All language subtitles for Air.Warriors.S06E02.F6F.Hellcat.WEB.h264-CAFFEiNE[eztv]

(airplane engines rumbling)

Narrator: It's the aircraft
that swept the south pacific

In world war ii.

Woman: The hellcat may
have been the navy's

Single biggest contribution
to victory in the pacific.

Narrator: It renewed
hope in america's navy.

Man: The hellcat is arguably
one of the most successful

Fighters america ever built.

Narrator: And made hundreds
of pilots fighting aces.

Man: It was unbelievable what
you could do in the airplane.

Narrator: This is the
inside story of how power

And innovation changed the
future of naval aviation.

Man: The navy recognizes
that they will need

A much better plane.

Narrator: And created
a legendary aircraft.

Man: Even today, the
hellcat still is

A superlative fighter airplane.

Narrator: Meet the navy's
fiercest feline in the skies.

Man: The hellcat is a beast.

Narrator: It showed the
world what victory looks like

And it didn't need
nine lives to do it.

♪

(bombs exploding)

October 1944, the south pacific.

(soldiers shouting)
(guns firing)

World war ii rages on.

♪

The united states attacks the
philippine island of leyte,

Cutting off japanese access
to vital oil supplies.

In retaliation, japanese
leaders hatch a desperate plan,

Air strikes against u.S. Forces.

They set their sights
on the u.S.S. Essex,

One of the navy's lead
aircraft carriers.

But the carrier is home to one
of the most powerful fighters

In the pacific,

The hellcat.

(airplane engine rumbling)

Agile, unshakable, and
always ready for action,

The grumman f6f hellcat
is the u.S. Navy's

Go-to fighter plane during the
second half of world war ii.

Man: The hellcat was the perfect
airplane for the time.

Narrator: Joseph
scheil restores and flies

Classic world war ii aircraft.

Man: The hellcat is a
superlative fighter,

Very well-built,

Extremely powerful and
highly maneuverable.

Narrator: The hellcat always
comes dressed for battle.

Its cockpit is clad in
212 pounds of solid steel.

♪

Man: It gives a lot
of protection

Because of this huge piece

Of armor plate behind the pilot.

And so any attack from within
around 20 degrees or behind,

This beautiful piece of steel

Will prevent the pilot,
hopefully, from getting hit.

Narrator: The hellcat also
has the largest wing area

Of any world war ii
single engine fighter.

Man: This makes the airplane
a lot more stable.

Pilots that talk about flying
the hellcat in comparison

With other airplanes say
the way that the airplane

Rolls and turns is on par
with the best of the best.

Narrator: The hellcat
isn't just made to fight,

It's made to win.

In the south pacific,
world war ii pilots

Are counting on it.

♪

October 24th, 1944,
the philippines.

Captain david mccampbell
and his navy squadron

Have just completed a
successful air strike

On a japanese fleet.

Man: My grandfather was the
commander of air group 15

Which was all the
planes on the u.S.S. Essex,

Combination of
bombers and fighters.

Narrator: Christopher
mccampbell is the grandson

Of the late captain
david mccampbell.

Man: There was a large
american task force

Just off the north of
samar in the philippines.

That morning, at dawn,
they had led a major strike

Against the japanese fleet.

They were now preparing for
a second strike on the ships.

Man: Bearing 273.

Narrator: A cry
comes over the radio

In the essex's
main control room.

Man: Coming
on target, sir.

Narrator: Three
groups of japanese planes

Have been detected on radar.

(airplane engine rumbling)

Woman: When the call comes
in, the air wing

Of the essex is not prepared.

Narrator: Dr. Rebecca
grant is one of the foremost

Civilian experts on air
force history and aircraft.

(alarm ringing)

Woman: They've just recovered
the morning sorties.

The deck is covered
with half-armed,

Half-fueled aircraft.

Narrator: None of the
planes are ready for battle,

But mccampbell and his wingman

Aren't going to
let that stop them

From getting into the fight.

Man: His plane was not fully
fueled but was pushed out

Onto the runway
anyway ready to go.

So, he and his wingman
jumped into their planes

And started the
engines and took off.

(airplane engine rumbling)
♪

Narrator: 22 miles away,
a group of japanese warplanes

Races towards the carrier.

Mccampbell and his wingman

Head straight for them,
severely outnumbered.

Woman: Mccampbell knows
he faces big odds.

He already knows his main chance

Against this huge inbound
formation is to get above them.

Narrator: Mccampbell
and his hellcat fly

With lethal force,

Six .50 caliber machine guns.

Man: The browning m2 machine gun

Is the standard armament for
any u.S. Fighter up until 1945.

Six of them puts the airplane
up around 2500 rounds or so,

Giving that six to
eight seconds of fire.

