USS Kitkun Bay (CVE-71) Escort Carrier Prepares For War in 1944; Wildcat, Avenger National Archives
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- Опубліковано 3 тра 2024
- USS Kitkun Bay, CVE-71, was new when her FM-2 Wildcat and Avenger pilots practiced arrested landings, and takeoffs in March 1944, as seen in this Navy footage from the National Archives. There are some real bounders, and one Wildcat chews the new wooden deck into splinters.
The FM-2 version of the Wildcat was produced solely by Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors under contract. The FM-2 is instantly recognizable with its taller vertical fin, made to complement its use of a Wright R-1820 engine instead of the Pratt-and-Whitneys used on earlier Grumman F4F Wildcats. The FM-2 boasted more horsepower and a lighter empty weight than earlier Wildcats, and was nicknamed the Wilder Wildcat. Some of that weight reduction came in the form of only four .50-caliber wing guns, where the earlier F4F-4 Wildcat had six.
You can see taped patches covering the wing gun muzzle openings on some of the FM-2s in this film. Several reasons are given for taping the gun ports of World War II aircraft, ranging from keeping foreign matter out, to signaling the guns have been serviced and are ready for a mission. Some say the taped openings create less drag for the fighter. The first time the guns are fired, the tapes are blown open.
The FM-2 had a top speed listed as 332 miles per hour at over 28,000 feet, where the F4F-4 could muster only 318 miles per hour at 19,400 feet. The FM-2 could be fitted with underwing racks for six five-inch diameter High Velocity Aircraft Rockets. Wing shackles could also carry drop tanks or 250-pound bombs.
Recreation at sea included a well-attended and refereed boxing match between sailors.
And the reel of film ends with shots taken at Espiritu Santo. Kitkun Bay took a load of Marine torpedo bombers into the Pacific for delivery, and then a load of cargo from Espiritu Santo in February. This footage may or may not be from that cargo run. It shows the level of activity and the completeness of shops built up on Espiritu Santo as the U.S. prosecuted the war in the Pacific.
The USS Kitkun Bay was scrapped in 1947. Part of the huge 50-ship Casablanca class of escort carriers, none survive today.
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fantastic video...thank you for sharing....Paul in Florida
Thank you very much. And thanks especially for the Super Thanks. We never expect it, but we always appreciate it! More vintage film ahead...
1:34 Tape covering the gun ports: my father was an Army Air Forces airplane mechanic on various Pacific islands during World War II. He told me that one time they received a shipment of something like 10,000 condoms. They were bit surprised, but they soon came up with a practical use. They stretched the condoms over the exposed barrels of machine guns on planes like the B-17, B-24, and some fighters, and secured them at the base with masking tape. This kept dirt, bugs, and rain out of the barrels, and when the air crews test fired the machine guns after takeoff, the condoms and masking tape burned off instantly.
Thanks for adding that bit of history. I recall hearing a similar story about B-17 ball turret gunners in 15th Air Force in Italy, where taxiing for takeoff could be notoriously muddy, risking getting muck in the exposed ball turret barrels if they weren't protected.
Another great historical find. Thank you for the time and effort you did to find and research these films. I especially liked the Espiritu Santo footage.
Always my pleasure. Yes, the various groupings at National Archives contain some nuggets.
Thanks again Mr. Johnsen for another video of my dad's Navy in the Pacific Theater of WWII. It's really heartwarming to see the brave men who fought to defend freedom in that long gone age of the Greatest Generation. Few is any left now. God Bless them all. God Bless you and yours, and thanks for all you do! God Bless the USA!!
Martin you are always welcome. Yes, I want to always remember those of our parents' generation, and the legacy they gave us.
love it fantastic video footage.....makes me proud of America
Glad you like it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Great films. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Howard Purdue once told me, if could only have one of his fighters… it would be the FM-2.
I recall his FM-2 had the camera hatch mod in the aft fuselage.
toujours de superbes documents!! merci.
Vous êtes toujours la bienvenue. Merci d'avoir regardé au fil des années le développement de la chaîne Airailimages.
@8:04... Check out the DeWalt Radial-Arm Saw the Patternmaker is using!
I saw that. I almost suspected AI-infused product placwment. Was DeWalt even in business then? Anyway it's good to have a sponsot. I use DeWalt at work.
As far as I know, all but one of the Wildcats that are currently airworthy are FM2s/Wright powered.
Asowm images!!, Greettins from Quilpué, Chile
Thank you for watching!
Wasn't the Casa Blanca class of CVE later fitted with Hellcats? I believe it was purposely designed as capable of tendering Hellcats as it was designed as a CVE from scratch (not a refitted hull).
The Wildcat holds a place in my heart, particularly the FM2 version. I would like to see a full accounting of all of their actions/contributions particularly post Hellcat/Midway to include gun footage.
This footage BTW is Awesome, a great find and Thank You for it.
And thanks for watching. Aviation historian Barrett Tillman says the FM-2s enjoyed a very high kill-to-loss ratio against the types of aircraft they encountered.
We really need to find the tactical numbers of the VC-3 aircraft from the CVE-68 USS Kalinin Bay in the battle of Samar. Building a shipmodel/
At 0:53 one of the aircraft isn’t coordinated on approach and yaws towards the deck handler…I don’t know his role and i don’t see paddles, but the yawing incoming airplanes propeller is heading right towards the guy on the deck. And he holds his position…when only the fact that the lucky pilot caught a wire saves the deck handler from getting chewed up by a bolter.
Were they doing land-based practice landings beforehand?
Didn't seem easy to land the wildcat on a carrier...
Really like the old Navy footage but don't care for the ending with shock value of history being perishable and burning up like a cigarette to paper even if it is true
No B-24 photos were harmed in the making of that message.