HMS Formidable, August 1944
Limited Edition

A total 2,012 Corsairs saw service with the Fleet Air Arm during WW2 and the immediate post-war period. Royal Navy Corsairs all had 41cm clipped from their wing-tips which enabled below-deck storage on British carriers which were smaller than the American carriers for which the Corsair was originally designed. 1842 Sqn was formed in February 1944 and shipped to the USA to train on Corsairs. When training was completed the squadron returned to the UK and embarked in HMS Formidable. In August 1944 along with Indefatigable, Furious, Nabob and Trumpeter, Formidable and 1842 Sqn took part in Operation Goodwood, a series of four attacks upon the German Battleship Tirpitz. The infamous German battleship, which was moored in a Norwegian Fjord, posed a serious threat to convoys sailing from the UK to Russia and had already been attacked on a number of occasions. During the Goodwood attacks the Corsairs attacked flak positions and JT590 received serious damage to the starboard elevator but returned to the carrier and landed safely.

Vought F4U Corsair

Designed to meet a US Navy requirement for a single-seat carrier based fighter, the F4U was first flown on May 29th, 1940. This versatile aircraft saw service with both the Navy and Marine Corps in WW II and in the Korean War. During its lifetime, the Corsair underwent numerous improvements such as a lengthened fuselage, a high visibility bubble-top canopy and folding inverted gull wings that provided clearance for a large propeller. Its performance advantage, 400 mph capability, the ability to withstand punishment and six .50 Browning machine guns made the F4U a devastating weapon against aircraft, ground targets and ships.