aircraft/loadouts Adding the Vought F4U-4 Corsair

[Shady_Oreo_147 163]

The F4U-4 Corsair '4-Hog' 

A pilot's dream

 

Even if you were to hate the Corsair I will probably convince you it has to be added if you would completely read the following text

Important notice: on the 1st of September 2017 the mighty snail launched the dev server for update 1.71 and the F4U-4 (BR 5.7) and F4U-4B (BR 6.3) will be added to WT! Therefore we can probably consider this suggestion IMPLEMENTED!

Massive thanks for the support everyone!

Introduction

The Chance-Vought F4U-4 is an improved model of the famous F4U-1 Corsair, which was introduced to combat units in December 1944. It featured improved agility, climb rate, top speed at altitude and at sea level and an improved cockpit lay-out with a new canopy. Over 2400 examples of this '4-Hog' were built between 1944 and 1953. The aircraft primarily saw action in WW2 and Korea, flown by the USN and USMC. The F4U-4 was used during the Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns and on raids over Tokyo. Later it became the primary fighter-bomber of the USN and was massively used during the Korean War, where one F4U-4B even shot down a MiG-15 jet fighter! F4U's dropped the most bombs during WW2 and the Korean War, as fighter bombers. Yep, that's more than the P-47's did in Europe and is indeed a lot of explosives. The F4U-4 also shot down over 100 Kamikaze suicide bombers during the later months of WW2 in the Pacific. 

After the Korean War the F4U-4's were used as advanced trainer aircraft in the US reserve units, but El Honduras still used the F4U-4 together with F4U-5(N)'s in the so-called 'Soccer War' in 1969, where Corsairs shot down an additional 3 enemy aircraft.

 

Reasons 

I think it’s a great idea to add the Vought F4U-4 Corsair to War Thunder and so do many other players, because of several reasons.

Firstly, because there’s a huge gap in BR from the F4U-1C to the F8F-1. That’s from 4.7 to 6.0 – and I think that’s too much. The 4-Hog could fill this gap perfectly, as a battle rating 5.3 or 5.7 aircraft. Performance wise the F4U-4 is similar to the F8F, but with top performance at higher altitudes and the -4 is heavier, making it a less maneuverable aircraft.

Secondly, because I think it’s missing in War Thunder – the P-51D-30 (or F-51), AD-2, F8F, F7F, A-26, B-29, and so on were all prop planes used in the Korean War, mainly for close-air support and bombing. But the F4U-4 and F4U-5 were assigned to this duty more often than any of the other aircraft currently in game. The 4-Hog is a great ground attacker and it was the primary fighter-attacker of the USN from 1945 to 1953. Therefore I think it deserves a place in the American tree.

Thirdly, because it was also used in the last moments of WW2! Many might not know this, but the F4U-4 was delivered to units in December 1944. That means that fighter squadrons, such as VMF-222, used this plane as one of their fighters for over 8 months! Some of the highest scoring Corsair aces flew the F4U-4 in the last parts of the war. A WW2 fighter used in combat for over 8 months definitely deserves a place in this game. Especially if you compare it to planes like the XP-55, XF5F and the BTD-1 – these aircraft are prototypes or were hardly used in the war, like many others.

 

And, to be honest, we’re talking about one of the, if not the best propeller-driven fighter of World War 2. Such a plane can’t be missing from a game like War Thunder!

 

F4U-4 with the new canopy and windshield on the USS Randolph. One of VBF-82, 1946.

 

Here are all my reasons why the F4U-4 should be in game, summarized, but very clear:

1. The BR gap between the F4U-1C (4.7) and the F8F-1 (6.0) needs to be filled. The difference in BR is too much and forces players to research the AAF part of the tech tree to proceed to tier IV. An F4U-4 makes a great 5.3 or 5.7 aircraft in my opinion, and that's a battle rating of which the US really needs another fighter. This BR is made up by comparing the stats of the 4-Hog to other high-tier prop fighters of Germany, USSR, Britain and Japan.

2. The US needs another real high performance fighter for tier IV. At the moment only the Bearcat (and the Mustang if well-flown) can really compete against the Bf-109K's and Ta-152's in Simulator Battles. In Realistic Battles, an American aircraft that has a good climb rate could really be used, and encourages players to climb more. 

