APPENDIX D

AMERICAN AIRCRAFT

Consolidated PB2Y-3 Coronado. One of the most capable flying boats of the war, the big, four-engine PB2Y was a “theater asset” in later parlance. Though Coronados were based in the Marshalls, well east of the Marianas, their exceptional range and endurance suited them well for searches in the Pacific expanse, where twelve-man crews typically flew ten-hour missions. Top speed: 224 mph/ 195 knots.

 
Consolidated PB4Y-1 Liberator. With more than eighteen thousand copies, the U.S. Army’s B-24 was the most-produced aircraft in American history. The Navy adopted the Liberator in 1942 and acquired nearly a thousand of the four-engine, twin-tailed bombers. A Liberator squadron operated from the Admiralty Islands during Operation Forager, augmenting the PBM flying boats on long-range patrol. Top speed: 287 mph/250 knots.

 
Curtiss SB2C-1C Helldiver. The dive-bomber meant to replace the Douglas Dauntless was a colossal problem for the U.S. Navy. Though bigger and faster than the SBD, with an internal bomb bay, the Helldiver failed its original carrier trials and was plagued with structural problems. First flown in 1939, it did not reach combat until late 1943. Helldivers suffered catastrophic losses on June 20, but the much improved SB2C-3 and -4 models made respectable records after the Marianas campaign. Top speed: 281 mph/244 knots.

 
Curtiss SOC-1/3 Seagull. Floatplane pilots said that SOC meant “Scout on a Catapult.” The 1934 biplane was placed aboard American battleships and cruisers, employed for scouting and gunfire spotting. Launched from catapults, SOCs were recovered by crane and hoisted back aboard ship. Only 303 were produced, but the Seagull remained in service throughout the war, with twenty-six in the U.S. task forces off Saipan. Top speed: 165 mph/143 knots.

 
Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless. By mid-1944 the Dauntless was considered obsolescent, but it did more to win the Pacific War than any other aircraft. Its role in winning the 1942 battles was unapproached by other planes, let alone any other dive bomber. Dauntless pilots and gunners insisted that SBD meant “slow but deadly,” and repeatedly proved that their airplane was competitive with the latest aircraft in the fleet. SBDs sank more carriers unassisted than any plane in history. Of 5,900 manufactured from 1940 to 1944, 950 went to the Army as A-24s. Top speed: 252 mph/220 knots.

Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat. The Hellcat was the most successful naval fighter of World War II. Upon replacing the F4F Wildcat in 1943, the F6F was largely responsible for destroying Japanese airpower over the next two years. With a rugged two-thousand-horsepower Pratt & Whitney engine and six .50-caliber machine guns, the angular fighter from Long Island produced more aces than any American fighter in history. Though less maneuverable, the “dash three” was notably faster and more rugged than the Mitsubishi Zero. In a notable industrial achievement, Grumman built 12,275 Hellcats at one factory in barely two years. Top speed: 375 mph/326 knots.

 
Grumman TBF-1C Avenger. The Avenger was the largest carrier-based aircraft of World War II. Designed as a torpedo plane, it flew far more missions with bombs against land targets. With a sixteen-hundred-horsepower Wright engine and three-man crew, the Avenger could perform a variety of missions, including attack, reconnaissance, and submarine patrol. Demand was such that Grumman turned over production to General Motors in 1943, and Eastern Aircraft Division built the TBM series. Nearly ten thousand Avengers were produced during the war. Top speed: 257 mph/223 knots.

 
Martin PBM-5 Mariner. The Mariner never quite rivaled the Consolidated PBY Catalina’s reputation but still proved itself as a flying boat. First flown in 1939, the PBM entered service the next year and remained in the fleet until 1956. With twin radial engines on its gull wing, the Martin possessed considerable endurance, and a Mariner squadron was deployed to the Marianas to perform long-range patrol. Some thirteen hundred were delivered between 1940 and 1949. Top speed: 215 mph/187 knots.

 
Vought F4U-2 Corsair. The Corsair had the same Pratt & Whitney engine as the Hellcat, but in a sleeker airframe. However, the F4U’s early promise was stunted by poor carrier landing characteristics, resulting in assignment to land-based squadrons. Corsairs did not begin routine carrier deployments until the end of 1944, but in the first half of the year two small detachments of radar-equipped night fighters operated with Task Force 58. When production ended in 1953 the Corsair held the all-time record for most naval aircraft: more than 12,570 from Vought, Goodyear, and Brewster. Top speed: 381 mph/331 knots.

 
Vought OS2U-3 Kingfisher. The observation-scouting mission of the Curtiss SOC was largely absorbed by the more capable Vought beginning in 1940. More than 1,500 Kingfishers were built through 1942, with a less powerful Pratt & Whitney engine than the SOC. The OS2U was also built as the OS2N-1 by the Naval Aircraft Factory; some thirty-four Kingfishers were aboard Fifth Fleet ships at Saipan. Top speed: 170 mph/148 knots.