Fighter Squadron 59 (VF-59) WW2

Fighter Squadron 59 (VF-59) flew the Grumman F6F Hellcat,the fighter that compiled a 19:1 kill ratio and 5,223 aerial victories in the Pacific. Serving aboard USS Bennington (CV-20) as part of Carrier Air Group 59, VF-59 deployed to the Pacific Theater from 1945 during World War II.

USS Bennington

USS Bennington (CV-20) was an Essex-class carrier that joined the Fast Carrier Task Force in February 1945. In her short but intense combat career, Bennington earned three battle stars for strikes against Iwo Jima, the Japanese home islands, and Okinawa. Her air groups struck airfields, factories, and warships across Honshu and Kyushu during the final months of the Pacific War.

Combat Service

VF-59 participated in carrier operations across the Pacific Theater, striking Japanese-held islands, providing fleet air defense, and supporting the island-hopping campaign that drove American forces from the Gilberts to Japan's doorstep, flying combat missions during Pacific operations. The squadron was part of the Navy's massive expansion of fighter strength that gave the Fast Carrier Task Force overwhelming air superiority in the final campaigns. Operating from USS Bennington's flight deck, VF-59's Hellcat pilots provided fleet air defense, escorted bomber strikes, and conducted fighter sweeps against Japanese airfields.

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.

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