3. Because of its history. The F4U-4 played an important role in Iwo Jima and especially Okinawa as both a fighter and ground attacker. Same goes for its tasks in the Korean War. It's a mass-produced fighter, over 2400 of them were produced. That's more than the total number of Vought F4U-1A's or F4U-1D's!

4. It's not only a high-performance fighter, but also a great ground-attack aircraft. Even though the Navy named the plane 'F4U-4', 'F/A4U-4' would've fitted as a better name (F=Fighter, A=Attacker). The plane could carry 8 127mm HVAR rockets and a total of 4000 pounds (2000 Kg) of bombs. Because of its excellent ground-attack capabilities, the Corsair was named 'Sweetheart of Okinawa' by the advancing US marines. Many US lives were saved by this bird. What I'm trying to say with this is that both fighter pilots and attack pilots in WT can use the plane with satisfying results. 

5. It's simply missing! This might sound weird, but if the P-51D-30, AD-2, F8F's, F7F's and a whole bunch of Soviet props, such as the La-9, La-11, Yak-9P are in game, why not the F4U-4 (and perhaps also the F4U-5)? All of these fighters were used a lot in the Korean conflict, so did the F4U-4 (it actually did a lot more than them!). If you know a tiny bit of F4U history, you know a game can't be called a game which simulates WW2 and the Korean War without the 4-Hog. F4U-4's even shot down MiG-15's!

And that's only Korea..... The aircraft was used for 8 months in WW2 as well, and it fully equipped the later USN and USMC Corsair squadrons. 

 

Early F4U-4 of VMF-222, Okinawa 1945. Note the earlier windshield and canopy: early 4-Hogs had these.

 

During the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa the Corsair, especially the F4U-4 got the nickname 'Sweetheart of Okinawa' with a reason. Over 70% of all bombs dropped by US fighters in WW2 were dropped by F4U-1D's and F4U-4's. That's almost 16000 tons of explosives! The 4-Hog indeed played a very important role as a ground attacker in WW2.

 

F4U-4's of VBF-86 on the USS Wasp, 1945. Note the Hellcats, Avengers and Helldivers in the background too.

 

Same goes for the Korean War. The F4U's were the most-used fighter-bombers of the Korean War, and the planes that did that, the F4U-4 and F4U-5 are missing from a WW2 and Korean War themed game. F4U-4's of VMF-214 (Black Sheep, nowadays called VMA-214) played a very, very, very important role in the Inchon Landing and the UN's defeat Chosin Reservoir. 

Flying eight F4U-4B Corsairs on August 3, 1950, VMF-214 became the first Marine squadron to see action in Korea, when they launched from the USS Sicily (CVE-118) and executed a raid against enemy installations near Inchon. After the F4Us delivered their incendiary bombs and rockets, they followed up with a series of strafing runs.[8][9] Flying from the USS Badoeng Strait (CVE-116) and the USS Boxer (CV-21), the Black Sheep completed two combat tours in Korea. They participated in key battles, including the Inchon landing and the UN's defeat and withdrawal from Chosin Reservoir. In these and others battles, they provided nearly continual air cover, interdicting supply and communication lines, and inflicting heavy damage on numerous ground emplacements, and enemy armor. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VMA-214#Korean_War)

And there were many, many more missions than just the one above!

 

F4U-4 of VF-44 taking off from the USS Boxer, June 1953.

 

 

F4U-4's of VMF-323 on the USS Sicily, 1951.

