Why the Japanese Feared the F6F Hellcat 

Found these interviews of my Dad, Don McPherson this evening. These are very well done. Thank you.

My dad was a Hellcat Pilot that served in pretty much the whole war in the Pacific

My brother Tom was born on this day in Pecos Texas. Dad was US Army Air Force, he trained bomer pilots. He retired an US Air Force as a Major in 1962.

My grandpa was in the engine room on the USS Essex. He had some crazy stories.

My dad was Army in that invasion force. I sent this to my friend because his father was on the USS Essex during this battle. Not sure his rating was. (MOS to non- Navy) He was certainly on the guns. So his dad was protecting my dad. We are searching for an old film that showed his father when they are pushing an aircraft off the deck into the sea. It's ust a quick shot of him but he would treasure it.

The only thing I dislike about your videos is when you put the actual black and white footage on the little TV where you can barely see it I wish it was on the whole screen like the rest of the video otherwise you do an absolutely incredible great job on these videos thank you very much❤❤❤

Royal Navy Spitfires successfully used their hi speed and climb to intercept Japanese kamikaze attacks at Okinawa and Iwo Jima. The British also used Corsairs and Hellcats.

At least I’m not sobbing at the end of this like your last few productions. History from that war is BRUTAL. 😬

Great video. Also future video idea-describing unique engines of early Italian fighter planes and the crazy designs of some of the naval strike aircraft that they created

People talk about Chi Chi Jima as if it had no tactical importance. In fact Chi Chi Jima was a huge radio relay station from the Japanese mainland to the rest of the Pacific.

A story so good it took two installments to tell! Thanks TJ

2:00 I remember watching this live as it happened on my TV set.

Great video as always. I really appreciate hearing the stories directly from the veterans.

my Dad said that by March of ‘45 Japan had about run out of seasoned experienced pilots and that even he shot down three in his P-40 Warhawk … he said that 3 months before he passed in 2011 saying further that nobody should brag about shooting down the enemy because one might have shot down the guy who would have later cured cancer !!!

Superbly put together video paying tribute to these guys from the greatest generation. Many thanks!

My uncle was corps of engineers in the 77th division on Okinawa. "The professor" he was called because he loved reading books. Fredrick graves schrimper.

Thanks for what you do bro, I really look forward to hearing the stories of these men.

Most people did not have TV sets until 1955. News reals were played in moive theaters. Great job well done !!!

Thanks for the story!

We had some superb aircraft! 💪🇺🇲 Superb pilots, as well!

Another great story, incredible research and visuals, talk about making history come alive! Thanks very much for passing on the legacy of the greatest generation.

Your videos are truly outstanding Sir. Thank you very much!

Great production TJ ! Super interesting ! Appreciate your hard work, keep on it !

Awesome video! Thoroughly enjoyed this one :)

Best presented and edited videography out there.

Great presentation. thanks

Thank you for your service

I am in awe. Thank you, Sir!

Your work is very good Tj!

Good video but with one nitpick: When a plane gets its wing shot off it rolls uncontrollably in that same direction.

Outstanding! Thank you.

My uncle was probably on the Essex at this time. Machinist mate, or something like that (USN).

Love watching these videos and hearing from the veterans who faught

I watch a lot of WW2 history videos, most are from the European theatre, I like how you mix it up! I really enjoy your videos

So important that you are doing this. Recording Don and people like him so his words will be here for future generations hear.

Great video

Your videos are great . Thanks

Great video Tj3!! As a suggestion, could you please add in-video subtitles for your next interviews? Thanks!

My father was navy on a supply ship. Large Slow Target..they didn't have the armament of a war ship. He never said much sbout it. Durvived the war. Stayed in Shanghai for many months after the war.

Imagine how crazy it would be if you and another person rode a rollercoaster with him in the front car and you in the end car... you both have a sub-machine guns...and after the rollercoaster car ascends the peak of the initial big hill, you and the other person are free to shoot the other person throughout the wild turns and unexpected zooms and dives. NOW... multiply that 10x and you have a WWII fighter combat experience.

You know its gonna be a good friday when a TJ3 masterpiece drops. I appreciate the great content TJ, stay awesome.

