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Elbert Scott McCuskey (1915 - 1997) was a World War II US Navy fighter ace. He participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway, for which he was awarded two Navy Crosses, one for each battle. By the end of the war, he was credited with 13.5 aerial victories.

During the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942, McCuskey was part of the CAP that protected Task Force 17. His division intercepted the first strike wave of 18 Aichi D3A dive bombers from the undamaged Hiryu led by Lieutenant Michio Kobayashi. Attacking ahead of the others, he made a side-on pass against the Japanese lead division, then found himself heading into the second division head-on. In the resulting chaos, he claimed three dive bombers destroyed (before running out of ammunition), and caused the enemy formation to disintegrate, leaving them easy targets for the approaching Wildcats. Nevertheless, seven D3A dive bombers survived the gauntlet to hit Yorktown, leaving her heavily damaged, and he was forced to land on Enterprise. Later that afternoon, he led a division of four Wildcats off Enterprise for another CAP sortie over Task Force 17. His flight ambushed several Zeros, claiming three, including two for McCuskey (he in fact shot down one and damaged the other). However, McCuskey was himself jumped by a Zero flown by Kaga ace Akira Yamamoto. McCuskey's wingman, who Yamamoto had not seen, intervened and drove the Zero away. In the meantime, Nakajima B5N torpedo bombers managed to cripple Yorktown, and McCuskey again landed on Enterprise.

Designed to meet a US Navy requirement for a new carrier-based fighter, the F-4F was first flown on September 2nd, 1937. Originally used by the British (who called it the Martlet) against the Luftwaffe, the Wildcat also became the United States Navy's primary carrier fighter in the Pacific Theatre. The Wildcat was no match for the maneuverability of the Japanese Zero, but the two airplanes were roughly equal in speed and the F-4F was able to absorb far more damage. With its array of 6 x 12.7mm machine guns and its distinctive Thach weave maneuver, two Wildcats could handle four or five Zeros.

Info:   F4F-4 Wildcat - USN VF-3, White 11, Scott McCusky, USS Yorktown, Battle of Midway, June 1942