Versions of the 4-Hog

F4U-4: The last variant to see action during World War II, deliveries to the U.S. Navy of the F4U-4 began late in 1944, and this version fully equipped naval squadrons four months before the end of hostilities. It had the 2,100 hp (1,600 kW) dual-stage-supercharged -18W engine. When the cylinders were injected with the water/alcohol mixture, power was boosted to 2,450 hp (1,830 kW). The aircraft required an air scoop under the nose and the unarmored wing fuel tanks of 62 gal (234 l) capacities were removed for better maneuverability at the expense of maximum range. The propeller was changed to a four blade type. Maximum speed was increased to 448 miles per hour (721 km/h) and climb rate to over 4,500 ft/min (1,180 m/min) as opposed to the 2,900 ft/min (884 m/min) of the F4U-1A^] The "4-Hog" retained the original armament and had all the external load (i.e., drop tanks, bombs) capabilities of the F4U-1D. The windscreen was now flat bullet-resistant glass to avoid optical distortion, a change from the curved Plexiglas windscreens with the internal plate glass of the earlier Corsairs

F4U-4B: Designation for F4U-4s to be delivered to the British Fleet Air Arm, but were retained by the U.S. for its own use. The Fleet Air Arm received no F4U-4s. These Hogs became F4U-4C's (although this was not an official designation) and were armed with four AN/M3 20mm cannons, with 924 rounds in total.

F4U-4E and F4U-4N: Developed late in WWII, these night fighters featured radar radomes projecting from the starboard wingtip. The -4E was fitted with the APS-4 search radar, while the -4N was fitted with the APS-6 type. In addition, these aircraft were often refitted with four 20mm M3 cannons. Though these variants would not see combat during WWII, the night fighter variants would see great use during the Korean war.

F4U-4K: Experimental drone.

F4U-4P: As with the -1P, a rare photo reconnaissance variant.

(This information comes from Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_F4U_Corsair)

 

Performance

Data from F4U-4 Detail Specification; F4U-4 Airplane Characteristics and Performance

General characteristics

Crew: 1 pilot

Length: 33 ft 8 in (10.2 m)

Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.5 m)

WS Folded: 17 ft 0.5 in (5.2 m)

Height: 14 ft 9 in (4.50 m)

Empty weight: 9,205 lb (4,174 kg)

Loaded weight: 12,405 lb (5,626 kg)

Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W radial engine, 2,380 hp (1,775 kW)

 

Flight Performance

Maximum speed: 446 mph (717 km/h) at 26,200 ft (using emergency power)

Stall speed: 89 mph (143 km/h) clean

Range: 1,005 mi (1617 km) on internal fuel

Combat radius: 285 nmi (328 mi, 527 km) with one external 150gal tank

Service ceiling: 41,500ft (12,649 m)

Rate of climb: 4,360ft/min (22.1 m/s) at sea-level (using emergency power)

 

Armament

Guns:

6 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning/late machine guns, 400 rounds per gun (F4U-4) or

4 × 0.79 in (20 mm) AN/M3 cannon (F4U-4B)

M3 Brownings were used on F4U-4's in Korea. 

 

Rockets: 8 × 5 in (12.7 cm) high velocity aircraft rockets (HVAR) and/or 

Bombs: 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg)  

 

Documentation:

F4U-4 Pilot's Handbook (April 15, 1947)

F4U-4 Aircraft Characteristics & Performance (March 1, 1946) 

Production Inspection Trials of the F4U-4 Airplane (March 25, 1948)

F4U-4 Performance Summary (Date Unknown)

http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/f4u/f4u-4-detail-specification.pdf

(Massive thanks to Silavite for this^)

 

Suggested BR and place in TT

Since the aircraft saw its primary service with the USN and USMC the aircraft should be added to the naval line of the US TT, obviously, as a Tier IV fighter between the F4U-1C Corsair and F8F-1 Bearcat. The F4U-4, armed with 6 .50 cal MG's is suitable for BR 5.3 and the F4U-4B with 4 20mm cannon is suitable for BR 5.7

 

Pictures and visuals

You can separate the F4U-4 from the -1 by looking at these things: 

-F4U-4 has an air-intake underneath the engine cowling.

-F4U-4 has a 4-bladed propeller, F4U-1 has a 3-bladed one.

-F4U-4 has a larger and improved canopy (except for the very early F4U-4s)

-F4U-4 has a cockpit with a plate underneath the pilot's feet, unlike the F4U-1, with updated instrument and control lay-out. 

-See this modeler's guide (http://tailspintopics.blogspot.nl/2014/03/f4u-4-modelers-notes.html) for the differences in more detail. 

