WFI Research Group

During the war years Grumman produced 12,275 examples of the F6F Hellcat for service with both the U.S. Navy and the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. The book is a total accounting of the final fate of each example of the aircraft while in the Naval service. The layout is shown on the "Aircraft Losses" page of this site. For serious researchers the tables can be placed in MS Excel rather than MS Word format.

As a matter of safety, the Navy converted two Great Lakes paddlewheel steamers into auxillary aircraft carriers to train new pilots for carrier landings on Lake Michigan. The formula of new pilots and first carrier landings produced a large number of accidents but surprisingly few were fatal. Many of the aircraft that made their way to the bottom of the Lake have been recovered and are now on display around the country.

The book follows the fate of the aircraft from it introduction to the fleet in the late 1930's through the fateful Battle of Midway and then the final fate for the few examples that remained. Several examples of the aircraft have been found underwater but no airworthy examples of the craft exist.

The book is an in depth look into Army Aviation in the Hawaiian Islands from 1913 through 1941. The trial and error methods of the first pilots and aircraft, the numerous accidents and attempts to stop volcanic flows with aerial bombs are all noted. Many of the original squadron rosters are included.

These CD's contain all of the information that was presented to JPAC for case resolution. They are only available for the completed cases or for those cases pending at JPAC. The files contain the IDPF's for both the missing individual, the associated unknown and any other pertinent documents related to the case.

Because of the flexibility of the databases, custom reports can be prepared to suit the researchers needs. From Division Casualty listings to lists of family surnames anything is possible. You are only limited by your own imagination. Costs are determined by the length and complexity of the requests.