{"title":"Fighter Squadron 62 (VF-62) WW2","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"collection-content\"\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003eFighter Squadron 62 (VF-62) WW2\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFighter Squadron 62 (VF-62) flew the Grumman F6F Hellcat,the fighter that compiled a 19:1 kill ratio and 5,223 aerial victories in the Pacific. Serving aboard \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/uss-shangri-la-cv-38-merchandise\"\u003eUSS Shangri-La (CV-38)\u003c\/a\u003e as part of Carrier Air Group 62, VF-62 deployed to the Pacific Theater from 1945 during \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/world-war-ii-merch\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eUSS Shangri-La\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/uss-shangri-la-cv-38-merchandise\"\u003eUSS Shangri-La (CV-38)\u003c\/a\u003e was the Essex-class carrier named after a deliberate joke by President Franklin Roosevelt. When asked where the Doolittle Raid's B-25 bombers had launched from in April 1942, FDR told reporters they came from \"Shangri-La\",the fictional Himalayan paradise from James Hilton's novel \u003cem\u003eLost Horizon\u003c\/em\u003e,to protect the secret that USS Hornet was the actual launch platform. The name stuck, and when a new carrier needed christening, Shangri-La it was.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCombat Service\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVF-62 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 \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/u-s-naval-aviation-merchandise\"\u003eNavy's\u003c\/a\u003e massive expansion of fighter strength that gave the Fast Carrier Task Force overwhelming air superiority in the final campaigns. Operating from USS Shangri-La's flight deck, VF-62's Hellcat pilots provided fleet air defense, escorted bomber strikes, and conducted fighter sweeps against Japanese airfields.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrumman 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 \u0026amp; 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the flight deck of USS Shangri-La to your collection. Browse VF-62 gear and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/u-s-naval-aviation-merchandise\"\u003enaval aviation merchandise\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","products":[],"url":"https:\/\/tacticallyacquired.com\/collections\/fighter-squadron-62-vf-62-ww2.oembed","provider":"Tactically Acquired","version":"1.0","type":"link"}