Carrying on the Fight
With its combination of high speed and heavy armament, the Corsair was a
formidable aircraft active in the latter half of WWII.
As a versatile bird it had a number of variants, among them the F4U-1D,
which was the first Corsair to be officially deployed on U.S. aircraft
carriers.
Features unique to the F4U-1D included a frame-less semi-bubble canopy,
thicker propeller blade roots, a raised pilot's seat and more.
Armament took the form of six 12.7mm machine guns mounted in the gull
wing,
with a pylon under each side of the root allowing it to carry two
1,000lb bombs or drop tanks. The outer wing could be fitted with 4
rockets on each side.
The F4U-1D was an important presence on its carriers, joining attacks on
the Japanese archipelago in February 1945 as U.S. forces advanced.
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