Carrier Air Wing - World War II

World War II

Typical air group composition aboard the Yorktown Class carriers, at the beginning of World War II, consisted of approximately 72 aircraft:

• 1 fighter squadron (VF) composed of 18 Grumman F4F Wildcats
• 1 bombing squadron (VB) composed of 18 Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers
• 1 scouting squadron (VS) composed of 18 Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers
• 1 torpedo squadron (VT) composed of 18 Douglas TBD Devastator, TBF or TBM torpedo bombers

During the course of the war in the Pacific the compositions of the air groups changed drastically. The scouting squadrons were disestablished by early 1943 and the number of fighter planes was increased continuously. Typically in 1943 an Essex class carrier carried 36 fighter planes, 36 bombers and 18 torpedo planes.

By the end of WWII, a typical Essex air group was over 100 aircraft, consisting of :

• 1 squadrons of 18 F6F fighters
• 4 squadrons of 72 F4U fighter/bombers
• 1 squadron of 12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers