Vought F4-U-4 Corsair #2417

Just in time for the Movie “Devotion” This F4U Corsair emulates the aircraft and minifigure of the famous and first African American Navy Pilot Jesse Brown who was also the first Naval Aviator to die in combat during the Korean war.  Collect this set along with the Cobi Mig 17 to start your collection of the Devotion movie.

Jesse Brown was a United States Navy pilot and the first African-American naval aviator to be commissioned in the U.S. Navy. Brown was born on October 13, 1926, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and grew up in a poor family. He joined the Navy in 1946, serving as a mess attendant before enrolling in flight school in 1947.

Despite facing discrimination and racism, Brown persevered and became a naval aviator in 1948. He flew F4U Corsair fighter planes and was assigned to VF-32, flying off the aircraft carrier USS Leyte during the Korean War.

On December 4, 1950, while on a mission over North Korea, Brown’s plane was hit by enemy fire and crash-landed. Brown was trapped in the wreckage, and despite the efforts of his wingman, Lt. Thomas J. Hudner Jr., he was unable to be rescued and died from his injuries. Hudner, who was also the first U.S. naval aviator to receive the Medal of Honor since World War II, crash-landed his own plane to try to save Brown.

Brown’s bravery and sacrifice inspired many, and he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, and Air Medal. In 1972, the U.S. Navy commissioned the USS Jesse L. Brown, the first ship in the U.S. Navy to be named after an African-American naval aviator.

Brown’s story is a testament to the resilience and determination of African-American servicemen and women in the face of discrimination and racism. He broke down barriers and paved the way for future generations of Black naval aviators.

The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts were given to Goodyear, whose Corsairs were designated FG, and Brewster, designated F3A.

The Corsair was designed and operated as a carrier-based aircraft, and entered service in large numbers with the U.S. Navy in late 1944 and early 1945. It quickly became one of the most capable carrier-based fighter-bombers of World War II. Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter of World War II and its naval aviators achieved an 11:1 kill ratio. Early problems with carrier landings and logistics led to it being eclipsed as the dominant carrier-based fighter by the Grumman F6F Hellcat, powered by the same Double Wasp engine first flown on the Corsair’s initial prototype in 1940. Instead, the Corsair’s early deployment was to land-based squadrons of the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy.

The Corsair served almost exclusively as a fighter-bomber throughout the Korean War and during the French colonial wars in Indochina and Algeria. In addition to its use by the U.S. and British, the Corsair was also used by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, French Naval Aviation, and other air forces until the 1960s.

-Wikipedia