Invader26 wrote:
Never forget the Allies in that war....
Indeed, never forget the Allies, and no better way to remember other then to remember accurately IMHO. I've always wished for a better applied WILDCAT MK VI (FM-2) scheme from the CAF .... BUT!!! I'm well aware of the reasons for the CAF's FM-2 to be painted as it has been. Nice to know there's a willingness to change the scheme now though. Whether it be an FAA or US Navy scheme it's all good.
WILDCAT MK VI (FM-2)
This was the final version of the Wildcat to see service with the Fleet Air Arm. The 340 machines delivered in late 1944 and early 1945 were essentially the same as the USN’s FM-2.
Captain Brown was impressed:
The FM-2 alias Wildcat Mk VI was, from some aspects, the most satisfactory of all versions of the little Grumman fighter to fly, some of the early faults that had persisted having been finally rectified. For example, this model could be spun without impunity whereas the spinning of its predecessors was not permitted an in the event of an inadvertent spin a great deal of muscle power had to be exerted to get the control column forward, the recovery characteristics being somewhat short of pleasant.
This model had a 1350hp Wright R-1820-56 nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engine. It carried the by now standard four .50cal MGs and was plumbed for a 58gal (220litre) drop tank or 250lb (113kg) bomb under each wing.
Once again the type was destined for the growing number of escort carriers protecting convoys and supporting fleet operations in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.
Many were too small for the new F6F Hellcat, which needed a significantly greater take-off run than the Wildcat. Therefore the type's ongoing operation was assured - at least for the time being.
This model took part in the FAA’s last Wildcat combat: In the final week of the European war HMS Searcher’s 882 Squadron tangled with eight Messerschmitt BF109G fighters off the Norwegian coast. Four 109s were claimed downed in the action.
Operational max speed: 505km/h at 4039m
Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown's combat assessment, as found in 'Duels in the Sky':
Wildcat VI Versus Messerschmitt 109G-6: The agile little Wildcat could outmaneuver the latest version of the Me 109, but the performance differential had widened and the German could run rings around the Wildcat. If the Me 109G-6 was tempted to mix it in a dogfight, the Wildcat had a better than even chance of success.
Verdict: The Wildcat was no real match for the Me 109G-6, but the German could not afford to take liberties with his angry little opponent.
Wildcat VI Versus Focke-Wulf A-4: The formidable Fw 190 held all the advantages in this contest, and there was really no way out of the dilemma for the Wildcat. Even in a turning circle it could not evade the German fighter for the first 120 degrees, and that was more than enough time for the powerful armament of the Fw 190 to take effect.
Verdict: The Wildcat had little chance of surviving single combat with the Fw 190. Its only hope lay in overwhelming the German by force of numbers.
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