 

Historical photos:

Spoiler

 

Cockpit (note the updated lay-out):

Spoiler

 

Technical drawings:

Spoiler

 

And a special one

Spoiler

 

 

Edited September 2, 2017 by OreoBird_147
Makin' it fancier and fancier boys

[CokeSpray 7,274]

Open for discussion.

[Saint_StuG 1,282]

Wouldn't say no to more corsairs +1

 

I used to really like F4Us when I was getting slightly better than nooby, I'd love to see this

[FloatplaneRammer 1,736]

This is already on the current US release tree. Perhaps you could vote to add in a specific variant?

[Shady_Oreo_147 163]

2 minutes ago, cdahdude5 said:

This is already on the current US release tree. Perhaps you could vote to add in a specific variant?

Weren't these release trees removed some time ago? Not sure though

[AceOfAces99@psn 4,109]

Ohhhhhhh yeah i want it! +111111111111111 

[Traingle_ 179]

Didn't Gaijin say on the Shooting Range that the late model Corsair's will not be added anytime soon? But I support this. +1

[blakeob 8,086]

12 minutes ago, Traingle_ said:

Didn't Gaijin say on the Shooting Range that the late model Corsair's will not be added anytime soon? But I support this. +1

Well, it might not be coming soon, but that doesn't mean it won't come. 

[TheJoker1432 1,974]

I think the entire game has seen enough fighters especially america and its FX somethings

 

 

[FloatplaneRammer 1,736]

50 minutes ago, TheJoker1432 said:

I think the entire game has seen enough fighters especially america and its FX somethings

 

 

What does that mean? Planes like the later corsairs and hellcats played a crucial role in the Pacific war. The US tree won't feel complete without them.

[Shady_Oreo_147 163]

11 hours ago, TheJoker1432 said:

I think the entire game has seen enough fighters especially america and its FX somethings

 

 

Although I can understand that, I don't think it's true. The F4U-4 is a very relevant fighter and played an important role in the Pacific War, as cdahdude5 said. What should Gaijin add to the American tree if they don't add fighters? Even more bombers? So the bomber spam in RB and especially SB takes away even more fun from the session? They better add a high-performance fighter like the -4, that encourages more rookies to climb in RB, so that less players will complain about that. And a good high-performance aircraft for the Americans could be really helpful in SB too. It's only the Bearcats now (since the Mustang could be rather hard to fly in full real controls for less experienced pilots) that can really compete against 109K's and Ta 152's. I am saying this as an experienced F4U-1 (A, C and D) pilot in SB (about 830 kills now) - I know what I'm talking about. 

If Gaijin should add less US fighters aircraft, don't say that on relevant topics like the F4U-4. If they should add less fighters, they shouldn't add things like the XP-55, a second premium -D-10 or -D-20 Mustang, or another F7F, and so on. 

[TheJoker1432 1,974]

15 hours ago, cdahdude5 said:

What does that mean? Planes like the later corsairs and hellcats played a crucial role in the Pacific war. The US tree won't feel complete without them.

 

4 hours ago, OreoBird_147 said:

Although I can understand that, I don't think it's true. The F4U-4 is a very relevant fighter and played an important role in the Pacific War, as cdahdude5 said. What should Gaijin add to the American tree if they don't add fighters? Even more bombers? So the bomber spam in RB and especially SB takes away even more fun from the session? They better add a high-performance fighter like the -4, that encourages more rookies to climb in RB, so that less players will complain about that. And a good high-performance aircraft for the Americans could be really helpful in SB too. It's only the Bearcats now (since the Mustang could be rather hard to fly in full real controls for less experienced pilots) that can really compete against 109K's and Ta 152's. I am saying this as an experienced F4U-1 (A, C and D) pilot in SB (about 830 kills now) - I know what I'm talking about. 

If Gaijin should add less US fighters aircraft, don't say that on relevant topics like the F4U-4. If they should add less fighters, they shouldn't add things like the XP-55, a second premium -D-10 or -D-20 Mustang, or another F7F, and so on. 

