Editing Vought F4U Corsair (section)

====U.S. service====
=====Navy testing and release to the U.S. Marine Corps=====

The U.S. Navy received its first production F4U-1 on 31 July 1942, though getting it into service proved difficult. The framed "birdcage" style canopy provided inadequate visibility for deck taxiing, and the long "hose nose" and nose-up attitude of the Corsair made it difficult to see straight ahead. The enormous torque of the Double Wasp engine also made it a handful for inexperienced pilots if they were forced to [[Bolter (aeronautics)|bolter]]. Early Navy pilots called the F4U the "hog", "hosenose", or "bent-wing widow maker".<ref name="Proceedings">O'Rourke, G.G, Capt. USN. "Of Hosenoses, Stoofs, and Lefthanded Spads". ''United States Naval Institute Proceedings'', July 1968.</ref>

Carrier qualification trials on the training carrier [[USS Wolverine (IX-64)|USS ''Wolverine'']] and escort carriers [[USS Core|USS ''Core'']] and [[USS Charger (CVE-30)|USS ''Charger'']] in 1942 found that, despite visibility issues and control sensitivity, the Corsair was "...an excellent carrier type and very easy to land aboard. It is no different than any other airplane."<ref>{{cite book |last=Bell|first=Dana|date=2014|title=Aircraft Pictorial #7, F4U-1 Corsair Vol. 1|location=Tucson|publisher=Classic Warships Publishing|page=2|isbn=9780985714970}}</ref> Two Navy units, [[VF-12]] (October 1942) and later [[VF-61|VF-17]] (April 1943) were equipped with the F4U. By April 1943, VF-12 had successfully completed deck landing qualification.<ref>Tillman 1979, p. 13.</ref>

At the time, the U.S. Navy also had the Grumman F6F Hellcat, which did not have the performance of the F4U, but was a better deck landing aircraft. The Corsair was declared "ready for combat" at the end of 1942, though qualified to operate only from land bases until the last of the carrier qualification issues were worked out.<ref>O'Leary 1980, p. 107.</ref> VF-17 went aboard the {{USS|Bunker Hill|CV-17|6}} in late 1943, and the Chief of Naval Operations wanted to equip four air groups with Corsairs by the end of 1943. The Commander, Air Forces, Pacific had a different opinion, stating that "In order to simplify spares problems and also to insure flexibility in carrier operations present practice in the Pacific is to assign all Corsairs to Marines and to equip FightRons [fighter squadrons] on medium and light carriers with Hellcats."<ref>Bell, p.2</ref> VF-12 soon abandoned its aircraft to the Marines. VF-17 kept its Corsairs, but was removed from its carrier, USS ''Bunker Hill'', due to perceived difficulties in supplying parts at sea.<ref>Blackburn 1989, p. 83.</ref>

The Marines needed a better fighter than the F4F Wildcat. For them, it was not as important that the F4U could be recovered aboard a carrier, as they usually flew from land bases. Growing pains aside, Marine Corps squadrons readily took to the radical new fighter.

=====Marine Corps combat=====

[[File:Boyingtons Corsair.jpg|thumb|Vought F4U-1A Corsair, BuNo 17883, of [[Pappy Boyington|Gregory "Pappy" Boyington]], the commander of [[VMA-214#World War II|VMF-214]], [[Vella Lavella]] end of 1943]]

[[Image:Vought F4U-1 Corsairs of VF-17 in flight, 1943.jpg|thumb|Early F4U-1s of VF-17]]

From February 1943 onward, the F4U operated from [[Guadalcanal]] and ultimately other bases in the [[Solomon Islands]]. A dozen USMC F4U-1s of VMF-124, commanded by [[Major (rank)|Major]] William E. Gise, arrived at [[Honiara International Airport|Henderson Field]] (code name "Cactus") on 12 February. The first recorded combat engagement was on 14 February 1943, when Corsairs of VMF-124 under Major Gise assisted P-40s and P-38s in escorting a formation of [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator]]s on a raid against a Japanese aerodrome at [[Kahili Airfield|Kahili]]. Japanese fighters contested the raid and the Americans got the worst of it, with four P-38s, two P-40s, two Corsairs, and two Liberators lost. No more than four Japanese Zeros were destroyed. A Corsair was responsible for one of the kills, albeit due to a midair collision. The fiasco was referred to as the "Saint Valentine's Day Massacre".<ref>Styling 1995, pp. 6–9.</ref><ref>Sherrod 1952, pp. 134–135.</ref> Despite the debut, the Marines quickly learned how to make better use of the aircraft and started demonstrating its superiority over Japanese fighters. By May, the Corsair units were getting the upper hand, and VMF-124 had produced the first Corsair ace, [[Second Lieutenant]] [[Kenneth A. Walsh]], who would rack up a total of 21 kills during the war.<ref>Sherrod 1952, p. 431.</ref> He remembered:
{{Blockquote|I learned quickly that altitude was paramount. Whoever had altitude dictated the terms of the battle, and there was nothing a Zero pilot could do to change that — we had him. The F4U could outperform a Zero in every aspect except slow speed manoeuvrability and slow speed rate of climb. Therefore you avoided getting slow when combating a Zero. It took time but eventually we developed tactics and deployed them very effectively... There were times, however, that I tangled with a Zero at slow speed, one on one. In these instances I considered myself fortunate to survive a battle. Of my 21 victories, 17 were against Zeros, and I lost five aircraft in combat. I was shot down three times and I crashed one that ploughed into the line back at base and wiped out another F4U.<ref>Styling 1995, pp. 9–10.</ref>}}