Narrator: The guns are set
on an angle along the wing.

When fired, the bullets converge
at a single target point

Almost three
football fields away.

Man: As I'm looking through
the gunsight, I can now see

That I'm able to nail the guy.

My six .50-caliber machine
guns are still gonna converge

And make that a very bad place
to be for an enemy airplane.

(engine whining)

Narrator: High above
the philippine sea,

Captain david mccampbell
needs all the firepower

He can get.

His hellcat races towards

60 unwavering
japanese warplanes.

Chief among them, the
much-feared mitsubishi a6m zero.

This long-range fighter
plane can reach a top speed

Of over 300 miles per hour.

♪

The zero is one of the
imperial japanese navy's

Favorite weapons
during world war ii,

(guns firing)

Responsible for 83% of
american aircraft casualties

In the first three months
of battle in the pacific.

Japanese warplanes travel

In formations of
three, called shotais.

This tactic triples
their firepower.

(airplane engine rumbling)

Mccampbell must find
a way to break them up

And bring them down.

Man: My grandfather
and his wingman

Came up with this tactic
and that was to climb

As high as they could
and then drop down

And fire and pull back up.

That was typical for
this type of strike.

Woman: High altitude is
a huge advantage.

It gives him a view over
the japanese formation,

It guarantees he'll get the
first shot, and it allows him

To follow that formation
if they break up

And try to attack the carrier.

Narrator: Mccampbell sets
his sights on his first target,

A zero on the outer
edge of the formation.

Man: He and his wingman
took the first strike

Diving in towards the
back of the formation.

Grandfather took out one of
the planes and his wingman

Took out another and then
they climbed back up again

To do a second run.

Narrator: Mccampbell eyes
his next target and hits it

On the first try.

(guns firing)

He and his wingman coordinate
attack after attack,

Breaking up the
enemy formations.

Man: So, at this point I
think my grandfather

Was pretty confident and
knew he could take his time.

So, he turned off the
oxygen in his cockpit,

Lit up a cigarette,

Studied the formations,
studied the planes,

Was able to coordinate
with his wingman

Which they were gonna go after.

Woman: Mccampbell is a force
to be reckoned with.

He's mastered the gunnery
tactics, the slash and dive

That allows him to
rack up multiple kills

Against japanese
aircraft on one mission.

(engine whining)

Narrator: With each
pass another zero falls

To mccampbell's gunfire.

(guns firing)

Man: When his wingman
radioed down to say

That he was out of ammo,
and asked whether or not

They were gonna stick around,

Granddad radioed back and said,

"well you wanna follow me down

"or do you wanna stay up
here and watch the show?"

I think he was pretty confident

That he was gonna
do some damage.

(guns firing)

Narrator: In less than
an hour, mccampbell destroys

Nine enemy planes, a single day

American combat record that
has never been matched.

His wingman scores six.

Man: By the end of the
mission they had chased

The enemy force about 100
miles away from the task force.

♪

Narrator: David mccampbell
and his nerves of steel

Have successfully thwarted a
surprise japanese airstrike

Of almost 60 warplanes.

But his persistence
has pushed his hellcat

To the breaking point.

(airplane engine rumbling)

High above leyte gulf,

Mccampbell makes a
harsh discovery

He's 100 miles away from the
safety of the carrier's deck

And flying on fumes.

Woman: Mccampbell looks
at his fuel gauge.

It's nearly zero.

He and his wingman now
face another emergency.

If they don't make
it back to the essex,

They'll ditch in the sea.

They might survive the impact.

An american destroyer or
submarine might pick them up.

But it's highly risky.

Mccampbell is flying back

Towards the last known
position of the u.S.S. Essex.

And as he gets close, he
sees the most terrible sight.

Narrator: Planes line every
inch of the carrier's deck.

There is nowhere for
mccampbell's hellcat to land.

Man: He realized that it
would probably take

About another 20 minutes
for the deck to be emptied

And he just didn't
have that much time.

Narrator: The crew
directs mccampbell to land

On another carrier
nearby, the u.S.S. Langley.

Woman: He spots the
u.S.S. Langley

And begins to line up
on final.

And then he sees it.

The langley's deck is not
ready to receive aircraft.

Narrator: Mccampbell
continues to circle.

Each minute that passes
poses even more danger.

Time and fuel are
quickly running out.

October 1944, the south pacific.

Navy captain david mccampbell
and his f6f hellcat

Fly on fumes with
nowhere to land.

♪

At the last possible
minute, mccampbell gets

The all-clear from
the u.S.S. Langley.

(airplane engine rumbling)

His hellcat sputters onto the
carrier deck and just in time.

Man: As soon as my grandfather
pushed the throttle up,

The engine died and that's
when he ran out of gas.

