The opening of the air war over the Pacific was brutal. Allied pilots found themselves facing an enemy whose fighters appeared to be able to run rings around their own. The most notable of these Japanese fighters was the Mitsubishi A6M more commonly known to Allied pilots as the Zero. Designed by a team headed by Jiro Honkoshi, the A6M was designed for the Imperial Japanese Navy and as such could be operated from carriers. At the time, most carrier-based fighters had to sacrifice some aspect of its performance to make it suitable for the rigours of carrier operations but what made the Zero so feared was that for the first time, this aircraft had performance that could match most of its land-based adversaries; something almost completely lost on Allied intelligence prior to December 1941.

The Zero was a fast slasher, being capable of high speed and great agility. By contrast most Allied fighters such as the US Navy’s Grumman F4F Wildcat were much heavier designs as they incorporated greater protection; something the Zero sacrificed to achieve its stellar performance. Therefore, it was quickly realised that what was needed was a more powerful fighter that could match the Zero’s performance without sacrificing the protection and firepower afforded the US pilots and this lead to the development of one of the greatest fighters of World War II – the Grumman F6F Hellcat. Welcome to Wars of the World.

00:00 Introduction
01:54 Make it strong, make it work and make it simple
06:07 Into The Fight
09:52 The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot
13:43 Improvements
16:44 Legacy

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Written & Researched by: Tony Wilkins
Edited by: James Wade


History Should Never Be Forgotten...