 

I get that it might have had an important role in the war but consider that not adding more fighters for america does not equate to more bombers (which wouldnt affect bomber spam since everyone will only fly good machines and not more if there simply are more)

 

The thing is America and Britain have excellent fighters and quite a big portofolio of those (Japan also is good with its 6.3 props yet they are too expensive to fly, russia lacks except for premium variants at T4)

 

My rela concern is Germany. Of course german bombers were never able to survive anything so thats not the problem BUT german fighters are at a bad spot

 

If you take aways the D13 which is premium germany has not a single real Top prop fighter. The best they have (according to BR) is the Ta 152H or C and the Ta 152H suffers from not being able to do what it was built to do (hunt bombers at 10 000m+) and the C wasnt built for engaging fighters as well

 

If you add a new top 6.3 prop (with 2450 hp which is more than any germany engine is able to produce) for america, it will either get clubbed by jets or when it meets props it will slaughter them

[Shady_Oreo_147 163]

7 minutes ago, TheJoker1432 said:

 

 

I get that it might have had an important role in the war but consider that not adding more fighters for america does not equate to more bombers (which wouldnt affect bomber spam since everyone will only fly good machines and not more if there simply are more)

 

The thing is America and Britain have excellent fighters and quite a big portofolio of those (Japan also is good with its 6.3 props yet they are too expensive to fly, russia lacks except for premium variants at T4)

 

My rela concern is Germany. Of course german bombers were never able to survive anything so thats not the problem BUT german fighters are at a bad spot

 

If you take aways the D13 which is premium germany has not a single real Top prop fighter. The best they have (according to BR) is the Ta 152H or C and the Ta 152H suffers from not being able to do what it was built to do (hunt bombers at 10 000m+) and the C wasnt built for engaging fighters as well

 

If you add a new top 6.3 prop (with 2450 hp which is more than any germany engine is able to produce) for america, it will either get clubbed by jets or when it meets props it will slaughter them

I'm not talking about n BR 6.3 aircraft at all! Please read my first post carefully! An F4U-4 or F4U-4B with 6x .50 cals should have a BR of 5.7 in my opinion. It's a faster and better climbing Corsair, but an F4U-4 at 6.3 isn't going to be good. The performance of the F4U-4 is similar to the performance of the Bf-109K in game, which is also at BR 5.7. Its historical opponent, the Ki-84 is at 6.0 and the J7W is at 5.7 as well. Both Ta 152's are actually faster than the F4U-4 but they only don't climb as fast.

 

Therefore I think the game, in RB and SB, will stay balanced if the F4U-4 with 50 cals is added. America really needs a good-climbing aircraft next to the F8F's and P-51D-30.

[USArmyLTC 289]

I have flown all the F4Us in the game and known REAL pilots who of actually used this fighter.  The BEARCAT with 4x 20mm out performs the F4U-4 in every way and the BEARCAT is a small fighter making it harder to hit.  

 

The US aircraft tree DOES NOT NEED this suggested aircraft. 

 

USArmyLTC

[Shady_Oreo_147 163]

15 minutes ago, USArmyLTC said:

I have flown all the F4Us in the game and known REAL pilots who of actually used this fighter.  The BEARCAT with 4x 20mm out performs the F4U-4 in every way and the BEARCAT is a small fighter making it harder to hit.  

 

The US aircraft tree DOES NOT NEED this suggested aircraft. 

 

USArmyLTC

That's what I'm saying: the F8F is better than the F4U-1C and the F4U-4, but the F4U-4 is better than the F4U-1C too. So I think the F4U-4 should be in between of the F4U-1C and the F8F-1 as a BR 5.3 or 5.7 aircraft. Currently there's a gap from 4.7 to 6.0 - and that has to be fixed. 

[TheColbster 61]

I'm all for adding the F4U-4.  It's been a plane that's too long overdue.  (don't even get me started on how the F4U-1's need a complete FM overhaul.)

I'm seeing this discussion about the F8F-1b "out-preforming" the F4U-4 in every way and i'm noticing one thing is missing, ruggedness.  The F4U-4 (if they get it right)  would be tougher than the small thin-winged F8F is.  Meaning it could take more of a punch.  

 

Plus, the F4U-4 is faster than the F8F-1 by 25MPH and has a 22.1 m/s climb rate compared to the smaller and lighter F8F with a 22.3 m/s climb rate. In my experience, climb rate is the most important thing to an American RB pilot.  So when a plane is 25MPH faster but only loses 1 m/s in the trade-off, I say that's a pretty good deal.

