in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and inflicted staggering losses on the enemy, thus crippling the Imperial Navy's air strength permanently.

On 23 June, Manila Bay came under enemy air attack during refueling operations east of Saipan. Two fighter-bombers attacked her from dead ahead, dropping four bombs which exploded wide to port. Intense antiaircraft fire suppressed further attacks; and, as a precautionary and rather unusual move which Admiral Spruance later characterized as "commendable initiative," Manila Bay launched four of the Army P-47s she was ferrying to fly protective CAP until radar screens were clear of contacts. The Army fighters then flew to Saipan, their intended destination. Manila Bay launched the remaining planes the next day and returned to Eniwetok, arriving 27 June. After embarking 207 wounded troops, she departed 1 July, touched Pearl Harbor the 8th, and reached San Diego 16 July.

Manila Bay returned to Pearl, 31 August. Two days later, Capt. Fitzhugh Lee took command of the veteran carrier; thence, after embarking Composite Squadron 80, Manila Bay departed 15 September as a unit of CarDiv 24. Steaming via Eniwetok, she reached Manus 3 October and began...

IL-2 Sturmovik Cliffs of Dover Blitz desert war expansion now has a Wildcat!
IL2 Sturmovik Forgotten Battles (FB), Ace Expansion Pack (AEP), Pacific Fighters (PF), 1946 skins
 

Grumann F4F-4 WildcatCactus Air Force - Guadalcanal Campaign

The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II

Chronology of the USN in WWII

  1939   1940   1941   1942   1943   1944   1945

    Bibliography:

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    Magazine References: +

  • Airfix Magazines (English) - http://www.airfix.com/
  • Avions (French) - http://www.aerostories.org/~aerobiblio/rubrique10.html
  • FlyPast (English) - http://www.flypast.com/
  • Flugzeug Publikations GmbH (German) - http://vdmedien.com/flugzeug-publikations-gmbh-hersteller_verlag-vdm-heinz-nickel-33.html
  • Flugzeug Classic (German) - http://www.flugzeugclassic.de/
  • Klassiker (German) - http://shop.flugrevue.de/abo/klassiker-der-luftfahrt
  • Le Fana de L'Aviation (French) - http://boutique.editions-lariviere.fr/site/abonnement-le-fana-de-l-aviation-626-4-6.html
  • Le Fana de L'Aviation (French) - http://www.pdfmagazines.org/tags/Le+Fana+De+L+Aviation/
  • Osprey (English) - http://www.ospreypublishing.com/
  • Revi Magazines (Czech) - http://www.revi.cz/

    Web References: +

  • History of RAF Organisation: http://www.rafweb.org
  • Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/

 

This webpage was updated 28th Nov 2021

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