F4U Corsair: The Whistling Death – Full Documentary
Video from the channel Global Military 1st about Vought F4U Corsair, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 19:25. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.
What it's about
A journey through the history of the Vought F4U Corsair, from its conception in the late 1930s to its retirement from front-line service. It covers its role in World War II and Korea and its use by other armed forces.
Historical context
In 1938 the US Navy requested a carrier-based fighter faster than any other. Vought, led by Rex Beisel, designed it around the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp, with over 2,000 hp, and a 13-foot-4-inch propeller, which led to the inverted gull wing. The XF4U-1 flew on 29 May 1940 and was the first American single-engine fighter to exceed 400 mph. Poor visibility and bouncing on landing led the Navy to initially reject it for carrier operations. It was the Marines who took it into combat, with VMF-124 operating from Guadalcanal.
Key facts
With six .50-caliber Browning machine guns and the capacity to carry bombs and rockets, it outperformed the Mitsubishi A6M Zero in diving speed and firepower. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, commanding VMF-214, the Black Sheep, scored 26 victories before being shot down and spending 20 months as a prisoner. Corsairs achieved a kill ratio above 11 to 1. In Korea they were used mainly for close support, and Guy Bordelon flying one was the Navy's only ace of that war. There were 16 variants and more than 12,500 built, produced by Vought, Goodyear and Brewster between 1942 and 1953. It was also used by the United Kingdom, New Zealand, France, Argentina and Honduras, and its last combat use was the 1969 Football War between El Salvador and Honduras.