Fighter Squadron 65 (VF-65) WW2

Fighter Squadron 65 (VF-65) 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 Enterprise (CV-6) as part of Carrier Air Group 65, VF-65 deployed to the Pacific Theater from 1945 during World War II.

USS Enterprise

Enterprise was one of only three American carriers operational in the Pacific after the disasters of 1942, and at times she was the only operational US carrier in the entire Pacific. Her air groups fought at Midway, the Eastern Solomons, Santa Cruz, the Philippine Sea, and Leyte Gulf. Her crew called her the Big E, and the Japanese reported her sunk at least three times,yet she fought on until the last day of the war.

Combat Service

VF-65 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 Enterprise's flight deck, VF-65'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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