Fighter Squadron 61 (VF-61) WW2

Fighter Squadron 61 (VF-61) flew the Grumman F6F Hellcat from USS Bennington (CV-20) 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-61 was part of that force.

Aboard 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.

VF-61 served as part of Carrier Air Group 61 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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