My uncle was on board the uss missouri BB 63 ! My dad was on a tin can destroyer the uss power . They never spoke too much or bragged .. but my uncle did say a kamikaze hit the ship w no damage 😮. The greatest men /women & generation to keep us free 🇺🇸

Great video...👍

Another fine video my friend with Don McPherson in person❣ flying his F6F Hellcat 👍 Old F-4 2 Shoe🇺🇸

Wow! Another great story! True stories/life always trumps fiction!

just started reading a book about this from the japanese perspective called the grenade form allan graths

Hey T, was watching Masters of the Air recently and had never heard the story of the Tuskegee guys losing three planes while attacking that radar array. Will you do a video on that? The movie didn't give much info on the before, during and after.

10:13 Nice Video @TJ3 .. I love it when you interview one of these old Vets!!! .. Is it teue that the Kamikaze Pilots received very little trainung??? .. 🙄🤔😲

My neighbor who has since passed landed on Okinawa, USMC.

Incredible true life story!

Somehow this story didn’t make it to the “Dogfights” episode regarding the F6F.

By the Okinawan campaign the F6F-5 had superseded the F6F-3. Outwardly both Hellcats looked identical. The -5 possessed a slightly upgraded engine offering a top speed of 380 mph to the -3's top speed of 376 mph. More, the -5 could carry bombs and rockets underneath both wings while the -3 typically carried only an auxiliary fuel tank under the belly although a bomb could be hitched there. Thus the -5 Hellcat had been transformed into a versatile fighter-bomber. In addition a night-fighter version of the Hellcat was available over Okinawa, the F6F-5N, which carried an armament of two, 20mm cannon and four, .50 heavy machine guns, turning the night fighter into a gun ship. Yet the deadly Hellcat was staring at obsolescence in the face. Its successor, the superlative F8F-1 Bearcat, had entered mass production and intensive pilot training. At the time of Japan's unconditional surrender, the F8F-1 was aboard U.S. Navy carriers racing across the Pacific to Japanese home waters. Japanese Imperial Navy ace, Lieutenant Saburo Sakai (Sakai had just been promoted to lieutenant from warrant officer just before war's end.) related how Japanese Navy pilots respected and feared the Hellcat more than the Corsair. The Japanese pilots understood the Corsair was a high performance aircraft, faster than the Hellcat. But the Hellcat could dogfight against the A6M5 Zero-sen. The Hellcat could stay behind a Zero for 90 degrees of a turn in a dogfight, something the heavier Corsair could not do. There are anecdotal incidents of pursuing F4U Corsairs that dived into the sea or land while chasing a Zero. The lighter, nimbler Zero was able to pull up just in time while the heavy Corsair could not. The Corsair flew like a truck. Its forte was zoom climb and dive attacks on Japanese fighter aircraft. By the end of 1944 only experienced Japanese fighter pilots could hope to cope against the Hellcat fighter. Sakai attested to that. Falling back on his flying skills and experience, Sakai could use the Zero's superior maneuverability defensively against the Hellcat whereas earlier in the war Japanese pilots used their Zero airplane's maneuverability offensively. It was only with the introduction of the better, 2nd generation Kawanishi Shiden-Kai N1K2-J "George" that Saburo Sakai felt Japanese pilots gained supremacy over the Hellcat. But the tide of the Pacific War had turned against Japan. The Imperial Japanese Navy did not possess near enough the quantity of Shiden-Kai's, enough trained pilots, and the necessary aviation fuel for training and combat operations.

Japanese pilots who fought on the newest planes in those days such as "Shidenkai" and "Goshikisen" told that they had no fear against F6F. But the number of these planes were too small to recover the fight.

I love the F6F, soo thicc😍

Suggestion: rather than a 1950 & 1960s TV motif to display the WW II footage, you use an indoor movie theater since that is the way almost all film footage of the war would have been viewed by those in the USA. Newsreels were shown daily to keep the civilians informed of the progress of the war.

They feared the F4u Corsair far more.

The battle footage was amazing, and the men were ferocious. But, I'm struggling with this presentation on the "black and white TV". Mainly because no one had "black and white TV" during WWII. How is this appropriate? It would be much better in full screen.