Edited October 19, 2016 by TheColbster

[FloatplaneRammer 1,736]

1 hour ago, USArmyLTC said:

I have flown all the F4Us in the game and known REAL pilots who of actually used this fighter.  The BEARCAT with 4x 20mm out performs the F4U-4 in every way and the BEARCAT is a small fighter making it harder to hit.  

 

The US aircraft tree DOES NOT NEED this suggested aircraft. 

 

USArmyLTC

That is a poor criterion for considering what should be in-game and what shouldn't. First of all everybody here has flown the F4U, me especially, and I think most people would love to see at least one variant of the Corsair at tier IV. As for your point about the US tree not "needing" this plane, I think that's a bit misguided. Currently the only top-tier naval prop fighter is the F8F (and coincidentally, the only US prop that's anywhere near 6.0 BR). The US tree could seriously use some filler to bridge the gap between 5.3 BR fighters and 6.3. Secondly, just because the F4U isn't as nimble as other fighters doesn't mean it should be discounted. That's like saying the P-47 shouldn't be in game because the P-51 is better tuned for air combat. So I don't understand your argument.

Edited October 19, 2016 by cdahdude5

[FloatplaneRammer 1,736]

2 hours ago, TheJoker1432 said:

 

 

I get that it might have had an important role in the war but consider that not adding more fighters for america does not equate to more bombers (which wouldnt affect bomber spam since everyone will only fly good machines and not more if there simply are more)

 

The thing is America and Britain have excellent fighters and quite a big portofolio of those (Japan also is good with its 6.3 props yet they are too expensive to fly, russia lacks except for premium variants at T4)

 

My rela concern is Germany. Of course german bombers were never able to survive anything so thats not the problem BUT german fighters are at a bad spot

 

If you take aways the D13 which is premium germany has not a single real Top prop fighter. The best they have (according to BR) is the Ta 152H or C and the Ta 152H suffers from not being able to do what it was built to do (hunt bombers at 10 000m+) and the C wasnt built for engaging fighters as well

 

If you add a new top 6.3 prop (with 2450 hp which is more than any germany engine is able to produce) for america, it will either get clubbed by jets or when it meets props it will slaughter them

I can sort of see where you're coming from. The only real 6.3 BR fighter for Germany is the Dora, but Germany has a number of competitive low-tier jets. But the F4U-4 won't be fighting them, and I think it's a stretch to call it a 'superprop' when many of its peers outclass either in its climbrate, dive speed, or both. Just look at its stats. There is no way adding this will break the game or make it lopsided for the Americans.

[Shady_Oreo_147 163]

Alright guys, after I've done a bit more research and after I received some more suggestions, here are all my reasons why the F4U-4 should be in game, summarized:

1. The BR gap between the F4U-1C (4.7) and the F8F-1 (6.0) needs to be filled. The difference in BR is too much and forces players to research the AAF part of the tech tree to proceed to tier IV. An F4U-4 makes a great 5.3 or 5.7 aircraft in my opinion, and that's a battle rating of which the US really needs another fighter. This BR is made up by comparing the stats of the 4-Hog to other high-tier prop fighters of Germany, USSR, Britain and Japan.

2. The US needs another real high performance fighter for tier IV. At the moment only the Bearcat (and the Mustang if well-flown) can really compete against the Bf-109K's and Ta-152's in Simulator Battles. In Realistic Battles, an American aircraft that has a good climb rate could really be used, and encourages players to climb more. 

3. Because of its history. The F4U-4 played an important role in Iwo Jima and especially Okinawa as both a fighter and ground attacker. Same goes for its tasks in the Korean War. It's a mass-produced fighter, over 2400 of them were produced. 

4. It's not only a high-performance fighter, but also a great ground-attack aircraft. Even though the Navy named the plane 'F4U-4', 'F/A4U-4' would've fitted as a better name (F=Fighter, A=Attacker). The plane could carry 8 127mm HVAR rockets and a total of 4000 pounds (2000 Kg) of bombs. Because of its excellent ground-attack capabilities, the Corsair was named 'Sweetheart of Okinawa' by the advancing US marines. Many US lives were saved by this bird. What I'm trying to say with this is that both fighter pilots and attack pilots in WT can use the plane with satisfying results. 

