Fighting Squadron 8 or VF-8 was an aviation unit of the U.S. Navy. It was originally established 2 September 1941 and disestablished on 28 August 1942.[1]
| Fighting Squadron 8 | |
|---|---|
| Active | 2 September 1941 – 28 August 1942 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Part of | Inactive |
| Aircraft | F4F Wildcat |
| Engagements | World War II |
Operational history
edit
VF-8 was deployed as part of Carrier Air Group 8 (CVG-8) aboard the USS Hornet. Initially equipped with the F4F-3 Wildcat, in February 1942 VF-8 reequipped with the F4F-4 at Naval Air Station Alameda while the Hornet embarked the 16 B-25B Mitchell medium bombers to be used in the Doolittle Raid.[2]
During the Battle of Midway 10 VF-8 F4Fs were forced to ditch due to lack of fuel while searching for the Japanese fleet. Two of the pilots were lost at sea.[3] Following the battle in June 1942 Hornet returned to Naval Station Pearl Harbor where VF-8 was disembarked and replaced by VF-72.[4][5]
Home port assignments
edit- NAS Alameda
- Naval Station Pearl Harbor
Aircraft assignment
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Lineage for Fighter Squadrons" (PDF). Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
- ^ Chun, Clayton (2006). The Doolittle Raid 1942: America's First Strike Back at Japan. Osprey Publishing. p. 18. ISBN 9781841769189.
- ^ "The List". National Naval Aviation Museum. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ^ "Location of U.S. Naval Aircraft, World War II 9 Jul 1942". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- ^ "Location of U.S. Naval Aircraft, World War II 27 Aug 1942". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 19 April 2016.