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 ...

The Grumman F8F Bearcat was one of the fastest piston-engine fighters ever built, hitting 421 mph. But arriving at the war’s end meant it never faced the Japanese. Instead, it found its combat role ...