I lived on Okinawa for 3 years. Saw many of the battle places. Toured the southern caves the Japanese command committed suicide in.

The F6f hellcat and many others proves that having a bubble canopy wasn't really that much of a deal,as humans we don't get anything near swiweling 180° by neck or spinal column.

People watched news reels at movie theaters. There weren't TVs in the 40s.

1 day before the Yamato went under.

Could you please get a little bigger TV to view bw WWII films for us thanks! Otherwise love your stuff!

Nice waork man - wondering when you'll be getting your own Netflix show?

Jumping low flying fixed gear Vals? A really interesting account is when Major Thomas McGuire flew a squad of four P-38's to try and beat Dick Bong's record. They had the altitude advantage initially but an Oscar and Frank (Ki-84) were present and two of the P-38's didn't return. McGuire was one of them. The story goes McGuire mishandled his plane, but with the Frank pushing him its likely that was merely a cover story for losing that flyer. However, if through ACM you force an enemy to auger in, thats a Kill too.

What kind of camera are you using for Don's interview?

Actually, the Japanese called it Special Attack Corps, not Kamikaze.

what does tv have to do with any of this?

Hey, just an observation here. Are your scenes with an old TV generated by AI because the dials and other details are just 'fudgey' to me. No actual channel numbers and such. Curious to know.

Do you have a second part that explains why the Japanese feared the hellcat?

what was a message drop mission?

Because when it came out Japan had lost most of their veteran pilots and you had new pilots in an old plane going up against the best in the Navy in a new plane.

nice war thunder footage

Don McFearsome was absolutely fearsomeless!✊😏

Excellent story. Personally I use first hand accounts for historcal value.

My dad wasn't a hellcat pilot. I'm just here cuz I love hellcat lo

All of that bombardment of the beaches were wasted. Almost all of the Japanese were in caves in the Southern parts of the Island.

Great story however the title of the video is misleading.

That was a really good, honest war! Men were still fighting with weapons in their hands. Today everything has degenerated into a video game. War is no longer fun! The real tough duel between real men has given way to the joystick. Unfortunately, you can no longer see success today if it tears your opponent into a thousand pieces. The killer instinct of real men has been lost.

I did not know they used napalm in WW2.

4:06 is African-American, Proud to See Him, Heaven is for Heroes. Semper-Fi.

F6F Hellcat: The Zero Killer.

This video's simulation of a plane with one wing shot off is wrong. Minus a wing, a plane's lift is one-sided, causing the plane to violently rotate in a corkscrew motion around its fuselage. There's no lift on the side that's missing a wing, so that side drops. The side with the remaining wing continues to provide lift. So, missing a wing, there's a corkscrew motion. We don't see this on the video. Even so, this video depicted the actions of the battle, and added immeasurably to the telling of an important history that might have gone untold.

Great content, but what is the point of showing it on a TV from the 1950s?

It was not so much fearing the Hellcat per se. It was how many of the damn things that kept coming.

Meets and exceeds my standards.

Bro making dogfights episodes in 2024

whats with the tv?-no tvback then

Those men knew their pronouns....

The animation suxxx! Each Browning M2 only had 400rds, about a 40sec continuous stream. Short bursts were the key

film news then was carried to to viewers in movie theatres USO facilities

The F6F did everything the F4F could do, only better. It also could do most of what a Zero did, only better, Lol. Imagine being a Japanese pilot and confusing a squadron of Hellcats with the Wildcat, Lol. Very similar looking despite the size difference. He would learn his mistake very quickly.

The F6F Hellcat , in the hands of the right fighter pilot , handled correctly could have served in Korea as a ground assault fighter.

Your discord has expired?

Why on earth do you repeat everything Don says? We heard it the first time!

Of course they feared it. It, unlike the F4F wildcat, it could meet and beat the zero on _its own terms._ And the 6 nifty fifties would _shred_ them. That is why it had a 19:1 kill ratio.

They feared them and everything else... because AMERICAN soldiers were operating this equipment .

Nice story, but what has that got to do with the title of the video

Fm2

DAVENPORT IA, DAD JOKE,of the day [Q] what is the difference between, PUNCTUATION, vs PUNCTUALITY? [A] only TIME,can tell

Not in war thunder though