I was Captain Ken Walsh’s wingman. He had 21 kills. I also knew Marion Carl and Gregory “Pappy” Boyington–16 and 24 kills, respectively. Joe Foss also had 26 kills.

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Every time I talk about those famous Marine Corps super aces, there is the implied question, “How many did you get?” The answer is none-zero-nil-nada. I wasn’t with Walsh for most of his kills, but on my tour I kept his tail clean and learned a great and lifelong lesson in humility. Wingmen never got the publicity, but they, too, were a vital part of the mission.

To make my point, if the Corsair ate up the Zero in almost every dogfight, how could the Zero be numbered among the 10 best over the Corsair? Is anybody on that editorial board a former Marine? Any fighter pilots? Doesn’t sound like it.

Steve Furimsky,
Henderson, Nev.

Author Jon Guttman responds: As I stated in the “Runners-Up” section, the F4U was a great fighter, and it even outlasted the Hellcat in service. But initially, at least, it failed in the task for which it was originally designed–to provide the U.S. Navy with a new carrier fighter. In that respect, as far as World War II is concerned, the Hellcat beats the Corsair by a short, pugnacious nose.

Yes, the Corsair was ultimately superior to the Zero, but historically the latter earns its place by being the first carrier-based fighter to outperform land-based opposition (years before the U.S. Navy felt comfortable allowing Corsairs aboard carriers). And if the Zero was a complete pushover, why did the first fight between F4U-1s and A6M2s, on February 14, 1943, end with two VMF-124 Corsairs lost to one Zero? Ken Walsh stated that he was shot down by Zeros several times, and more recently, 15 1/2-victory ace and Medal of Honor recipient Jim Swett of VMF-221 told me how lucky he was to survive being shot down by a Zero on July 11, 1943. Even then, the Zero may have been eclipsed, but it was still not to be underestimated or dismissed.

Opinion Stated

If you will permit me an unsolicited opinion, albeit one based on decades of experience (I am 74 years old), you are doing superbly and going in just the right direction! I am prompted to write by the quality and overall interest of the March 2000 issue just received. Intending no impertinence, may I request that you “stand by your guns” and not be dissuaded from your current aim by disgruntled criticism from those who, all too often, were never at the sharp end. Those in subsequent generations who sincerely wish to know how it was must accept it when it is reported in the way that it was. The opinionated writings of revisionists do my generation a tragic disservice.

Gerald Mansfield
Sanford, Maine

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