General Motors FM-2 Wildcat VC-36
A new entry has been added to Add-Ons Library, category CFS 2 Aircraft - American
Description: General Motors FM-2 Wildcat VC-36 on USS Core (CVE-66) in the Atlantic, 1944. This composite squadron was credited with sinking 6 German U-boats
In 1942, automobile manufacturer General Motors converted several of its east coast factories to aircraft production under the name Eastern Aircraft Division. Eastern received contracts to build F4F-4 Wildcat fighters and TBF-1 'Avenger' torpedo planes, allowing Grumman to gradually reconcentrate its energies on the new, urgently-needed F6F 'Hellcat' fighter. The GM F4F-4s, redesignated FM-1s, had only four .50 caliber machine guns, but were otherwise little changed from the original model. Well over a thousand FM-1 fighters were delivered in 1942-43, including some three hundred for the British Royal Navy.
Meanwhile, Grumman had prototyped a new Wildcat under the designation XF4F-8, which was to be produced by Eastern Aircraft as the FM-2. With lightened structure and a more powerful Wright R-1820 radial engine, the FM-2 was notably quicker, faster climbing, longer ranged and more maneuverable than its predecessor. To help control the increased power, the new plane had a distinctive, taller vertical tail. All-in-all, it was a great improvement, and more than four thousand FM-2s were built in 1943-45. Of those, over three hundred went to the British.
The U.S. Navy FM-2s operated exclusively from escort carriers (CVEs) with their small flight decks. In the Atlantic, they were teamed with TBM 'Avengers' for anti-submarine work. In the Pacific, CVEs performed ASW too, but also frequently employed their 'Avengers' and 'Wildcats' to provide air cover for invasion forces and close air support for ground troops. Those missions produced opportunities for aerial combat against Japanese planes, pariclarly at Okinawa against kamikazes. At least two Navy pilots achieved 'ace' status in FM-2s and there were many others with lesser scores. The GM Wildcat also played an important role in the 25 October 1944 Battle off Samar, in which a force of the slow CVE carriers, their FM-2s and TBM-3s, and their destroyer escorts drove off a vastly superior Japanese surface fleet.
There were several minor variations during the production run. This aircraft was an earlier version. It had a Curtiss propeller, permanent rocket rails, hub capped main gear wheels, and the early antenna installation. It also was painted in the Atlantic ASW II camouflage pattern of Gull Grey and Matt White
Credits
Captain Kurt: Aircraft model, drop tanks, bomb racks, rockets, VC, paint textures, aircraft flight files, and .dp
Shessi: Pilot figure
Morton: 2D F4F instrument panel modified to an FM-2 version
Kelticheart: Prop blurred texture
Microsoft: Gauges and .air file
AliCat: Oxygen meter gauge
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General Motors FM-2 Wildcat VC-36
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