{"title":"Fighter Squadron 42 (VF-42) WW2","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"collection-content\"\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003eFighter Squadron 42 (VF-42) WW2\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVF-42 served aboard a carrier with a remarkable story. \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/uss-franklin-cv-13-merchandise\"\u003eUSS Franklin (CV-13)\u003c\/a\u003e, \"Big Ben,\" survived the most catastrophic attack on any carrier that wasn't sunk during the war. On March 19, 1945, a single Japanese dive bomber placed two 550-pound bombs into Franklin's crowded hangar deck, detonating armed and fueled aircraft. The resulting chain of explosions killed 807 men and wounded 487,the heaviest casualties suffered by any surviving US warship. Despite being dead in the water and listing 13 degrees, her crew saved the ship, and Franklin sailed 12,000 miles back to New York under her own power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eVF-42 \u0026amp; the Grumman F6F Hellcat\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVF-42 served aboard \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/uss-franklin-cv-13-merchandise\"\u003eUSS Franklin (CV-13)\u003c\/a\u003e as part of Carrier Air Group 42 during \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/world-war-ii-merch\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c\/a\u003e. Flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat, the squadron deployed to the Pacific Theater from 1944-1945, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Grumman F6F Hellcat\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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 \u0026amp; 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCombat Operations\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVF-42 flew combat missions during Philippines Campaign and Okinawa Campaign, 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 \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/u-s-naval-aviation-merchandise\"\u003eNavy fighter strength\u003c\/a\u003e that gave the Fast Carrier Task Force overwhelming air superiority during the final campaigns of the Pacific War. Alongside squadrons like \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/fighter-squadron-5-vf-5-ww2\"\u003eVF-5\u003c\/a\u003e, VF-42 was part of the carrier air power that won the Pacific War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExplore our VF-42 collection,shirts, hoodies, and gear honoring the crews who flew from \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/uss-franklin-cv-13-merchandise\"\u003eUSS Franklin\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","products":[],"url":"https:\/\/tacticallyacquired.com\/collections\/fighter-squadron-42-vf-42-ww2.oembed","provider":"Tactically Acquired","version":"1.0","type":"link"}