VMF-113 was activated on 1 January 1943 at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro as part of Marine Base Defense Air Group 41. They were soon given their full complement of 24 F4U Corsairs. On 26 March 1944, while escorting four B-25 bombers on a raid over Ponape, they recorded their first enemy kills, downing eight Japanese aircraft. In April of that year, VMF-113 was tasked with providing air support for the landings at [[Ujelang Atoll|Ujelang]]. Since the assault was unopposed, the squadron quickly returned to striking Japanese targets in the [[Marshall Islands]] for the remainder of 1944.

Corsairs were flown by the "Black Sheep" Squadron ([[VMA-214|VMF-214]], led by Marine Major [[Pappy Boyington|Gregory "Pappy" Boyington]]) in an area of the Solomon Islands called "[[New Georgia Sound|The Slot]]". Boyington was credited with 22 kills in F4Us (of 28 total, including six in an [[American Volunteer Group|AVG]] [[Curtiss P-40|P-40]], although his score with the AVG has been disputed).<ref>Styling 1995, pp. 31, 50, 87, 93.</ref> Other noted Corsair pilots of the period included VMF-124's [[Kenneth A. Walsh|Kenneth Walsh]], [[James E. Swett]], [[Archie Donahue]], and Bill "Casey" Case; [[VMF-215]]'s [[Robert M. Hanson]] and [[Donald N. Aldrich|Donald Aldrich]]; and VF-17's [[John T. "Tommy" Blackburn|Tommy Blackburn]], Roger Hedrick, and [[Ira C. Kepford|Ira Kepford]]. Nightfighter versions equipped Navy and Marine units afloat and ashore.

One particularly unusual kill was scored by Marine Lieutenant R. R. Klingman of VMF-312 (the "Checkerboards") over Okinawa. Klingman was in pursuit of a Japanese twin-engine aircraft at high altitude when his guns jammed due to the gun lubrication thickening from the extreme cold. He flew into and chopped off the enemy's tail with the large propeller of the Corsair. Despite smashing {{convert|5|in|mm|spell=in}} off the end of his propeller blades, he managed to land safely after this [[aerial ramming]] attack. He was awarded the [[Navy Cross]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/584583/story-of-bob-drummer-pilot-legend/|title=Story of Bob; drummer, pilot, legend|website=United States Marine Corps Flagship|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-11}}</ref>

At war's end, Corsairs were ashore on [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]], combating the ''kamikaze'', and also were flying from fleet and escort carriers. [[VMFA-312|VMF-312]], [[VMFA-323|VMF-323]], and VMF-224 and some other Marine units met with success in the [[Battle of Okinawa]].<ref>Sherrod 1952, pp. 75–129.</ref>

=====Field modifications for land-based Corsairs=====

Since Corsairs were being operated from shore bases, while still awaiting approval for U.S. carrier operations, 965 FG-1As were built as "land planes" without their hydraulic wing folding mechanisms, hoping to improve performance by reducing aircraft weight, with the added benefit of minimizing complexity.<ref name="D’Angina 2014, p.22">D’Angina 2014, p.22.</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Bell|first=Dana|date=2015|title=Aircraft Pictorial #8, F4U-1 Corsair Vol. 2|location=Tucson|publisher=Classic Warships Publishing|page=3|isbn=978-0-9857149-9-4}}</ref> (These Corsairs’ wings could still be manually folded.<ref name="Dorr 1991, p.66">Dorr 1991, p.66.</ref>)

A second option was to remove the folding mechanism in the field using a kit, which could be done for Vought and Brewster Corsairs as well. On 6&nbsp;December 1943, the Bureau of Aeronautics issued guidance on weight-reduction measures for the F4U-1, FG-1, and F3A. Corsair squadrons operating from land bases were authorized to remove catapult hooks, arresting hooks, and associated equipment, which eliminated 48 pounds of unnecessary weight.<ref name="D’Angina 2014, p.22"/> While there are no data to indicate to what extent these modifications were incorporated, there are numerous photos in evidence of Corsairs, of various manufacturers and models, on islands in the Pacific without tailhooks installed.<ref>Sullivan 2010, p.16-21</ref>
The RNZAF Corsairs were all land based and all had the tailhooks removed.