Narrator: Mechanics
examine mccampbell's hellcat

And deliver some
bone-chilling news.

Man: When he talked to the
mechanic that reammunitioned

The guns the mechanic told him

That he had only
about six rounds left

And all of them were jammed.

And so my grandfather said,
"but it worked out okay."

I think that really shows how
cool he was and how confident

He was in his plane to
be able to make it back.

♪

Narrator: Mccampbell's bold
moves and unwavering courage

During the battle of leyte gulf
earn him the medal of honor,

The nation's highest
award for bravery.

Man: By the end of the
war he had 34 victories

Which was most of
any other naval pilot

Making him the ace of aces.

(airplane engines rumbling)

Narrator: Two days after
mccampbell's heroic actions,

Allied forces clinch a
victory at leyte gulf.

It's a key win in the
battle for the pacific.

Woman: The war will go on
nearly another year,

But at this point japan's
imperial navy's striking power

Is completely obliterated.

(airplane engines rumbling)

Narrator: The hellcat's
success is no accident.

It's the result of a
brilliant collaboration

Between engineers
and the u.S. Navy

That started three
years earlier.

December 7th, 1941.

♪

The imperial japanese
navy launches

A surprise military
attack on pearl harbor.

President roosevelt:
The attack yesterday

On the hawaiian islands
has caused severe damage

To american naval
and military forces.

(ships exploding)

Narrator: All eight
battleships in the pacific fleet

Are destroyed or damaged.

Until now, they've been
the navy's backbone.

There's just one class of
ship that didn't take a hit.

Man: By quirk of fate,
the three u.S. Carriers

In the pacific
fleet are not there.

Narrator: Dr. Laurence
burke is curator

Of u.S. Naval aviation

At the national air
and space museum.

Man: The navy is basically
forced into a hard choice.

The navy can either
use these carriers

Or they can sit back and
wait six to eight months

Until the battleship fleet
is raised and repaired.

The navy decides, no,
we have to do something

And sends the carriers
out by themselves.

♪

Narrator: It's a
risky move for the navy.

This new approach is
untested in battle.

Woman: The navy never
thought of its carriers

As front line,
offensive weapons.

They had relied on
the battleships,

Because they had
much bigger guns.

(guns firing)

Narrator: Carriers
have been in service

For less than 20 years.

The primary purpose of
their aircraft has been

To protect battleships
from bombers.

Woman: The question for
the navy was whether

Its newfangled carriers

Could bring enough
striking power

From the aircraft on their
decks to destroy enemy ships.

♪

Narrator: Now, the navy
must rely on the muscle

Of these unproven
fighter planes.

Chief among them, the
grumman f4f wildcat.

(airplane engine rumbling)

Tough, resilient,
and innovative.

The wildcat ushers in
a new era of capability

For american carrier-based
fighter planes.

Its engineer, a former navy
pilot named leroy grumman.

The concept for the
wildcat begins in 1935,

When the u.S. Navy
begins development

Of a monoplane aircraft.

Until now, the navy's
fighters have been biplanes

With one wing stacked
on top of another.

A monoplane will be
a radical change.

Woman: The navy knows it needs
the monoplane fighter designs.

They have better
speed, better dive,

They're better tactically,

And they can carry
heavier armaments.

Narrator: Two
companies, grumman

And the brewster corporation,
agree to design prototypes.

In 1939, grumman's f4f2 and
the brewster's f2a buffalo

Square off to see who will be

The navy's first
monoplane aircraft.

♪

Grumman's plane is faster.

The buffalo, more maneuverable.

The navy declares the buffalo
the right one for the job.

(airplane engines rumbling)

Man: At the same time,
the navy is reluctant

To have only one fighter source,

So they ask grumman

To continue improving the f4f2.

Woman: Grumman continues
work and makes

A lot of improvements
in his fighter.

A new engine, more
wing area, better guns.

And the navy likes
what they see.

Narrator: Navy
tests confirm it.

Grumman's new f4f3 is superior
to the brewster buffalo.

Woman: They decide to buy some
of grumman's new fighter,

And ultimately christen
it the wildcat.

Narrator: Grumman
knows that space

On the flight deck is tight.

His patented folding
sto-wing design

Allows the navy to double
the amount of wildcats

It can fit on each carrier.

Man: Leroy grumman
had figured it out

Just by playing with a
simple piece of eraser.

He figured that out by cutting
it at a 45-degree angle

At the front one way
and a 45-degree angle

At the back a different
way and just hinging it

With this diagonal pin.

Very simple, elegant design.

Narrator: In August
1940, the british become

The first to test the
wildcat in combat.

They've been at war with
germany for almost a year,

Flying the plane under
a very different name.

Man: The british royal navy
calls them the martlet.

The royal navy is using
their f4f martlets

Up in the north sea.

