US fighters in UK service from 1946
Preserved FM-2 N909WJ as F in RN service shows well the contemporary colour scheme (author)
Wildcat (1940-46)
The early versions of the US F4F-3 Grumman G-36 were bought by the British as the Martlet and three versions served in the Royal Navy between 1940 and 1943. When the United States supplied the type under lend-lease the name was changed to Wildcat, to match American nomenclature. The Martlet comprised the Mk I, Mk II and Mk III, all of which were out of service by 1946.
Mark IV The Mk IV was equivalent to the F4F-4 with a single Twin Wasp R-1830-86 and fitted with six .50 calibre machine guns. 220 were supplied and it served with fourteen front-line squadrons and numerous second-line units.
Service (post 1945) Trials 700
FAA Wildcats line up to take off from an anonymous carrier
Mark V The Mk V was similar in all respects to the Mark IV except that the aircraft were built by General Motors, thus conferring the US designation FM-1.
Service (post 1945) Training 748
Mark VI The final Wildcat was equivalent to the FM-2 with a much taller fin and rudder and the Wright Cyclone engine. Armament was reduced to four .50 calibre guns and two 250lb bombs. The variant was delivered in quantity in mid 1944 but most were out of service and returned to the US within a year, having been superseded by the Hellcat.
Service (post 1945) Trainer 748
Specification and production
| Mark | Role | Engine | HP | Weight
lbs |
Speed
mph |
Numbers |
| I | Fighter | Cyclone G-205A | 1,200 | 5,876 | 310 | 85 |
| II | Fighter | Twin Wasp R-1830 | 1,200 | 6,100 | 330 | 90 |
| III | Fighter | Twin Wasp R-1830 | 1,200 | 6,100 | 330 | 40 |
| IV | Fighter | Twin Wasp R-1830 | 1,200 | 6,100 | 330 | 220 |
| V | Fighter | Twin Wasp R-1830 | 1,200 | 6,100 | 330 | 312 |
| VI | Fighter | Cyclone R-1820 | 1,350 | 8,271 | 332 | 370 |
Further reading
--- F4F Wildcat in Action (In Action 84) Squadron Signal Publications, Carrollton, 198?
Greene, F L Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat (Profile 53) Profile Publications, Leatherhead, 1964
Mustang (1942-47)
The highly successful North American Mustang was built in the United States to a British requirement and when first flown in September 1940 was faster, at 390 mph, than any contemporary American fighter. The NA-73 Mark I, Mark IA (four 20mm cannon armament) and Mark II were all powered by the Allison V-1710 engine but through relatively poor high level performance the type was confined to low-level operations. All of the earlier versions were out of service by 1946.
Mark III The NA-102 Mark III was similar to the P-51B and -C with original cockpit canopy and a Packard Merlin engine. Armament was four .50in guns and provision for a 1,000lb bomb load. A key feature of the Mustang was its great range which made it an ideal escort fighter and it entered RAF service with 65 Sqn in December 1943.
Service (post 1945) Fighter 64, 118, 126, 213, 237, 250, 303, 306, 309, 315, 316 Reconnaissance 541 Other CFE
Mark IV The NA-104 was similar to the USAAF P-51D and had a slightly more powerful version of the Packard Merlin and more importantly a tear-drop canopy. To improve longitudinal stability a dorsal fin was fitted at an early stage in production and the armament was changed to six .50 in guns in the wing. The Mark IV (and Mark IVA) joined units operating the earlier Mark III as aircraft became available; some units operated both versions.
Service (post 1945) Fighter 19, 65, 126, 213, 303
- actually a CAC-18, N6340T, masquerading as CV-H of 3 Sqn RAAF (author)
Mark IVA The NA-111 Mark IVA differed from the Mark IV only in having an Aero-products propellor unit as opposed to the Hamilton Standard type. In US service it was the P-51K.
Service (post 1945) Fighter 19, 64, 65, 93, 112, 118, 126, 213, 303 Training AST; 1330, 1331 CU; 71 OTU; 5 RFU Communications 4, 12, 15 FU; Fairwood Common, Horsham St Faith SF Other AFDU; AFEE; CFE; TWDU
Specification and production
| Mark | Role | Engine | HP | Weight
lbs |
Speed
mph |
Numbers |
| I | Fighter | Allison V-1710 | 1,150 | 8,600 | 390 | 612 |
| II | Fighter | Allison V-1710 | 1,120 | 8,600 | 390 | 50 |
| III | Fighter | Merlin V-1650 | 1,680 | 11,800 | 442 | 900 |
| IV | Fighter | Merlin V-1650 | 1,680 | 11,600 | 437 | 30 |
| IVA | Fighter | Merlin V-1650 | 1,680 | 11,600 | 437 | 8 |
Further reading
--- Camouflage and Markings: RAF Northern Europe: N A Mustang Ducimus, London, 1968
Atkins, R North American P-51B and C Mustang (Profile 100) Profile Publications, Leatherhead, 1968
Cross, R & Scarborough, G P-51 Mustang PSL, London, 1973
Gruenhagen, R W Mustang: The Story of the P-51 Fighter Arco, 1981
Shacklady, E North American P-51D Mustang, The (Profile 8) Profile Publications, Leatherhead, 1965
Corsair (1943-46)
Corsair IV V8-K of 1850 NAS comes to grief on HMS Vengeance early 1946
The Chance Vought V-166B Corsair was a robust fighter which served from the middle of the Second World War until after the end of the Korean War. The prototype flew in 1940 and the distinctive inverted gull wing was incorporated to allow large propellor diameter combined with short undercarriage legs and a low wing fold. First deliveries to Britain through the lend-lease scheme were made in 1943 with 1830 NAS forming in June. Armament comprised four .50in machine guns in the wings.
