Fighter Squadron 67 (VF-67) WW2

Fighter Squadron 67 (VF-67) flew the Grumman F6F Hellcat from USS Yorktown (CV-10) 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-67 was part of that force.

Aboard USS Yorktown

USS Yorktown (CV-10), the "Fighting Lady," was an Essex-class carrier named to honor the original Yorktown lost at Midway. Commissioned on April 15, 1943, she earned 11 battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation. Yorktown launched strikes across the Central Pacific, from the Gilberts and Marshalls through the Marianas, Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Today she is preserved as a museum ship at Patriots Point, South Carolina.

VF-67 served as part of Carrier Air Group 67 from 1945, participating 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. The squadron provided fighter cover for the fleet and struck Japanese military targets during Pacific operations.

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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