F4U Corsair: The Bent-Wing Fighter Marines Took to War
Few aircraft are as instantly recognizable as the Vought F4U Corsair.
Its enormous propeller, long nose and distinctive inverted gull wings gave it a silhouette unlike almost anything else in the sky.
During World War II, it also became one of the most formidable fighters flown by the United States Marine Corps.
From the primitive airfields of the Solomon Islands to the skies over Okinawa, Marine aviators used the Corsair to fight Japanese aircraft, attack enemy positions and protect Marines on the ground.
Then, years after World War II ended, the Corsair went to war again in Korea.
By the time its combat career was over, the bent-wing fighter had become a Marine Corps aviation legend.
Built Around a Powerful Engine
The Corsair was designed around one of the most powerful aircraft engines available at the time: the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp, an 18-cylinder radial engine producing roughly 2,000 horsepower in early versions.
Harnessing that power required an enormous propeller.
That created a problem.
A conventional landing gear tall enough to provide adequate ground clearance for the propeller would have been heavy and cumbersome.
Vought's engineers found an ingenious solution.
They bent the wings downward near the fuselage and then upward again farther out. The landing gear could attach at the lowest point of the wing, allowing shorter and stronger gear while still providing clearance for the huge propeller.
The result was the Corsair's unmistakable inverted gull wing.
What began as an engineering solution became one of the most famous aircraft profiles in aviation history.
A Difficult Beginning
The Corsair was originally intended for carrier operations, but early versions proved challenging during carrier landings.
The long nose restricted the pilot's forward visibility during approach. The aircraft also had landing characteristics that could make bringing it aboard a carrier difficult.
While improvements were being made, the Navy relied heavily on the Grumman F6F Hellcat for carrier fighter operations.
That opened another opportunity for the Corsair.
The Marines could fly it from land.
Marine fighter squadrons operating from rough island airfields in the Pacific began putting the Corsair into combat in 1943.
It didn't take long for the aircraft to demonstrate what it could do.
The Corsair Goes to Guadalcanal
One of the first Marine squadrons to take the Corsair into combat was VMF-124, which arrived in the Solomon Islands in February 1943.
The Corsair entered a brutal air campaign.
Japanese aircraft remained a serious threat, and Marine aviators were flying from rough forward bases where mud, heat, mechanical problems and enemy attacks were part of everyday operations.
But the Corsair had something Marine pilots wanted desperately:
Performance.
It was fast, powerful and heavily armed.
Typical World War II Corsairs carried six .50-caliber Browning machine guns in the wings.
Against Japanese aircraft, that combination of speed, firepower and durability made the Corsair a deadly opponent.
The Black Sheep
Perhaps no Marine Corsair squadron became more famous than VMF-214, the "Black Sheep."
The squadron is closely associated with Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, one of the most recognizable Marine aviators of World War II.
Boyington and the Black Sheep flew Corsairs during combat operations in the Solomon Islands in 1943 and early 1944.
Boyington was credited with 26 aerial victories during his military career before being shot down in January 1944 and captured by the Japanese.
He spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner.
For his actions in combat, Boyington was awarded the Medal of Honor.
His exploits — and the later television series *Baa Baa Black Sheep* — helped cement the Corsair's place in popular culture.
But VMF-214 was only one of numerous Marine squadrons that took the F4U into battle.
More Than a Fighter
As the Pacific war continued, the Corsair demonstrated that it could do much more than shoot down enemy aircraft.
Marines needed aircraft capable of supporting troops fighting on the islands below.
The Corsair proved exceptionally well suited to the job.
Equipped with bombs and rockets, Corsairs attacked Japanese bunkers, artillery positions, troop concentrations, vehicles and other targets.
The fighter was becoming a powerful fighter-bomber.
That role became increasingly important as American forces moved closer to Japan and enemy air opposition declined.
Corsairs could escort aircraft, patrol the skies and then turn toward the battlefield to deliver bombs and rockets in support of Marines on the ground.
Okinawa
During the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, Marine Corsairs played an important role supporting American forces fighting across the island.
Marine aviation units operated from captured airfields and flew missions against Japanese positions while also defending against enemy air attacks.