The Mark I was the equivalent of the American F4U-1 fitted with the Double Wasp R-2800-8. The Mark II equated to the F4U-1A or -1D, similar to the original version but with a blown canopy. Like all successive Corsairs in RN service wing-span was reduced by 16ins to accommodate the type in small carriers. There was provision for two 1,000lb bombs and attachment points on the wings for eight 5in rockets. Both early variants were out of service by the end of 1945.
Mark III This variant was basically the same as the Mk II being the F4U-1 built by Brewster as the F3A-1D. The engine incorporated water injection giving increased power at take-off.
Service (post 1945) Training 757, 759, 767, 794 Trials 700
Mark IV The Mk IV was similar to the Goodyear produced FG-1D, like the Mk II fitted to carry two 1,000 bombs or underfuselage fuel tanks.
Service (post 1945) Fighter 1831, 1846, 1850, 1851 Training 706, 715
Corsair IV in flight in SEA markings (R C Sturtivant)
Specification and production
| Mark | Role | Engine | HP | Weight
lbs |
Speed
mph |
Numbers |
| I | Fighter | D Wasp R-2800 | 2,000 | 11,800 | 417 | 95 |
| II | Fighter | D Wasp R-2800 | 2,000 | 11,800 | 417 | 510 |
| III | Fighter | D Wasp R-2800 | 2,250 | 12,100 | 415 | 430 |
| IV | Fighter | D Wasp R-2800 | 2,250 | 12,100 | 415 | 942 |
Further reading
Dial, J F Chance Vought F4U-1 Corsair (Profile 47) Profile Publications, Leatherhead, 1964
Dial, J F Chance Vought F4U-4 to F4U-7 Corsair (Profile 150) Profile Publications, Leatherhead, 1968
Thunderbolt (1944-46)
The heavy Republic Thunderbolt single-engined fighter was taken into RAF service to supplement the limited number of fighters in the Far East where, apart from an operational training unit in the Middle East, it served exclusively. The Mark I was equivalent to the USAAF P-47B or early -D models and was no longer in service by 1946.
Thunderbolt II HD154/18 of 73 OTU in Egypt late 1945
Mark II Featuring a tear-drop canopy and R-2800-59 Double Wasp engine the Mark II was equivalent to the American P-47D-25. It joined 146 and 261 Sqns in India in September 1944. The armament comprised eight .50in guns in the wings and provision for the carriage of two 1,000lb bombs. After service in support of British troops in the Netherlands East Indies the Thunderbolt was withdrawn from service in December 1946.
Service (post 1945) Fighter 5, 30, 42, 60, 79, 81, 131, 258
Thunderbolt II of 60 Sqn at Kemajoram in 1946 (Crown Copyright)
Specifications and production
| Mark | Role | Engine | HP | Weight
lbs |
Speed
mph |
Numbers |
| I | Fighter | D Wasp R-2800 | 2,300 | 14,600 | 427 | 239 |
| II | Fighter | D Wasp R-2800 | 2,300 | 14,600 | 427 | 590 |
Further reading
Thomas, G Royal Air Force Thunderbolts Air Research Publications, Surbiton, 1987
Hellcat (1944-46)
Preserved F6F-5K G-BTCC, although in USN markings, gives a good idea of the profile (author)
The American Grumman G-50 F6F was the natural successor to the Wildcat, based on advice from those flying the earlier type in combat. In general the new type was streamlined and fitted with more powerful engines conferring a higher ceiling and greater speed. Although retaining the F4F's armament there was increased ammunition capacity and armour, and the narrow track undercarriage of the earlier type was abandoned for a wider track type.
Mark I The Mk I was the equivalent of the F6F-3 with the Double Wasp engine. It was initially known as the Gannet Mk I in British service but as a lend-lease type the US name was soon adopted. Six .50 calibre guns were fitted.
Service (post 1945) Training 709
Mark II The Mk II was fitted with a water-injected version of the Double Wasp and as such equated to the F6F-5. The cowling and windshield were modified and there was provision for 2,000lb of bombs under the fuselage. The FR Mark II designation was applied to some of the 930 Mk IIs supplied to the Royal Navy and fitted with an oblique camera in the rear fuselage while retaining the original wing armament.
Service (post 1945) Training 706, 757, 784 Trials 700
Hellcat IIs of 804 NAS - JV316/K6-Y nearest
NF Mark II The night fighter variant was similar to the American F6F-5N night fighter fitted with an AN/APS-6 radar in a radome on the starboard wing. By 1946 they served in the sole remaining Hellcat fighter unit while several remained in service in training units mainly equipped with the day-fighter model.
Service (post 1945) Night fighter 892
PR Mark II The PR designation applied to a few aircraft with cameras only.
Service (Post 1945) Reconnaissance 888
Specifications and production
| Mark | Role | Engine | HP | Weight
lbs |
Speed
mph |
Numbers |
| I | Fighter | D Wasp R-2800 | 2,000 | 13,753 | 371 | 252 |
| II | Fighter | D Wasp R-2800 | 2,000 | 13,750 | 380 | 856 |
| II | Night fighter | D Wasp R-2800 | 2,000 | 13,750 | 365 | 74 |