They are using them to protect

The convoys to russia.

They're defending the convoys

Against bomber aircraft and,

In particular, against the big

Reconnaissance aircraft
that are spotting

For the german u-boats,

Which are the real
danger up there.

Narrator: After pearl
harbor, as the united states

Enters world war ii, the
navy is far from ready.

It must put its
faith in its carriers

And their untested aircraft.

The entire pacific
theater is at stake.

Man: The wildcat gets
its baptism of fire

The day after pearl harbor.

Narrator: December
8th, 1941, wake island,

Almost 2500 miles
west of hawaii.

U.S. Soldiers keep
watch over an airstrip

Made for american bombers.

Woman: The wake island bomber
strip is a huge threat to japan.

B-17 bombers can patrol
out over the pacific,

Watching the
movements of the fleet

And attacking japanese ships.

The japanese have to take it.

(airplane engines rumbling)

Narrator: Just hours after
the attack on pearl harbor,

36 japanese bombers
approach wake island.

They destroy 12 u.S.
Planes on the ground

But don't realize that
there are four wildcats

Still at large.

Man: The marine fighter
squadron on wake

Doesn't have a lot of early
warning of incoming raids,

So the squadron commander is
keeping four of the 16 planes

Airborne on combat air
patrol at any given time.

♪

Narrator: The
four wildcats return

To a severely damaged
american outpost.

They are the only aircraft
to survive the attack.

Three days later, the japanese
come back to finish the job.

Man: On December 11th,
the japanese show up

With an invasion force.

They think the
invasion will be easy.

Narrator: The four
remaining wildcats launch

A stiff defense taking
out two japanese cruisers

And a destroyer.

(guns firing)

Woman: The marines use their
four operational wildcats

To hold off the
initial invasion force.

They make it so tricky for
japan that japan has to retreat

From wake island.

Narrator: The united states
breathes a sigh of relief.

But two weeks later, the
wildcat meets its match.

Man: The japanese come back
with a full-on invasion,

Including their carriers.

This is the first
time the wildcat

Encounters the zero in combat.

Narrator: Quick,
merciless, deadly.

The mitsubishi a6m zero

Is japan's premiere
dogfighting plane.

Man: The zero is a
much faster plane.

It's small and light and quite
literally can fly circles

Around the wildcats.

Narrator: A fully
loaded zero weighs

Almost 2,000 pounds
less than a wildcat

Making it an agile,
maneuverable dogfighter.

Now, it attacks the
wildcats mercilessly

And takes out the last four
planes in the squadron.

By mid-afternoon, u.S. Forces

Surrender wake island to japan.

It's a bitter defeat
for the u.S. Navy.

Woman: It's clear the
wildcat is outclassed

In almost every category.

Man: And the navy comes
back and asks grumman

To basically build
a better wildcat.

♪

Narrator: Grumman's first
move, meet with the pilots

Who have fought
the zero in battle.

Woman: Grumman's engineers
worked directly with navy pilots

To get the latest intelligence
on japanese capabilities

And roll all that
back into the design.

Narrator: Their
advice, mount the cockpit

Higher in the fuselage giving
pilots better visibility

Over the aircraft's wings.

Another must, a more
powerful engine.

To accommodate it,
grumman must redesign

And strengthen the
new plane's frame.

In america, grumman races
to build this new fighter.

Across the pacific, the
zero helps the japanese

Gain more ground.

The navy is desperate for a way

To counter the japanese fighter.

They soon capture
something to help them,

A crash-landed enemy plane.

♪

July 1942, akutan
island, alaska territory.

The americans make an
incredible discovery,

A fully intact a6m zero,

Crash-landed and
abandoned by the japanese.

It's just what the navy needs.

Man: The military is finally
able to get a good, close look

At the airplane.

Narrator: They put their
best minds on the job analyzing

Every single inch of
the elusive enemy plane.

Man: Through rebuilding it and
test flying it, they find

Sort of all the weaknesses
of the aircraft.

Woman: It was a goldmine
for navy tactics.

By flying it, they showed

That the engine could cut out

In a dive, and that the zero was

Very sluggish when the pilot
tried to roll to the right.

It allowed navy
fliers to develop

Some super defensive
tactics against the zero.

(airplane engine rumbling)

Narrator: The akutan zero
spills its secrets easily.

But even before
it was discovered,

Fighter pilots were testing
new tactics to win in battle.

One of the best known
is the thach weave,

Developed by lieutenant
commander jimmy thach.

Woman: He developed
the thach weave

Sitting at his kitchen
table and using matchsticks.

The thach weave relied
on a teamwork concept

To develop a tactic that could
beat the zero in a dogfight.

Narrator: Wildcats
work in pairs,

Weaving their flight paths
around an enemy plane.

