Grumman F4F-3 and F4F-3A Wildcat, Martlet Mk.I and Mk.III Part 2

The Wildcat's popularity was (and is) based on the very successful service of the aircraft by the US Navy and the US Marine Corps in the Pacific theater. However, the fighter of this type had its combat debut much earlier, in the European operational area. The aircraft of another major user of F4F fighters, the British Air Branch, usually called the Fleet Air Arm, operated here. The fighters, initially bearing the British designation Martlet (the Wildcat designation was not used by the British until 1944), also received very high praise from the FAA. In October 1941, the Admiralty even called them the best available naval fighter aircraft. In the European operational area, if we also include the vast expanses of the Atlantic Ocean, the Grumman F4F-3 and F4F-3A of the US Navy also underwent their initial active deployment. This happened as part of the cruises of American aircraft carriers to protect neutrality, which was nothing more than the deployment of US Navy vessels against German submarines.

In this publication, in addition to the initial operations of the US Navy Wildcats in the Atlantic, we will focus on the circumstances of the creation and history of the initial export variants of the Grumman fighter with the original fixed, non-retractable wing, both from French and British orders. We will also include the initial operations of the Martlets from the British Isles and in the Atlantic Ocean.

 The publication is A4 format, full-color on high-quality coated paper, V2 binding, 52 pages, many photos, color side views.