The US Navy began trialing their Corsairs through squadron VF-12 in October 1942. VF-17 was stocked with the new fighters in April of 1943 and early USN use saw Corsairs operating from land bases as well until its carrier training and operation kinks were worked out. Indeed the aircraft was given such nicknames as "Ensign Eliminator" and "Ensign Killer" for its tricky handling when on deck though, otherwise, it remained a powerful, fast and highly-valued fighter. Such was the value of the aircraft that the U.S. Navy did not give up the F4U in a frontline service role until December of 1954 - after the Korean War.
While the US Marines enjoyed successes with their Corsairs from land bases, the British Fleet Air Arm (FAA) fielded the mount in its initially-intended role of carrier-based fighter. To fit aboard the space-strapped British carriers, the Corsair received wings that were some eight inches shorter than their American counterparts. British naval Corsair Mk IIs of No. 1834 Squadron were used in the April 3rd, 1944 attack on the German battleship KMS Tirpitz and, from then on, British airmen grew equally fond of their Corsairs.
The history of the Corsair did not end with the final days of World War 2 for the type was pressed into service as a close-support platform during the upcoming Korean War (1950-1953). F4Us excelled in the role despite the arrival of jet-powered aircraft for they could loiter longer and fly lower under greater control than their fast-flying, fuel-thirsty jet-powered brethren. These Corsairs attacked with machine guns and cannons as well as rockets and conventional drop bombs. Amazingly, F4U Corsairs accounted for some 80% of all US Marine and Navy ground strike missions during 1950 alone. It was not wholly uncommon for the propeller-driven Corsairs to also successfully counter the new jet-powered Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 "Fagot" fighters emerging from the Soviet Union and fighting for North Korea. To the Corsair line was also added specialized night-fighter variants which increased the service lives of the family line considerably.
During the First Indochina War (1946-1954), French aviators relied on their F4Us against Viet Minh forces from the span of 1952 to 1954. These were operated from land-based units and provided all manner of Close-Air Support (CAS) for fighting French forces on the ground. Additional service saw Corsairs in action during the Suez Crisis (1956) in the Middle East, in the Algerian War (1954-1962) and over Tunisia (1961).
Beyond production by Vought - whose lines struggled with the massive American military requirement during World War 2 - the F4U was produced by both Brewster (F3A-1) and Goodyear (FG-1). Marks began with the original F4U-1 (known as "Corsair Mk I" in the Fleet Air Arm) and these were followed by the late first-batch F4U-1A (Corsair Mk II) and 700 Brewster-built F3A-1 (Corsair Mk III). Fighter-bomber forms then emerged as the F4U-1C (4 x 20mm cannon armament) and F4U-1D (P&W R2800-8W water-injected engine) which carried 2 x 1,000lb bombs or 8 x 5" rockets. The F4U-1P was a photo-reconnaissance mount. An experimental night fighter version became the X4FU-2. Another night fighter form was the F4U-2 based on the F4U-1. The final World War 2 Corsair model became the F4U-4 which appeared in late 1944. XF4U-2 was a late-war night fighter which served through VFN-75 and VFN-101.
The F4U-4C were 300 Corsairs outfitted with 4 x 20mm M2 cannons instead of the original 6 x machine gun armament. Additional night fighters emerged as the F4U-4E and F4U-4N. The F4U-4P was another photo-reconnaissance mount. Appearing in 1945 was the F4U-5 which arrived late in the year and thusly missed out on actions in World War 2 altogether. The P&W R-2800-32(E) engine outputted at 2,850 horsepower.
The F4U-N was outfitted with radar and saw production reach 214 units. The F4U-5NL was developed as an arctic warfare variant evolved from the F4U-5N. The F4U-5P was an extended range photo-reconnaissance mount. The F4U-6 was a dedicated USMC ground attack variant which was eventually redesignated under the AU-1 marker. The F4U-7 was a French Navy-inspired development. The F4U-K and FG-1K both served as drones.
Special interceptor versions, particularly to deal with the rising threat of Imperial Japanese Navy kamikaze suicide strikes, became the Goodyear F2G-1 and F2G-2 (detailed elsewhere on this site). These were fielded with the P&W R-4360 "Wasp Major" 28-cylinder engine of 3,000 horsepower, nearly fifty percent greater power than the original Corsair product. Slight changes differentiated the two marks though neither ever saw combat in World War 2 with only ten examples emerging from testing and the war ending.
Beyond the United States, United Kingdom and France, the Corsair was in play with the Argentine Navy, the El Salvadorian Air Force, the Honduran Air Force and the New Zealand Air Force. The last known flying, military-grade F4U was retired in 1979 with Honduras while New Zealand fielded the F4U across thirteen total squadrons from 1944 to 1949.
In popular culture, the Corsair served as the subject of the late-1970s television series "Black Sheep Squadron" (originally known as "Baa Baa Black Sheep"). The show chronicled the experiences of "Pappy" Boyington (played by Robert Conrad) during his Pacific Theater career.
Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.