Deployed by France during the Indochina War, the Grumman F8F Bearcat flew more than 60,000 missions in brutal conditions. Heat, rough airstrips, and outdated bombs made the aircraft dangerous even ...

Six Grumman F8F Bearcats were deployed to defend Dien Bien Phu, striking from a newly built airstrip of 22,800 steel plates. Outnumbered and bombarded by 80,000 Viet Minh troops, the aircraft were ...