Fighter Squadron 70 (VF-70) WW2

Fighter Squadron 70 (VF-70) flew the Grumman F6F Hellcat from USS Wasp (CV-18) 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-70 was part of that force.

Aboard USS Wasp

USS Wasp (CV-18) was named to honor the original Wasp (CV-7), torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese submarine I-19 in the Solomon Islands on September 15, 1942. The new Wasp earned eight battle stars, fighting from the Marshalls and Carolines through the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Her air groups struck targets across the Western Pacific during the final 18 months of the war.

VF-70 served as part of Carrier Air Group 70 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.

The pilots of VF-70 earned their place in history. Honor them with authentic Navy squadron gear.