This 112-page hardcover volume explores the F4F and FM Wildcat aircraft, which was the US Navy's front-line fighter in the early days of WWII. This iconic aircraft, designed and produced by Grumman, as well as the newly-formed Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors, is revealed through 242 color and black and white photographs. The bulk of the images are from the war years, but are augmented with photos of preserved examples, revealing the intimate details of this legend's construction.

As larger and more powerful fighters joined the fleet in the later stages of the war, the Wildcat remained in the fray, flying from the decks of escort carriers, which were too small to permit the operation of the later aircraft. The Wildcat was remarkable not only because it served through the duration of the war, but also because it was the mount of some of the nation's most distinguished aces, including Butch O'Hare and Joe Foss.

By David Doyle

Hardbound

ISBN: 9780764354335