F4F Wildcat / Martlet

Against the odds, Grumman's tubby little 'cat' clawed its way back from obscurity to 'hold the line' and set new aircraft carrier aviation standards. The F4F Wildcat, known as the Martlet in Fleet Air Arm service, proved to be a rugged and stoic little fighter - even though it was not as fast as its land-based opponents. And it remained in operation on escort carriers until the end of World War II.
Note: I missed a change in the commentary. At 19:26 the speaker changes to David Wright (893 NAS)

[tgmccoy]

The sabotage accusations had its root in the Wright 1830 constructed by Ford.
B24s built by Ford had issues too. But may have been Ford's Quality control. Nobody really
Got to the bottom of it.

[coreymitchell]

How refreshing that when they talk about an airplane that they are showing footage of the actual model of aircraft rather than stock footage of similar looking types. Well done indeed!

[bassmithbassist]

Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown. What an aviator!!!! Probably flown more different types of aircraft than any man alive. Superior intellectual, humble and an all around very decent man. I wish I could just be in a room with him to listen to him speak about flying. A national treasure to Great Britain is putting it mildly.

[Redspeare]

The Wildcat served throughout the war. It was the great Ace maker of the USN and USMC early on. Joe Foss, who was awarded the Medal of Honor, scored all of his 26 victories in the F4F.

[kurkruk]

The F4 is probably my favorite fighter from WWII. It was not the fastest, not the most manuverable, but they gave the Japanese and Germans hell, and brought their pilots home. I read a book about the battle of Midway when I was a kid that cemented my love for the F4. The F6 was a HUGE improvement, but the F4 started making naval aces first! Great video and interviews!

[bassmithbassist]

I just discovered this channel. How could I have not found this earlier????
Captain Brown is a national treasure for Great Britain!!! He's flown more different types of aircraft in his life than possibly any other person. Humble yet highly intelligent and has fantastic story telling skills!!!!

[QuizmasterLaw]

This channel deserves more views; thank you for recording and preserving real history instead of "infotainment". If nothing else in honour of the fallen and veterans as well as lessons from the past for the future.

[martentrudeau]

Great stories and great Royal Navy pilots, the F4F often is given a bad reviews when compared with the Zero, but it had it's strengths too, and were appreciated. Captain Eric Brown was the first interview, and that got my attention right away.

[washguy]

Love the Wildcat, along with the Hurricane and P-40, saved the allies bacon, all were in mass production at the start of hostilities, served around the globe, under the insignia of many nations, with distinction, never sexy, just solid get the job done aircraft

[edrussell]

My grandfather flew Wildcats in WWII. He told me all about raising the gear. He also said experienced pilots would release the landing gear, dive then pull up. As long as you you kept your right arm out of the way, inertia would lower the gear.

[bassmithbassist]

I've always loved the Grumman 'Cats'. Excellent airplanes with a timeless look. In particular, I admire the wing fold mechanism. A twist and fold. Very compact. Perfect for carrier operations.

[stevewixom]

Really enjoyed this vid. Nice to know the Wildcat was appreciated and thought of so highly.

[Trojan]

Priceless interview by Eric Brown, love the collection of video. I got to talk with many aces in USN while putting on air combat symposiums in the 90’s. They said that hand crank was murder if you let it slip . They would dive on Zeros & avoid dogfighting. Your site is a gem for WW2 buffs, thank you

[pthunderbolt]

Tough plane, tougher pilots and ground crew . Such brave men and we're losing more and more of them with each passing day .

[chris_hisss]

Great hearing these stories! Martlet served them well, that helped them pave the way for advancements in carrier aviation. Not sure most understand just how brilliant the ideas were that we adopted and use still today.

[chrishay]

Wonderful to have this audio records of these brave brave men and crews, a very underrated aircraft but refreshing to hear it beind a good solid robust fighter from the guys who relied on them for their lives .

[nicholasroberts]

To coin a phrase "Cracking show", well put together. The stories that need to be told.
I imagine that the aircrew recordings were made some time ago, as a lot of these guys are long-gone now, including my dad and his comrades in 852 NAS (Avengers)., a lot of whom were trained in the States at Gross Ile, Pensacola and Jacksonville. I believe, though I'm not sure, that someone visited him, shortly before he passed, and interviewed him for a TV show, perhaps Canadian. It would be nice to see/hear that.

[cheesenoodles]

What a great series, Armored Carriers.

[matthewmoore]

Angry bumble bee it’s got Eric’s stamp of approval, Kilometres try flippin knots

[somebloke]

I just love these films. Combining real footage with real commentary from the men who did the dirty work - it’s the best content on YouTube. I watch them again and again. Wonderful. Thank you.