5. It's simply missing! This might sound weird, but if the P-51D-30, AD-2, F8F's, F7F's and a whole bunch of Soviet props are in game, why not the F4U-4 (and perhaps also the F4U-5)? All of these fighters were used a lot in the Korean conflict, so did the F4U-4 (it actually did more than them!). If you know a tiny bit of F4U history, you know a game can't be called a game which simulates WW2 and the Korean War without the 4-Hog. F4U-4's even shot down MiG-15's!

And that's only Korea..... The aircraft was used for 8 months in WW2 as well, and it fully equipped the later USN and USMC Corsair squadrons. 

 

If there's any more reasons, please let me know!

 

[blakeob 8,086]

On 18 October 2016 at 9:30 PM, TheJoker1432 said:

I think the entire game has seen enough fighters especially america and its FX somethings

 

 

But is missing

• F6F-3 (early)
• F6F-5
• F6F-5N
• F4U-4 series
• F4U-5
• F8F-2

So I don't really see how the game has seen enough of these fighters when US hasn't had one added to the line in a very long time.

Edited October 19, 2016 by blakeob
Eh, get the F4U-5 in there as we

[Bobertman 15,027]

On 10/18/2016 at 4:30 PM, TheJoker1432 said:

I think the entire game has seen enough fighters especially america and its FX somethings

 

 

 

Hey the F4U-4 was a super awesome plane in the Pacific you don't understand how much I need this. 

[Retry 7,363]

On 10/18/2016 at 3:30 PM, TheJoker1432 said:

I think the entire game has seen enough fighters especially america and its FX somethings

 

 

Huh.  I never thought I'd see the day that people would actually begin saying "stop adding stuff".

And we haven't even implemented all of the significant vehicles of war yet, either.  Including, ofc, these F4U-4s.

[Teovo 163]

+1

Should be included.

[Adlerhunter 8]

Allthough I haven't had a lot of experience with the American tree , this seems like a historically relevant vehicle and therefore should be added.

[Shady_Oreo_147 163]

Here's some additional information:

The F4U-4 was, as I already said, the primary fighter of fighter squadrons like VMF-222. Many pilots of this squadron made kills with the bird and some even made ace. You can also see that by looking at the huge amount of victory markings on their aircraft: 

(http://www.markstyling.com/F4U_19.htm)

During the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa the Corsair, especially the F4U-4 got the nickname 'Sweetheart of Okinawa' with a reason. Over 70% of all bombs dropped by US fighters in WW2 were dropped by F4U-1D's and F4U-4's. That's almost 16000 tons of explosives! The 4-Hog indeed played a very important role as a ground attacker in WW2.

 

Same goes for the Korean War. The F4U's were the most-used fighter-bombers of the Korean War, and the planes that did that, the F4U-4 and F4U-5 are missing from a WW2 and Korean War themed game. F4U-4's of VMF-214 (Black Sheep, nowadays called VMA-214) played a very, very, very important role in the Inchon Landing and the UN's defeat Chosin Reservoir. 

 

Flying eight F4U-4B Corsairs on August 3, 1950, VMF-214 became the first Marine squadron to see action in Korea, when they launched from the USS Sicily (CVE-118) and executed a raid against enemy installations near Inchon. After the F4Us delivered their incendiary bombs and rockets, they followed up with a series of strafing runs.^[8][9] Flying from the USS Badoeng Strait (CVE-116) and the USS Boxer (CV-21), the Black Sheep completed two combat tours in Korea. They participated in key battles, including the Inchon landing and the UN's defeat and withdrawal from Chosin Reservoir. In these and others battles, they provided nearly continual air cover, interdicting supply and communication lines, and inflicting heavy damage on numerous ground emplacements, and enemy armor. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VMA-214#Korean_War)

 

Here are some cockpit photo's. Most of the F4U-4's had the newer one with improved visibility, a better gunsight, and repositioned landing gear, flap and cooler flap controls. 

Here are some more historical photos for the ones that like them