THE SECOND WORLD WAR

**To purchase the corresponding Dean Caswell pilot figure, click here: JJ-BH-02

Vought F4U-1D CORSAIR, VMF-221, White 183, 1st. Lt. Dean Caswell, USS Bunker Hill, February 1945, The Second World War The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. The Corsair was designed as a carrier based aircraft. Initially, its difficulty in landing on carriers rendered it unsuitable for Navy use until the Royal Navy overcame the landing issues. After the carrier landing issues had been tackled, it quickly became the most capable carrier-based fighter bomber of the Second World War. The Vought F4U Corsair was literally built around the Pratt & Whitney 2,000 HP radial engine. The engine was so massive and produced so much energy that a Hamilton Standard, 13 feet, 4-inch propeller, the largest of WWII, was required. The F4U was the first American fighter aircraft to exceed 400 MPH. The Corsair was referred to by the Japanese as Whispering Death and became a legend in its own time. This aircraft was one of the most distinctive designs, with its bent wings making it an icon. Dean Caswell was assigned to the USMC VMF-221. On April 28, 1945 a six-aircraft Corsair flight from VMF-221 was operating from the USS Bunker Hill in the vicinity of Okinawa when they encountered approximately thirty Japanese aircraft. The Japanese were trying to stop the U.S. landings on Okinawa. 1st Lt., Dean Caswell and group immediately attacked, and Caswell scored three victories and one probable. This action turned back the Japanese attack. In WWII, Caswell had seven victories and did two tours in Korea and time in Vietnam. Caswell flew over 100 missions in WWII, destroyed ten or more enemy aircraft in the air and 25-30 aircraft on the ground. Remarkably, he never received a bullet hole in any Corsair he ever flew. He was awarded the Silver Star, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, and five Air Medals. USS Bunker Hill (CV/CVA/CVS-17, AVT-9) was one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built during World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was named for the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War. Commissioned in May 1943 and sent to the Pacific Theater of Operations, the ship participated in battles in the Southwest Pacific, Central Pacific, and the drive toward Japan through Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and air raids on the Japanese homeland. While covering the invasion of Okinawa, Bunker Hill was struck by two kamikazes in quick succession, setting the vessel on fire. Casualties exceeded 600, including 346 confirmed dead and an additional 43 missing--the second heaviest personnel losses suffered by any carrier to survive the war after Franklin. After the attack, Bunker Hill returned to the U.S. mainland and was still under repair when hostilities ended. After the war, Bunker Hill was employed as a troop transport bringing American service members back from the Pacific and was decommissioned in 1947. While in reserve, the vessel was reclassified as an attack carrier (CVA), then an antisubmarine carrier (CVS), and, finally, an Auxiliary Aircraft Landing Training Ship (AVT), but was never modernized and never saw active service again. Bunker Hill and Franklin were the only Essex-class ships never recommissioned after World War II

**PLEASE NOTE: PILOTS TO FIT IN THE COCKPIT WILL BE AVAILABLE AT A LATER DATE.** PLEASE NOTE THAT THE BH-01 and BH-02 MODELS ARE AVAILABLE IN 14 pcs, ALLOWING FOR THE MODEL TO BE DISPLAYED WITH WINGS UP, WINGS DOWN OR WITH UNDERCARRIAGE RAISED AND SUPPORTED BY ANY OF THE JJD STANDS. FOR DISPLAY WITH UNDERCARRIAGE DOWN, FIRST SELECT AND ATTACH THE OPEN DOORS, AND THEN PLUG IN THE FRONT AND REAR UNDERCARRIAGE. SET THE MODEL ON ITS WHEELS AND THEN PLUG IN THE PROPELLOR. SLIDE THE WING EXTENSIONS ONTO THE WING SUPPORTS.**

Info: Vought F4U-1D CORSAIR, VMF-221, White 183, 1st. Lt. Dean Caswell, USS Bunker Hill, February 1945, The Second World War--fourteen pieces