THE F6F _HELLCAT’S_ POWERFUL SUPERCHARGED ENGINE WHIRLS A THREE-BLADED PROPELLER. THE DIAMETER OF THE PROPELLER IS WELL OVER TWELVE FEET. HIGHLY MANEUVERABLE, THE F6F, WITH ITS 400-MILE-AN-HOUR SPEED, IS MORE THAN A MATCH FOR THE JAPANESE _ZERO_. IT CAN “GO UPSTAIRS FASTER” THAN ANY OTHER CARRIER-BASED FIGHTER IN ACTION IN 1945. IN ADDITION TO MACHINE GUNS, THE _HELLCAT_ CAN CARRY ROCKETS UNDER ITS WINGS FOR LOW-ALTITUDE STRAFING ATTACKS. THE _HELLCAT_ REPRESENTS A GREAT STEP FORWARD IN THE PERFORMANCE OF CARRIER-BASED FIGHTERS. IT WAS DESIGNED AND BUILT TO MEET THE NEED FOR A FAST, POWERFUL SHIPBOARD FIGHTER THAT COULD BLAST THE JAPS OUT OF THE SKY OVER THE PACIFIC. IN TWO YEARS IT PRACTICALLY WIPED OUT JAP FIGHTER OPPOSITION.] [Illustration] The _Hellcat_ has plenty of protective armor for its pilot. It has rubber gasoline tanks encased in canvas hammocks giving them great flexibility in resisting the penetration of bullets and shell fragments. The _Hellcat_ handles beautifully at all altitudes. At high altitudes it could more than outfight any plane that the Japs sent up. It is also a deadly weapon when used in low-altitude strafing attacks against airfields and shipping. The _Hellcat_ has now replaced the _Wildcat_ as the standard fighter based on our aircraft carriers. Much of our success in driving the Japs out of the air over the Pacific is due to the _Hellcat_. These powerful fighters, based on the carriers of Admiral Halsey’s famous Task Force 58, carried their devastating attacks to the Japs’ homeland. Although dive-bombing was originated by Navy airmen it was a number of years before an airplane was built that was rugged enough to stand up under the shock of repeated dives. The first airplane built specifically for dive-bombing was a Curtiss F8C _Helldiver_, built in 1929. This original dive-bomber was a biplane. The series continued until 1935 when Curtiss introduced the SBC type of dive-bomber. This was also a biplane with wire bracing. The streamlining in the SBC was much improved and it was equipped with a retractable landing gear. The SBC was also called the _Helldiver_. While the SBC series marked advance in dive-bomber performance, the biplane wings and wire bracing created a drag which held down its diving speed. In 1939 the Curtiss Company began to work on a new dive-bomber design.