Grumman F6F-5 40467 "Paper Doll" VF-27, USS Princeton (CVL-23), October 1944

VF-27 F6F-5 Hellcat "Paper Doll" belonged to Lt. (jg) Robert Burnell but on October 24, 1944 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf was flown from the USS Princeton by Lt. Carl Brown Jr.. Brown and other aircraft intercepted Japanese aircraft heading for the U.S. Fleet and he managed to down 5 enemy aircraft. During the battle Brown and his aircraft were hit but he managed to land on the USS Essex since the USS Princeton was ablaze. "Paper Doll" was pushed in the sea to make room for all the extra aircraft that were recovering.

Developed by Grumman to combat the Japanese Zero, the carrier-based F6F Hellcat was first flown on June 26, 1942. The Hellcat was a far more potent force than its predecessor, the Wildcat. It had increased fuel capacity, a low-mounted wing, wide landing gear, strengthened cockpit armor plating, and increased ammunition capacity. The big Double Wasp engine was set three degrees off the center axis, giving the aircraft a tail-down attitude in flight. Pilots' stories of "mostly holes where the airplane used to be" underscore the Hellcat's ability absorb unbelievable punishment and still return to the ship.