This F4F WildCat Startup Is Pretty Wild-Gotta Love Those Radials

This F4F WildCat Startup Is Pretty Wild-Gotta Love Those Radials | World War Wings Videos

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FM-2 Variants Were Known As Martlet By The British Navy

The Grumman F4F Wildcat was designed to be a carrier-based fighter for the United States Navy, but was used extensively by the Royal Navy as well. During the onset of the war, Wildcats were the most effective naval fighter available to the Allies. Pitted against the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zeros, they were slower and didn’t have the distance capabilities, but still held their own in combat. Able to take a beating in combat and with the advent of Thach Weave, pilots scored a total kill-to-loss ratio of almost 7:1 during the course of the war.

I would still assess the Wildcat as the outstanding naval fighter of the early years of World War II.-British test pilot

The variant in the video is an FM-2 model of the F4F Wildcat, which was used by the Royal Navy to better suit their carrier needs. It had a more powerful R-1820, 1,350 horsepower engine, allowing it to take-off shorter decks. With more power, their fins and rudders were enlarged to stabilize them while in the air. In addition, they were given increased ammunition capacity which allowed them to be more effective as convoy protection over the Atlantic.

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