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Produced in 1944 by Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, GRUMMAN AT WAR shows the company in full swing as part of the WWII production effort. The film was released along with a companion book to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the company's founding. By the time it was made, production of the Wildcat and Avenger had been taken over by the Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors Corporation, under their FM and TBM designations, to allow Grumman to concentrate on production of the F6F Hellcat, the star of this film.

The film was produced by the Princeton Film Center and produced by Leroy G. Phelps and Gordon Knox and directed by Robert Elwyn.

The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United States Navy's dominant fighter in the second half of the Pacific War. The Hellcat competed with the faster Vought F4U Corsair for that role and prevailed, as the Corsair had significant issues with carrier landings. The Corsair instead was primarily deployed to great effect in land-based use by the U.S. Marine Corps.

Powered by a 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800, the same powerplant used for both the Corsair and the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters, the F6F was an entirely new design, but it still resembled the Wildcat in many ways. Some military observers tagged the Hellcat as the "Wildcat's big brother".

The F6F was best known for its role as a rugged, well-designed carrier fighter which was able, after its combat debut in September 1943, to outperform the A6M Zero and help secure air superiority over the Pacific Theater. 12,275 were built in just over two years.

Hellcats were credited with destroying a total of 5,223 enemy aircraft while in service with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm.This was more than any other Allied naval aircraft. Postwar, the Hellcat was phased out of front line service but remained in service as late as 1954 as a night fighter.

Incidentally, in the opening sequences, an aircraft is shown that is the "first F6F ever made", but in reality that moniker would be more appropriate for the XF6F-1, which had it's first flight on June 26, 1942. The "stand-in" Hellcat shown is probably an F6F-3 in Test Department markings.

The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading 20th century U.S. producer of military and civilian aircraft. Founded on December 6, 1929, by Leroy Grumman and partners, its independent existence ended in 1994 when it was acquired by Northrop Corporation to form Northrop Grumman.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com