“They had to put a lot of fire into it to knock it out. naval aviation at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, which has a Wildcat in its collections that will go on view in the museum's new World War II gallery slated to open in 2024. “The Wildcat was actually well-armored and very difficult for the Japanese to shoot down,” says Larry Burke, curator of U.S. While not as fast or nimble as other planes, it was surprisingly rugged and effective as a fighter in the hands of a trained pilot. “His remarkable flying skill, inspiring leadership and indomitable fighting spirit were distinctive factors in the defense of strategic American positions on Guadalcanal,” his citation read.įoss answered the call of duty piloting the F4F Wildcat, a very capable carrier-based aircraft that saw service from the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor in 1941 to the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri nearly four years later. fighter pilots, Foss’ exploits came at a time when the outcome of the war was very much in doubt and the country desperately needed heroes. Eddie Rickenbacker’s First World War record of planes destroyed, Foss became America’s first “ace of aces.” Though his total would later be surpassed by other U.S. The Japanese withdrew from attacking strategically important Henderson Field on Guadalcanal and flew back to their base without dropping a single bomb.įoss was hailed for his heroics by saving the airbase with a “brilliant tactical maneuver” and would receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, which put him on the cover of Life Magazine. The cigar-chomping, tough-as-nails American ace with 26 kills in World War II gunned his Grumman F4F Wildcat into action and ordered his pilots to use the overcast conditions to their advantage as they attacked the overwhelming enemy force.īy darting in and out of the clouds, the aptly named Foss’ Flying Circus quickly shot down four Japanese fighters and tricked the bombers into thinking they had encountered a much larger squadron. With only 12 fighters in his attack group, the Marine Corps captain recognized he was impossibly outnumbered. As Joe Foss scanned the skies on January 25, 1943, he spotted a large formation of 100 Japanese bombers and escort planes flying toward Guadalcanal.
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