Greg Shelton’s FM-2 Wildcat was built in 1944.
It was an improved version of the Grumman F4F-4. Recognized by its taller fin than the F4F, the FM-2 was also modified to include an improved power plant, increased ammunition capacity by reducing its armament from six .50-inch machine guns to four, and improved directional stability with a modified fin. The Wildcat was the front line Navy/Marine Corps fighter at the outset of World War II and despite inferior climb and turn performance compared to the Japanese Zero, it had superior armament and its rugged design could take punishment in the form of enemy fire or operating from an austere jungle airstrips.