Fighter Squadron 43 (VF-43) WW2

Fighter Squadron 43 (VF-43) flew the Grumman F6F Hellcat from USS Langley (CVL-27) as part of the unprecedented expansion of US Navy air power during World War II. By 1945, the Navy had over 100 aircraft carriers in the Pacific,the most powerful naval air force ever assembled, and VF-43 was part of that force.

Aboard USS Langley

USS Langley (CVL-27) was named after aviation pioneer Samuel P. Langley and the Navy's first aircraft carrier, USS Langley (CV-1). This Independence-class light carrier earned six battle stars in the Pacific, serving with the Fast Carrier Task Force from the Philippines Campaign through the final strikes against Japan.

VF-43 served as part of Carrier Air Group 43 from 1945, participating in strikes against the Japanese home islands in 1945, when American carriers operated within sight of the enemy mainland, hitting airfields, factories, and warships in harbors across Honshu and Kyushu. The squadron provided fighter cover for the fleet and struck Japanese military targets during Japan homeland strikes.

Aircraft

The Grumman F6F Hellcat compiled a 19:1 kill ratio against Japanese aircraft,the highest of any fighter in the Pacific Theater. Between its combat debut over Marcus Island on August 31, 1943, and VJ-Day, Hellcat pilots claimed 5,223 aerial victories, accounting for 56 percent of all Navy and Marine air-to-air kills. Armed with six .50-caliber Browning machine guns and capable of carrying 2,000 pounds of ordnance, the F6F was equally lethal in air combat and ground attack.

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