Hellcats of VF-16 USS Lexington 1944
The Grumman F6F Hellcat was renowned for its heavy armament and versatility in combat, making it one of the most formidable fighter aircraft of World War II. Its primary function was to engage and destroy enemy targets in the air, on the ground, or at sea, and it was equipped with the firepower to do so effectively.
Armament Details:
Primary Armament:
- Six Browning M2 .50-caliber machine guns:
- These machine guns were mounted in the wings and could fire at an extremely high rate, making them effective against both aircraft and ground targets.
- Each gun had 400 rounds, giving the Hellcat a total of 2,400 rounds of ammunition.
- Firing Rate: Pilots were advised to fire in short bursts (about one to 1.5 seconds) to conserve ammunition and avoid overheating the barrels. Prolonged firing could quickly deplete ammo and damage the gun barrels, leading to reduced accuracy.
- Ammunition Belts: Typically loaded with alternating types of rounds – tracers, armor-piercing, and incendiary – to maximize damage against a variety of targets.
- The guns were staggered within the wings to accommodate the ammunition trays, with the innermost gun placed furthest forward.
Firing Controls:
- The pilot could control the guns via a trigger on the control stick. Additionally, the Hellcat allowed pilots to select pairs of guns to be either on or off. For instance, pilots could save the inner two guns for emergencies while using the outer four in regular combat.
- The guns’ fire converged at a point about 300 yards in front of the aircraft, but experienced pilots sometimes adjusted this to as close as 200 yards for greater hitting power at shorter ranges.
Secondary Armament (F6F-5 Model):
- Two 20 mm cannons: Some F6F-5 models, especially those used in night operations, replaced two of the inner .50-caliber machine guns with 20 mm cannons. This configuration allowed the aircraft to carry 400 rounds of 20 mm ammunition along with 1,600 rounds of .50-caliber ammunition.
Bombs and Rockets:
- Bomb Load: The Hellcat could carry up to two 1,000 lb bombs on the Mark 51-7 bomb racks, located in the wing center section inboard of the wing fold. The pilot controlled the bombs’ release through a button on the control stick, with fuse and selection switches located on the armament panel inside the cockpit.
- Rockets: The F6F-5 could carry up to six 5-inch High-Velocity Aircraft Rockets (HVAR) mounted under the wings (three on each side). These rockets packed a devastating punch and were comparable to the firepower of a naval destroyer’s salvo. They were launched using the same control switch that released bombs.
- Experimental Armament: The Hellcat was used for several experimental configurations, including carrying a belly-mounted torpedo or the 11.75-inch Tiny Tim anti-shipping rockets.
Additional Features:
- Mark 8 Gunsight: A reflector-type gunsight mounted above the main instrument panel projected crosshairs and a deflection ring onto the windshield, aiding the pilot’s targeting. A spare lamp was carried to prevent sight failure mid-mission.
- Gun Camera: Mounted in the leading edge of the left wing center section, it was primarily used in earlier missions but was later often omitted due to issues with film quality in the harsh Pacific environment and the belief that cameras encouraged dangerous behavior from pilots.
The Hellcat’s weapons systems were designed to be powerful and versatile, allowing it to dominate in various combat roles from dogfights with Japanese Zeros to ground and naval strikes using bombs and rockets. This versatility contributed significantly to the Hellcat’s success in the Pacific Theater.