The zero is forced to
focus on one wildcat,

Leaving it open to
attack from the second.

The technique gets its
first trial in June 1942,

When the united states
delivers a surprise blow

To the japanese navy at
the battle of midway.

♪
(men shouting)

It's a victory for the wildcat
but a small leap forward

In the bigger pacific war.

Woman: Even though the u.S.
Was victorious at midway

And held back the
japanese advance,

There was a long way to go.

Japan was still in
control of the pacific.

Japan still had an
immense imperial navy.

♪

Narrator: As world war ii
rages on, the clock is ticking

For grumman to develop
a better fighter.

Halfway around the
globe, wildcat pilots

Must hold their own
against another enemy,

The germans.

(radio announcer)

October 4th, 1943,
orkney islands, scotland.

A squadron of navy wildcats
works alongside british forces

Aboard the u.S.S. Ranger, a
carrier assigned to protect

The north sea.

Man: We'd patrol up
and down the coast

Looking for german shipping.

Narrator: Commander
dean diz laird

Was a wildcat pilot
with the vf-4 squadron

On the u.S.S. Ranger.

(airplane engines rumbling)

Man: We did most of
our operations

Along the norwegian coast and
up inside the arctic circle.

Narrator: Germany
occupies norway, capitalizing

On its rich supply of iron.

Allied forces want to cut
off german shipping routes,

Depriving the nazis of
much-needed war supplies.

Man: This one day in
October we were flying

A combat air patrol.

Our radar people on the
ship picked up a target.

Man: Vector 045.

Man: Oko, out.

Narrator: Laird and
three other wildcat pilots

Race into action anxious to
see if they're under threat

From a german plane.

Man: We got out there and we
looked and looked and looked.

There were so many clouds.

We just never could
find this target.

Narrator: The ship
orders the wildcats

Back to the carrier but
laird has a suspicion.

A cloudy sky is the perfect
place for an enemy to hide.

Man: I knew that radar
controller was good,

And if he said there was a
target out there, there was one.

(airplane engine rumbling)

I decided I was gonna
keep a lookout back there.

Sure enough, out from
behind a huge cloud,

Here came this strange airplane.

Narrator: Laird
finds himself facing

A junkers ju-88 fighter bomber.

Equipped with twin machine guns

And a three-ton bomb load,
it's one of the luftwaffe's

Most destructive forces.

Laird quickly radios
his wingman a warning.

Man: Tally ho.

Man: And, I called
tally ho, bogie 6:00.

Narrator: The junkers
spies the wildcats

And speeds off in
the other direction.

Laird guns his wildcat
forward in pursuit.

The hunt is on.

♪

The german bomber is quick.

Laird must think fast to
outsmart the enemy plane.

Man: In combat, you've
got two things

That can be at your
advantage: Speed and altitude.

Never give up one without
gaining some on the other.

Narrator: Laird climbs his
plane higher into the air,

Setting his sights on
the most vulnerable part

Of his enemy's body.

Man: I usually look at the
airplane and then try to decide

Where the fuel tanks
might be located.

That's the part I
usually aim for.

Narrator: As laird
drops down to make a run,

He's met with oncoming fire.

Bullets beat close to the
wildcat's own fuel tank.

But laird pays no mind.

The wildcat can
take a direct hit.

The reason, a
self-sealing fuel tank.

It's one of the fighter
plane's best defenses.

If the tank is pierced
by gunfire, a layer

Of untreated natural
rubber swells up,

Closing off the hole
around the bullet.

Woman: A self-sealing fuel tank
is a lifesaver for the pilot.

The plane can take a
little battle damage

Without bursting into flame.

Narrator: High above the
waters of the north sea,

Commander diz laird prepares
to make a second run

On an enemy plane.

He dives his wildcat
down upon the bomber

And unloads a shower of bullets.

(guns firing)

Man: I couldn't tell whether
I was hitting him or not.

I kept shooting.

(guns firing)

And this airplane exploded
in a big ball of fire.

Narrator: But there is
no time for celebration.

A call comes over the radio.

Another target has
been spotted on radar.

Laird pushes his wildcat onward

Straight into a curtain
of thick clouds.

Man: I dropped down to just
a few feet off the water

So that I could maintain
some visual reference.

And visibility
was extremely low.

Suddenly I see this airplane.

He was coming right at me.

Narrator: Laird gets
his first real look

At this new enemy as it
rushes towards him head-on.

What he sees will
stick with him forever.

October 4th, 1943,
ornkey islands, scotland.

Commander dean diz
laird flies his wildcat

Through the clouds when he
encounters an enemy plane,

A heinkel he-115.

This german floatplane
delivers destruction

By both land and sea.

Two large stabilizing floats
allow it to land on water.

