F8F Bearcat: Grumman's Late-War Dogfighter: 64 (Legends of Warfare: Aviation, 64)

This latest volumes in the "Legends" series is really a keeper! There isn't a whole lot out there on the F8F Bearcat; Gumman's late-war carrier fighter which arrived too late to see any combat in the WW2, and was already relegated to second-line service by the time Korea came along. The French certainly used them to good advantage in French Indochina, but I think the lack of any World War 2 combat has allowed the F8F to slip beneath the publishing radar for the most part. Thus this volume is a most welcome addition to the literature available on this aircraft. The book, as usual, contains a wealth of photographs which serve to illustrate the type in various settings and eras, as well as some nice detail photographs as well -- which, doubtless, will be appreciated by model builders. All in all I have no trouble recommending this volume to anyone interested in Grumman's final propeller-driven fighter.

the US Navy never used them in combat. Their aeronautics gave them speed, agility, endurance and an impressive rate of climb; they were also small and light enough to replace Wildcats on American escort carriers; from these they were intended to intercept Kamikazes long before they could strike. Bearcats were, however, commissioned too late for WW2, then deemed inappropriate for Korea.When North Korea invaded the South, its army was supported incognito by Russian pilots in Mig 15s, powered by British-designed Rolls Royce jet-engines-- a story in itself. Jet warfare had arrived and the US Navy used its fleet aircraft-carriers to launch America's riposte; escort carriers were too small. Russian pilots also displayed scant interest in plunging suicidally into enemy ships, denying Bearcats their original role. As fighter-planes, they were not fast enough to compete with Migs, nor rugged enough for conversion into fighter-bombers to support the US Army on land. Corsairs were selected in preference, relegating Bearcats to second-line duties.They were used by the French in Vietnam, possibly in combat, but the book does not expand on this; it also lacks diagrams of the plane in its entirety-- so I've deducted a star in general protest. I'm nonetheless pleased to own the book: Bearcats were the last of Grumman's piston-engined, monoplane fighters and would doubtless have saved many American lives, had they been completed soon enough, or had the invasion of Japan proceeded.In closing, I would also recommend Legend of Warfare's books on the Bearcat's predecessors, the Wildcat and Hellcat. The former held its ground against Japanese Zeros, until the latter trounced them. All three books are by David Doyle, whose English is lucid. The same applies to his book on the Corsair, which I would add to the list. Surprisingly, Legends of Warfare has yet to publish a book on the Zero.