Fighter Squadron 19 (VF-19),Satan's Kittens

USS Lexington (CV-16), the "Blue Ghost," was reported sunk by Tokyo Rose so many times that the Japanese propagandist eventually gave up trying,yet Lexington kept returning to battle, earning 11 battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation. Fighter Squadron 19 (VF-19), Satan's Kittens, was her fighter squadron during some of the most intense campaigns of World War II.

The Blue Ghost

Lexington (CV-16) was named to honor the original "Lady Lex" (CV-2) lost at the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942. The new Lexington was painted in the Navy's Measure 21 camouflage scheme,an overall dark blue that made her difficult to see at night but gave her a ghostly appearance in daylight. Japanese radio propagandist Iva Toguri d'Aquino,"Tokyo Rose",repeatedly announced that Lexington had been sunk, but the carrier kept appearing in Japanese waters. American sailors embraced the nickname: the Blue Ghost.

Combat Operations

VF-19 deployed aboard Lexington as part of CVG-19, flying F6F Hellcats in strikes across the Central and Western Pacific during 1944. The Satan's Kittens participated in the Formosa air battles of October 1944,three days of intense combat where carrier aircraft destroyed over 500 Japanese planes on Formosa's airfields, eliminating a major threat to the upcoming Philippines invasion. The squadron also flew during the Philippines Campaign and the Battle of Leyte Gulf, providing fighter cover for the fleet and conducting strike missions against Japanese positions on land and at sea.

The F6F Hellcat

VF-19 flew the Grumman F6F Hellcat, the dominant carrier fighter of the Pacific War. The Hellcat was specifically designed to counter the A6M Zero, using intelligence from a captured specimen. Its combination of a 2,000-hp engine, 380 mph top speed, six .50-caliber machine guns, and rugged construction gave Navy pilots an aircraft that could outfight any Japanese fighter in the air. The Hellcat's 19:1 kill ratio was not just a statistic,it was the mathematical expression of total American air superiority over the Pacific.

From the flight deck of the Blue Ghost to your collection. Browse VF-19 Satan's Kittens gear and World War II veteran gifts.