"Why should we have a navy at all? There are no enemies for it to fight except apparently the Army Air Force."
- General Carl Spaatz, Commander of the US 8th Army Air Force, after WWII
Its gull-wing shape made it instantly recognizeable. Its characteristic sound while in an attack dive led the Japanese to call it "The Whistling Death." Combined with its high speed, agility and toughness, the Vought F4U Corsair was one of the finest fighters ever built. Originally thought to be too powerful to fly from a carrier, the Corsair weaved a path of destruction in battle after battle during WWII, totally outclassing the much-feared Zero. The last of the great piston-engine fighters, the Corsair went on to become an important component of the US naval air power during the Korean War. Even while it was being replaced by jet aircraft, pilots flying this tough warbird were credited with downing a few MiG-15 jet fighters.
Pictured here is a RAF Chance-Vought F4U Corsair fighter that was operated by the Fleet Air Arm 1842 NAS, embarked upon the HMS Formidable during August 1944. One piece left in stock!
Dimensions:
Wingspan: 6.75-inches
Length: 5.5 inches
Release Date: February 2010
Historical Account: "Operation Goodwood" - A total 2,012 Corsairs saw service with the Fleet Air Arm during WWII and the immediate post-war period. Royal Navy Corsairs all had 41cm clipped from their wing-tips which enabled below-deck storage on British carriers which were smaller than the American carriers for which the Corsair was originally designed.
1842 Sqn was formed in February 1944 and shipped to the USA to train on Corsairs. When training was completed the squadron returned to the UK and embarked in HMS Formidable. In August 1944 along with Indefatigable, Furious, Nabob and Trumpeter, Formidable and 1842 Sqn took part in Operation Goodwood, a series of four attacks upon the German Battleship Tirpitz.
Tirpitz, which was moored in a Norwegian Fjord, posed a serious threat to convoys sailing from the UK to Russia and had already been attacked on a number of occasions. During the Goodwood attacks the Corsairs attacked flak positions and JT590 received serious damage to the starboard elevator but returned to the carrier and landed safely. |
