num_pages: 228
description: The dramatic history behind one of WWIIs most powerfuland dangerousplanes spiced with many first-hand accounts American and British ( Aeroplane ).Despite everything I felt very lucky to have flown Corsairs. They were the best you know even though it took me some time to realize this when so many friends died flying them. Colin Facer Corsair pilot HMS IllustriousThe Vought-Sikorsky Corsair was one of the most potent fighters of WWIIand one of the most flawed. Conceived by Rex Beisel Voughts Chief Designer in 1938 it was condemned by the US Navy as too dangerous for carrier operations and wasnt certified for use at sea. With British companies unable to build fighters with sufficient range and potency for carrier use the Admiralty sought alternatives and due to Roosevelts Lend Lease program they could acquire weapons from American factories. In practice this meant standing in line behind the US military for service but it still opened up new opportunities. So with newly built Corsairs being stockpiled and the promise of an improved version to come the Royal Navy saw an opening worthy of development and exploited it.By the end of the war the Fleet Air Arm had acquired more than 2000 Corsairs to equip its squadrons. But the risks identified by the USN were largely ignored by the Royal Navy and far too many men and aircraft were lost in accidents as a result. Yet in the hands of experienced carrier pilots its virtues were only too apparent and in due course they achieved great things. Eventually the US Navy noted this success and certified the Corsair for use on their carriers too but the aircraft never entirely lost its reputation as a widowmaker.This book with photos included describes the Corsairs development and tells the sad but inspiring story of the young men who struggled and suffered to make the Corsair a going concern in the most vicious unforgiving war one can imagine. The author met and corresponded with almost a hundred veterans from America Britain New Zealand and Canada. Their recollections made this book possibleand through their vivid memories we can experience what it felt like to be barely of age a civilian called to arms and a fighter pilot.
language: English
title: Widowmaker: Living and Dying with the Corsair
publisher: Casemate