Hi from Wigam

[Greybeard]

Hello MArcus,

Awesome stuff.. since I'm an aircraft nut, I couldn't help but notice that the Wildcat was an early F4F-3 model.. only 2 guns per wing.. the -4's increased to 3 guns.. the -3 was present at Midway and Guadalcanal with the -4's coming in to service in late '42..

The USMC used -3's almost exclusively as the USN were on the priority list for the newest gear..

from the marking and the -3 model, this wildcat was likely one of the early participants at Guadalcanal.. The red center in the US star went away during the battles of oct/nov.. too bad you couldn't show any other markings that might have been left on the fuselage. a VMF-?? would have been a USMC aircraft.. a 8-F-? would have originated from the USS Hornet, a 6-F-? from the Enterprise, and a 9-F-? from the Wasp.. the only 3 US carriers that saw action at the time in August 1942 to Feb 1943 when the USS Essex arrived on station.. Wasp and Hornet were losses..

thanks for sharing..

Greybeard