It carriers out surprise torpedo
bombings for the luftwaffe.

Man: My reaction time
was instinctive.

I pulled up and
pulled the trigger

Hoping to hit his port engine.

Saw my bullets hit
his float there.

(airplane engine rumbling)

Well, that float almost
completely disintegrated.

There were pieces of
it flying all over.

Narrator: The wounded
heinkel attempts to make

A sea landing on its floats.

Man: He dropped down to
the water tried to land

And that port float
that I had blasted

In the first run just collapsed.

The left wing dropped, hit
the water, and he cartwheeled.

(engine whining)

♪

Narrator: First the
junkers and now the heinkel.

That's two luftwaffe planes
destroyed in one day.

♪

Commander laird
goes on to become

The only navy fighter
ace to score victories

In both the european
and pacific theaters.

Man: I know I felt very
comfortable in the wildcat.

Just a very rugged
piece of material

That was almost indestructible.

Narrator: While the
wildcats try to hold their own

In the war, the race is on for
a powerful new fighter plane.

Throughout early 1942,
leroy grumman works closely

With the navy's
bureau of aeronautics

To develop a new aircraft.

Woman: Grumman steps up
modifications on his new fighter

To make it superior and
able to take on the zero.

Narrator: The first prototype
flies on June 26th, 1942.

But it doesn't get its name
until almost 13 months later.

Woman: Grumman wanted to name
his new fighter the tomcat,

But it was a little too
risque for the 1940s.

So he said, "take out the
sexy, put in the profanity,

"and we'll call it the hellcat."

♪

Narrator: At its
heart, a powerful engine,

The pratt and whitney
r-2800 double wasp.

Its twin row, 18-cylinder
design produces 2000 horsepower.

Man: The r-2800 engine
allowed the united states

To build an airplane
that was like no other.

This engine had the highest
horsepower per weight

Of any engine of the time.

♪

Narrator: Introduced
in 1939, the r-2800

Is already proving
its capabilities in

Other u.S. Aircraft,

Including the p-47 thunderbolt
and the b-26 marauder.

(bombs whistling)

Woman: The pratt and
whitney double wasp

Was a superior fighter
engine, far in advance

Of anything previously seen.

Narrator: Its secret
weapon, a supercharger.

It's an air compressor that
helps the engine burn more fuel,

Dramatically increasing
speed and power.

Woman: It's gonna give
grumman's new fighter

25% better power
and performance.

(airplane engine rumbling)

That's going to allow the
hellcat to get more speed

Over the zero, and also
to be faster in a dive.

(engine whining)

Man: Fighter design, especially
when we get to engines,

Becomes almost a difference
of very slight percentages.

The r-2800 engine was about

Three or 400 horsepower
more powerful.

That small difference meant
that this hellcat would exceed

Zero performance by
just a few percent.

But in fighting airplanes,
one versus another,

It doesn't matter if you have
two a-players in the game.

The survivor is the
one that gets 97

Versus the loser getting
95% of the horsepower.

♪

Narrator: The hellcat
isn't the only aircraft

Designed around
the r-2800 engine.

There's another
powerful aircraft vying

For the navy's attention,
the vought f4u corsair.

It has one major advantage
over the hellcat, speed.

Pushed to its limit,
the f4u corsair can fly

Over 400 miles per hour.

But the plane has a complicated
design and carrier landings

Prove to be dangerous.

Woman: Corsair was a fast,
beautiful fighter,

But it had so many accidents
when it began carrier trials

That the navy made a decision.

Man: The navy gives the
corsair to land-based

Marine squadrons and
the hellcat develops

As the main carrier-based
fighter for the war.

♪

Narrator: By March 1943,
the first wave of hellcats

Is on its way to
the south pacific.

Woman: The hellcat was
designed to be easy to fly

And easy to build.

Grumman ramped up
production quickly,

And was soon churning out
thousands of hellcats per month.

Man: The navy recognized that,
yes, this was going to be

A great plane.

It's recognized, basically,

From this first
experimental flight

That we immediately
need to start building

Lots and lots of these.

Narrator: By December
1943, over 2,500 hellcats

Are in navy hands.

(airplane engines rumbling)

Woman: The navy's need
was great.

Grumman had to produce
the hellcat fast

In order to make sure we didn't
lose the war in the pacific.

Narrator: The plane
soon gets a nickname,

The goldilocks fighter.

Its easy operation
makes it just right

For young navy pilots.

Man: It's an easy transition
for a wildcat pilot to come

Directly into this
airplane and fly it well.

Man: This one multi-ace, he
loved that hellcat enough

That he once made
the statement that,

"if that hellcat could
cook, I'd marry it!"

♪

Narrator: With their
new plane, navy pilots

Are determined to strengthen
their muscle in the pacific.

