A WW2-era fighter recovered from Lake Michigan

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A WW2-era fighter recovered from Lake Michigan

December 11, 2012 - 21:12
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The plane crashed during aircraft-carrier training near Waukegan on Dec. 28, 1944. The FM-2 "Wildcat" Fighter went down in about 200 feet of water in an accident blamed on engine failure. Crews recovered it Friday,

The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service with both the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy (as the Martlet) in 1940. First used in combat by the British in Europe, the Wildcat was the only effective fighter available to the United States Navy and Marine Corps in the Pacific Theater during the early part of World War II in 1941 and 1942;

The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service with both the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy in 1940. First used in combat by the British in Europe, the Wildcat was the only effective fighter available to the United States Navy and Marine Corps in the Pacific Theater during the early part of Second World War.

More than 17,000 pilots completed the training in Lake Michigan. The aircraft carriers used for the training docked at Chicago's Navy Pier. The pilots flew from Glenview Naval Air Station in Glenview.

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