The fighting demonstrated how closely Marine aviation could work with Marines on the ground.
Pilots attacked targets that threatened infantry units, helping destroy or suppress enemy positions that could be extremely difficult to reach with ground weapons.
The Corsair had evolved from a high-performance fighter into one of the most effective close-air-support aircraft available to the Marines.
That mission would soon become even more important.
World War II Ends — But the Corsair Doesn't
When Japan surrendered in August 1945, it appeared that the Corsair's great war was over.
Thousands had been produced.
Jet aircraft were beginning to represent the future of military aviation.
The Corsair seemed destined to become another famous World War II aircraft gradually replaced by newer technology.
Then war erupted in Korea in June 1950.
The Corsair went back into combat.
Back to War in Korea
By the Korean War, jet fighters such as the F-86 Sabre and MiG-15 were changing aerial warfare.
The propeller-driven Corsair could no longer compete with the newest jets as a front-line air-superiority fighter.
But it remained exceptionally useful for attacking targets on the ground.
Marine Corsairs flew extensive close-air-support missions for Marines fighting across Korea.
They attacked enemy troops, artillery, vehicles, supply routes and fortified positions.
And during one of the most desperate battles in Marine Corps history, Corsairs were overhead.
Corsairs Over Chosin
During the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir in late 1950, Marines of the 1st Marine Division found themselves surrounded by massive Chinese forces in brutally cold conditions.
Marine aviation became a lifeline.
Corsairs flew close-air-support missions against Chinese troops threatening Marines on the ground.
Among the Marine aviators flying during the campaign was Captain Jesse G. Folmar and other pilots whose low-level attacks demonstrated the value of Marine air-ground coordination.
The same basic aircraft that had fought Japanese fighters over the Solomon Islands was now attacking enemy positions in the frozen mountains of Korea.
It was an extraordinary second combat life for a fighter designed before the United States had even entered World War II.
Jesse Brown and Thomas Hudner
One of the most famous Corsair stories of the Korean War involved Navy aviators Ensign Jesse L. Brown and Lieutenant Junior Grade Thomas J. Hudner Jr.
On December 4, 1950, while supporting forces near the Chosin Reservoir, Brown's Corsair was damaged and crash-landed in mountainous terrain.
Brown survived the crash but was trapped inside the aircraft.
Hudner deliberately crash-landed his own Corsair nearby in an attempt to rescue him.
Despite desperate efforts by Hudner and a helicopter pilot, Brown could not be freed and died from his injuries.
Hudner survived and was later awarded the Medal of Honor for attempting to save his fellow pilot.
Although Brown and Hudner were Navy aviators, their story unfolded while Corsairs were supporting the desperate ground battle being fought by Marines around Chosin.
It remains one of the most extraordinary stories associated with the aircraft.
The Sound of the Corsair
The Corsair developed a reputation not only for its appearance but also for its sound.
Air moving through portions of the aircraft at high speed produced a distinctive noise that could announce a Corsair's arrival before troops saw it.
For Marines pinned down on the ground, the approaching sound of friendly aircraft could mean something very different than it did to the enemy.
It meant help was coming.
Seconds later, Corsairs might streak across the battlefield with machine guns firing, rockets leaving their wings or bombs dropping toward enemy positions.
That relationship between Marine infantry and Marine aviation became an important part of the Corps' air-ground doctrine.
A Marine Aviation Legend
More than 12,000 Corsairs were ultimately produced in numerous variants.
They served not only with the United States but with several other nations, and Corsairs remained in military service overseas long after the United States stopped flying them operationally.
But the aircraft's association with the Marine Corps remains particularly strong.
Marine pilots took the Corsair into combat from rough island airfields when its carrier career was still uncertain.
They fought Japanese aircraft over the Pacific.
They attacked enemy positions across the islands.
They supported Marines fighting on Okinawa.
And when another war began five years later, Marine Corsairs returned to the battlefield to provide close air support in Korea.
The F4U Corsair was born as a fighter.
It became a fighter-bomber.
And in the hands of Marine aviators, it became something even more important:
An aircraft Marines on the ground knew they could count on.