[[Image:Ww2 157.jpg|upright|thumb|A Corsair fires its rockets at a Japanese stronghold on Okinawa]]

=====Fighter-bomber=====

Corsairs also served well as fighter-bombers in the Central Pacific and the Philippines. By early 1944, Marine pilots were beginning to exploit the type's considerable capabilities in the close-support role in amphibious landings. [[Charles Lindbergh]] flew Corsairs with the Marines as a civilian technical advisor for [[United Aircraft and Transport Corporation|United Aircraft Corporation]] in order to determine how best to increase the Corsair's payload and range in the attack role and to help evaluate future viability of single- versus twin-engine fighter design for Vought.<ref name = "sgyjgp">[http://www.charleslindbergh.com/wwii/ "Charles Lindbergh and the 475th Fighter Group" (from the book ''Lightning Strikes'')]. ''charleslindbergh.com.'' Retrieved: 5 August 2010.</ref> Lindbergh managed to get the F4U into the air with {{convert|4000|lb|kg}} of bombs, with a {{convert|2000|lb|kg}} bomb on the centerline and a {{convert|1000|lb|kg}} bomb under each wing.<ref>Jablonski 1979</ref> In the course of such experiments, he performed strikes on Japanese positions during the battle for the Marshall Islands.<ref name = "sgyjgp"/>

By the beginning of 1945, the Corsair was a full-blown "mudfighter", performing strikes with high-explosive bombs, [[napalm]] tanks, and [[High Velocity Aircraft Rocket|HVAR]]s. It proved versatile, able to operate everything from [[Bat (guided bomb)|Bat]] [[glide bomb]]s to {{convert|11.75|in|mm|abbr=on}} [[Tiny Tim (rocket)|Tiny Tim]] rockets.<ref>Veronico et al., pp. 59, 61.</ref> The aircraft was a prominent participant in the fighting for the [[Battle of Peleliu|Palaus]], [[Battle of Iwo Jima|Iwo Jima]] and Okinawa.

=====Navy service=====

In November 1943, while operating as a shore-based unit in the Solomon Islands, VF-17 reinstalled the tail hooks so its F4Us could land and refuel while providing top cover over the task force participating in the [[Bombing of Rabaul (November 1943)|carrier raid on Rabaul]]. The squadron's pilots landed, refueled, and took off from their former home, ''Bunker Hill'' and {{USS|Essex|CV-9|6}} on 11 November 1943.<ref>Bowman 2002, p. 39.</ref>

Twelve USMC F4U-1s arrived at Henderson Field (Guadalcanal) on 12 February 1943. The U.S. Navy did not get into combat with the type until September 1943. The work done by the [[Royal Navy]]'s [[Fleet Air Arm|FAA]] meant those models qualified the type for U.S. carrier operations first. The U.S. Navy finally accepted the F4U for shipboard operations in April 1944, after the longer oleo strut was fitted, which eliminated the tendency to bounce.<ref>Tillman 1979, pp. 15–17.</ref> The first US Corsair unit to be based effectively on a carrier was the pioneer USMC squadron [[VMA-124|VMF-124]], which joined ''Essex'' in December 1944. They were accompanied by [[VMF-213]]. The increasing need for fighter protection against ''[[kamikaze]]'' attacks resulted in more Corsair units being moved to carriers.<ref>Condon 1998, pp. 4–5.</ref>

=====Sortie, kill and loss figures=====

U.S. figures compiled at the end of the war indicate that the F4U and FG flew 64,051 operational sorties for the U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy through the conflict (44% of total fighter sorties), with only 9,581 sorties (15%) flown from carrier decks.<ref name="Barber1">Barber 1946, Table 1.</ref> F4U and FG pilots claimed 2,140 air combat victories against 189 losses to enemy aircraft, for an overall kill ratio of over 11:1.<ref name="Barber2">Barber 1946, Table 2</ref> While this gave the Corsair the lowest loss rate of any fighter of the Pacific War, this was due in part to operational circumstances; it primarily faced air-to-air combat in the Solomon Islands and Rabaul campaigns (as well as at Leyte and for kamikaze interception), but as operations shifted north and its mission shifted to ground attack the aircraft saw less exposure to enemy aircraft, while other fighter types were exposed to more air combat.<ref>[https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/whistling-death-the-chance-vought-f4u-corsair/ Whistling Death: The Chance-Vought F4U Corsair] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190625034438/https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/whistling-death-the-chance-vought-f4u-corsair/ |date=25 June 2019 }}. ''Warfare History Network''. 16 December 2018.</ref> Against the best Japanese opponents, the aircraft claimed a 12:1 kill ratio against the [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero]] and 6:1 against the [[Nakajima Ki-84]], [[Kawanishi N1K]]-J, and [[Mitsubishi J2M]] combined during the last year of the war.<ref name="Barber28">Barber 1946, Table 28.</ref> The Corsair bore the brunt of U.S. fighter-bomber missions, delivering {{convert|15,621|ST|MT|abbr=off}} of bombs during the war (70% of total bombs dropped by U.S. fighters during the war).<ref name="Barber2"/>

Corsair losses in World War II were as follows:
* Aerial combat: 189
* Enemy ground and shipboard anti-aircraft fire: 349
* Operational losses during combat missions: 230
* Operational losses during non-combat flights: 692
* Destroyed aboard ships or on the ground: 164<ref name="Barber2"/>