Fighter Squadron 38 (VF-38) WW2

Fighter Squadron 38 (VF-38) was assigned to USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) during World War II, flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat as part of the most powerful naval aviation force ever assembled. By 1944, the US Navy had over 100 aircraft carriers in the Pacific, thousands of combat aircraft, and the trained pilots to fly them,and VF-38 was part of that force.

USS Bunker Hill: The Ship

USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) earned 11 battle stars before being devastated by two kamikaze strikes off Okinawa on May 11, 1945. The first Zero crashed through the flight deck into the pilots' ready rooms; thirty seconds later, a second struck near the base of the island. The resulting fires and explosions killed 393 men and wounded 264,one of the deadliest attacks on any American warship during the war. Despite catastrophic damage, her crew saved the ship.

Combat Service

VF-38 served as part of Carrier Air Group 38 from 1943-1945, participating in the Philippines Campaign of 1944-1945, supporting General MacArthur's return to the islands while the fleet endured the first organized kamikaze attacks of the war. The squadron flew combat missions during Philippines Campaign and Okinawa Campaign, providing fleet air defense and striking Japanese military targets across the Western Pacific. Alongside squadrons like VF-17 Jolly Rogers, VF-38 was part of the carrier air power that won the Pacific War.

The Grumman F6F Hellcat

Grumman built 12,275 F6F Hellcats between 1942 and 1945, and the aircraft equipped every fast carrier fighter squadron in the Pacific from late 1943 onward. Powered by the 2,000-hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp,the same engine family that powered the F4U Corsair and P-47 Thunderbolt,the Hellcat could reach 380 mph at 23,400 feet and had a combat range of 945 miles. Its combination of speed, firepower, and survivability made it the weapon that won air superiority over the Pacific.

From the flight deck of USS Bunker Hill to your collection. Browse VF-38 gear and naval aviation merchandise.