Robert Taylor Hellcat aviation prints.

Grumman Hellcat paintings by Robert Taylor.  The Grumman Hellcat  aviation prints.   Aviation art prints  of the Grumman Hellcat aircraft available from Aviation Artist Robert Taylor. Published by the Military Gallery and available form Cranston  Fine Arts.  Lookout for the special promotion 2 print offers at great discounts

Grumman designed the hellcat as a replacement for the Wildcat. which although was a good fighter and could withstand alot of punishment. it was found after pearl harbor that it was not a match for the Japanese Zero.  The hellcat proved to be a great replacement. Production started in 1942  and ended in November 1945, the total production figure being 12,275. 

The Grumman Hellcat first saw action against the Japanese on 1st September 1943, when fighters off the USS Independence (CVL-22) shot down a Japanese Seaplane. On the 23rd November Grumman Hellcats Over  Tarawa shot down approximately 30 Japanese Mitsubishi Zeros. but lost one Hellcat. On the 11th November 1942 a full day Arial combat between Hellcats and Zeros over Raboul resulted in over 100 Japanese aircraft shoot down with the loss of only a couple of Hellcats.  Grumman hellcats were used extensively form then on in the Pacific Theatre. A total of 66,530 sorties were flown with the majority of these form aircraft carriers (62,386).  They destroyed over 5,150 Japanese aircraft with the loss of 270 aircraft. The Royal navies Fleet Air Arm  received 1263 Hellcats which they renamed Gannets.  They flew sorties  against German positions and shipping in Norway and the Mediterranean and also in the far east.  there was a total of 12 squadrons equipped with hellcats. with this number  being reduced to only two by the end of the war.