June 19th, 1944, guam.

A hellcat squadron
launches a surprise attack

On a japanese air base.

(guns firing)

Man: As I recall, it
was quite a busy day.

Narrator: Lieutenant
commander fred "buck" dungan

Was a hellcat fighter
ace in the south pacific.

Man: Well, we were
escorting bombers over

Over the airfield in guam.

Narrator: Dungan's strike
is successful, knocking out

A portion of the enemy's
vital supplies and aircraft.

(airplane engines rumbling)

Most of the squadron heads
back to their carrier.

Dungan and his
wingman linger behind.

Man: I had seen some airplanes
parked under the palm trees,

And I wanted to take a
picture so our battleships

Could come in and
destroy these airplanes.

Narrator: Dungan dives in,
snapping away from the safety

Of his cockpit.

♪

Suddenly, he spies
something unusual.

Man: I saw these
airplanes coming in,

Breaking up into
a landing pattern,

And I thought it was our group
looking over their damage

They had just done.

But it wasn't.

Narrator: Straight
ahead, a fresh squadron

Of enemy planes hell
bent on revenge.

Among them, the hellcat's
chief pacific rival,

The japanese
mitsubishi a6m zero.

Man: I screamed into my
microphone, pilots come back.

My wingman and I have
an air group surrounded.

We need help.

Narrator: Dungan and his
wingman are alone staring down

A wall of 40 japanese aircraft.

Man: I knew my buddies were
just seconds in back of me.

So, I dove down
into that air group.

Narrator: He plunges his
hellcat into the formation

Of enemy planes.

Man: You don't think
of your own safety.

All you do is think
of opportunities,

Opportunities to shoot.

Narrator: Dungan's
quick nosedive

Catches the enemy off guard.

He singles out one zero.

Man: I made a pass at
him and blew him up.

(guns firing)

I shot him down, and
I think I destroyed

The one in back of him also.

Narrator: Two down, more
than three dozen to go.

Dungan evades enemy fire,

Diving below the zero
formation once more.

It's a risky move.

Man: There's not much
maneuverability underneath.

There's not much space.

You can get trapped.

But one airplane
down there, one,

Can do all kinds of
different things.

Narrator: As dungan prepares

For his next pass,
backup arrives.

A squadron of hellcats has
answered his battle cry.

They barrel down on
the enemy planes.

Man: Then the formation
landing broke up

And went all
different directions.

Got back in one fella,
had him all lined up

In my sights, and
pulled the trigger,

(guns firing)

And he moved like this.

(engine whining)

He knew, then I knew,
that he had experience.

He's dictating the
conditions of this dogfight.

I've gotta change this.

Narrator: This is
the moment the hellcat

Has been built for, a
chance to prove itself

In a head-to-head
battle with the zero.

♪

June 19th, 1944.

High over guam, commander
fred "buck" dungan

And his f6f hellcat
battle a japanese zero.

Man: When you're paired
off in a dogfight,

It's a lot like
boxing in a ring.

You're anticipating where
the enemy is going to end up.

(engine whining)
(guns firing)

Man: You know your airplane,
and you know the limitations.

You know how far you
can push that plane

Before it stops flying.

And you get to that
spot very often.

Narrator: Dungan
could outrun his enemy.

But he decides to take
a different approach,

Slowing his hellcat down
as he makes his next pass.

Man: The slowness seemed to
confuse the enemy very much.

You feel like a sitting duck

When you pull your throttle
back in a dogfight.

But you're not, because you're
getting your airplane speed

Down to maneuverability where
you could spin it on a dime.

Narrator: Losing
speed is a risky tactic.

Dungan hopes it will
throw his enemy off guard.

Man: A lot of strategy
in dogfighting.

A lot of faking, bluffing.

Then you finally get
the guy in your sights,

And you got him.

Narrator: Dungan has
only a split second to fire.

He makes it count,
hitting the zero

And its pilot full on.

Man: His plane stopped
flying and maneuvering

And headed for the water,
and I went right beside him.

I chopped my throttling
alongside him.

And he turned and looked at me.

We'd been at each
other for a while.

We recognized each other.

And, he saluted me
and went in the water.

♪
(engine whining)

Narrator: That day
lieutenant commander dungan's

Hellcat squadron destroys
all 40 japanese aircraft.

For his bravery, he is awarded

The distinguished flying cross.

Man: It was unbelievable what
you could do in the airplane.

We decimated the
enemy air force.

♪
(guns firing)

Narrator: Dungan's dogfight
marks day one of the battle

Of the philippine
sea, the last major

Carrier-to-carrier
duel of world war ii.

The next 48 hours
see hellcats engaged

In relentless aerial combat.

Woman: At the battle of
the philippine sea,

The hellcat proved that it
was the master of the skies.

