Fighter Squadron 39 (VF-39) WW2

VF-39 served aboard a carrier with a remarkable story. USS Randolph (CV-15) was an Essex-class carrier that survived a kamikaze strike while anchored at Ulithi Atoll on March 11, 1945,one of the few carriers hit while not at sea. A twin-engine Japanese bomber, part of Operation Tan, crashed into Randolph's aft flight deck, killing 25 and wounding 106. She was repaired in two weeks and returned to combat for the Okinawa campaign and final strikes against Japan.

VF-39 & the Grumman F6F Hellcat

VF-39 served aboard USS Randolph (CV-15) as part of Carrier Air Group 39 during World War II. Flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat, the squadron deployed to the Pacific Theater from 1943-1945, participating in the Okinawa Campaign from April through June 1945, the last and bloodiest amphibious assault of the Pacific War, where the fleet absorbed nearly 1,900 kamikaze sorties.

The Grumman F6F Hellcat

The Grumman F6F Hellcat was the fighter that broke Japanese air power in the Pacific. Designed as a direct response to the A6M Zero,using intelligence from a captured specimen,the Hellcat combined a 2,000-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine with rugged construction, self-sealing fuel tanks, and 212 pounds of cockpit armor. The result was a fighter that could outclimb, outdive, and outgun the Zero while absorbing punishment that would have destroyed lighter aircraft.

Combat Operations

VF-39 flew combat missions during Okinawa Campaign and Japan homeland strikes, providing fleet air defense, escorting strike packages, and conducting fighter sweeps against Japanese airfields and installations. The squadron was part of the massive expansion of Navy fighter strength that gave the Fast Carrier Task Force overwhelming air superiority during the final campaigns of the Pacific War.

Carry the history. VF-39 t-shirts, hoodies, and heritage gifts,built for those who remember what these squadrons gave.