What Japanese Engineers Found Inside a Captured Hellcat — 200 Pounds of Armor the Zero Never Had

On the morning of January 4, 1945, Lieutenant junior grade Charles August put a Grumman Hellcat down on its belly beside a Japanese airfield at Kobi, in central Formosa. What the troops hauled away was the latest fighter Grumman was building by the thousand: six fifty-caliber guns, self-sealing tanks, and 212 pounds of armor no Zero had ever carried into combat. The carriers were there for Lingayen Gulf. Admiral William Halsey sent Task Force 38 to flatten Formosa before the Army went ashore on Luzon. August flew Fighting Squadron 44 from the light carrier Langley. He walked out of the wreck. The airplane went to Japan. 00:00 - Crash landing at Kobi airfield 00:53 - Third Fleet strikes before Lingayen 03:05 - The R-2800 Double Wasp 05:05 - Why the Zero carried no armor 10:07 - The Akutan Zero and American tests 16:22 - Guadalcanal: Southerland and Saburo Sakai 22:26 - Armor bolted onto the Model 52 24:20 - Ozawa’s plan off the Marianas 28:50 - The captured Hellcat at Yokosuka Japanese engineers at the First Naval Air Technical Arsenal already knew the Hellcat was extremely strong. The question this film follows is not what they found inside Bureau Number 71441. It is why, in the last winter of the war, knowing it could no longer save the men still flying a fighter designed in 1937. Welcome to Warfront Stories. Every war has a story. Every hero leaves a legacy. At Warfront Stories, we bring World War II to life through immersive storytelling inspired by real historical events. From forgotten heroes and secret missions to legendary battles and extraordinary acts of courage, each episode reveals the human side of history. If you enjoy authentic WWII stories, military history, and unforgettable wartime moments, subscribe and join us for new stories every week. #WW2 #WorldWar2 #MilitaryHistory #WarStories #WarfrontStories #WWII #PacificWar #WW2History #NavalHistory #USNavy #WW2Documentary #GrummanHellcat #MitsubishiZero #F6FHellcat #CharlesAugust #TaskForce38 #LingayenGulf #AkutanZero #SaburoSakai #JiroHorikoshi #Yokosuka #Formosa1945 #FightingSquadron44