Japan lost over 300
aircraft, and with that loss

Ended the ability of
japan's carriers to become

An effective offensive
striking force.

Man: The u.S. Just shoots
down japanese planes

With incredible ease.

One of the pilots, after
a day's worth of combat,

Makes the comment that,

"oh it's just like an
old time turkey shoot,"

And that becomes the nickname.

It becomes known as the
great marianas turkey shoot.

Narrator: The hellcat
continues to fight

Until the final days of the war.

Man: One of the interesting
things about the hellcat,

It may have actually dropped
the last bombs of the war.

There's a fighter bomber
squadron that was over japan.

The leader had just
dropped his bombs in a dive

And was pulling out when
they heard the radio call

To cease all attacks, that
the japanese had surrendered.

(airplane engines rumbling)

(crowd cheering)

Narrator: On
August 15th, 1945,

One week after the bombings
of hiroshima and nagasaki,

The japanese surrender.

♪

At the end of the war, grumman
is still producing hellcats,

But there is no longer any need.

The last batch rolls
out in November 1945.

Woman: The hellcat was was
phased out of front-line duties

Very shortly after
world war ii ended.

This was really a
warbird suited to take on

The striking air arm of
japan's imperial navy.

Once japan's imperial
navy was defeated,

The hellcat's job was done.

Narrator: The navy
turns its attention

Towards a new technology,
the jet engine.

The hellcat is given
another assignment,

Headlining a newly formed
flight demonstration team.

♪

June 15th, 1946,
jacksonville, florida.

Three hellcats perform a
15-minute aerial acrobatic show

For the public.

It's the very first
performance of the team

Known as the blue angels,
a tradition that continues

With different
aircraft to this day.

Woman: The blue angels naturally
picked the top fighter

Of the war, the hellcat.

It was the hellcat
that reminded everyone

What the navy carriers had
done in winning world war ii.

(airplane engine rumbling)

Narrator: The grumman
corporation continues

To manufacture a line of
cat aircraft up until 1991.

The bearcat, panther, tiger,

And tomcat are built in
the grumman tradition

Of reliability and ruggedness.

Man: I think grumman design
philosophy lives on.

The grumman aircraft had a
reputation for being able

To take a lot of damage
and still make it back.

Man: It made you feel like
they were doing everything

They could to bring you
back so you could fly again,

And it made you feel good.

Narrator: In just over
two years, grumman produced

More than 12,000 hellcats.

Only 270 were lost in combat.

Today, less than
two dozen remain.

Flying hellcats are the
rarest birds of all.

Woman: The hellcat was scrapped
so quickly after world war ii

That hellcats today
are very rare.

If you've got a hellcat
and you can restore it

To flying status, that's an
incredibly special contribution

To aviation history.

(airplane engine rumbling)

♪

Narrator: 2017,
chino, california.

The yanks air museum
works to restore

A noted f6f hellcat

To its 1943 airworthy condition.

Man: The restoration
has been ongoing

For approximately
seven to eight years.

Narrator: A special bureau
number insides the cockpit

Tells a colorful backstory.

This hellcat belonged to
commander alex vraciu,

A fighter ace with
19 air victories.

Seven of those
happened in this plane.

Man: It is very unique to not
only have a combat aircraft

That served in the war, but
one flown by a very notable,

Very famous and
successful american ace.

Narrator: Mechanics
rely on a series

Of original 1943 blueprints to
help them assemble the plane.

Man: We do have the original
blueprints on microfilm

For probably, maybe about
70 to 80% of the aircraft.

Narrator: When parts
are missing, it becomes

A historical scavenger hunt.

Man: We have gone as far as the
south pacific occasionally

To find certain rare parts
for some of our restorations.

It's really quite
amazing what you'll find.

Narrator: Yanks
air museum wants

The restored hellcat fighter
to inspire a new generation

Of aircraft enthusiasts.

Man: It's really that
dedication to trying to keep

This history alive
and preserve it

That keeps our team going.

Ultimately it really is
more of a labor of love

Than anything else.

♪

Narrator: The hard-won
battles of the pacific theater

Are long over, but the
hellcat's ruggedness, dexterity,

And sheer firepower
still shines on.

Woman: The hellcat's
air-to-air kill ratio

Was one of the highest

Of world war ii, 19 to one.

Man: It was a purpose-built
aircraft to do one thing,

And it did that thing
very, very well.

Narrator: It
gave the enemy hell,

The fighter pilots hope,
and the united states

The victory it badly needed.

Man: If we hadn't had the
hellcat, the war might have had

A different outcome.

Narrator: In just over
two years, the hellcat proved

That u.S. Naval aviation was
a force to be reckoned with

And left its name etched
in the history books

As one of world war ii's
most legendary fighters.