{"title":"Fighter Squadron 70 (VF-70) WW2","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"collection-content\"\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003eFighter Squadron 70 (VF-70) WW2\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFighter Squadron 70 (VF-70) flew the Grumman F6F Hellcat from \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/uss-wasp-cv-18-merchandise\"\u003eUSS Wasp (CV-18)\u003c\/a\u003e as part of the unprecedented expansion of \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/u-s-navy\"\u003eUS Navy\u003c\/a\u003e air power during \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/world-war-ii-merch\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c\/a\u003e. By 1945, the Navy had over 100 \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/u-s-navy-aircraft-carriers\"\u003eaircraft carriers\u003c\/a\u003e in the Pacific,the most powerful naval air force ever assembled, and VF-70 was part of that force.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAboard USS Wasp\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/uss-wasp-cv-18-merchandise\"\u003eUSS Wasp (CV-18)\u003c\/a\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVF-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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAircraft\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pilots of VF-70 earned their place in history. Honor them with authentic \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/u-s-navy\"\u003eNavy\u003c\/a\u003e squadron gear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","products":[],"url":"https:\/\/tacticallyacquired.com\/collections\/fighter-squadron-70-vf-70-ww2.oembed","provider":"Tactically Acquired","version":"1.0","type":"link"}