01/2004

Brewster F2A-3 “Buffalo”
of NMF-11 designed MF-11
MIDWAY, March 1942

Production F2A-1s for the US Navy were

powered by a 940 hp Wright R-1830-34 engine, and
incorporated several improvements. A revised
windscreen and canopy were installed, offering
improved vision and head room. A telescopic gun
sight was fitted. The radio mast was moved from the
port side of the fuselage to the starboard side, and
the wing tips were slightly reconfigured. The ventral
window was enlarged. The first two F2A-1s were
completed with the elliptical tail fin of the prototype,
but all subsequent aircraft switched to a redesigned
triangular fin with a straight leading edge which faired
into the fuselage just behind the canopy.

The Brewster company had the habit of

promising more than it could deliver, and the dates
for delivery of the F2A-1 to the Navy began to slip.
The Navy expected the first F2A-1 delivery during
May of 1939, but only one example was actually
ready by June of 1939. It was put on display at the
World's Fair in New York, along with some other
American military aircraft. Delays continued, and by
November 1939 only 5 had been delivered. In the
meantime, the Navy had found a problem with the
buildup of excessive carbon monoxide levels in the
cockpit, which required further modifications at the
factory.

During early 1939, several European

governments, sensing that war was imminent, went
overseas in search of additional combat aircraft. In
August of 1939, the government of Poland ordered
250 F2A-1s from Brewster. However, work on this
order never started, since by mid-September of 1939
Poland had been swept under by the German
invasion. In any case, it was doubtful that the order
could have actually been filled, in view of Brewster's
problems with fulfilling the US Navy's contract.

During September of 1939, representatives

of the government of Finland approached the US

State Department, seeking permission to purchase

American combat aircraft. When Finland was

attacked by the Soviet Union on November 30, 1939,

the United States government readily agreed to

allow Finland to buy American fighter aircraft. The

State Department and the US Navy both agreed to

divert 43 F2A-1s from the Navy order and deliver

them to Finland, with the understanding that the F2A-

1s would be replaced by an equivalent number of

F2A-2s at a later date. Because of the diversion to

Finland, only eleven F2A-1s (BuNos 1386/1396)

actually reached Navy service. Nine of them were

issued to Fighting Squadron Three (VF-3 aboard the

USS Saratoga).

During 1940, the Navy decided to install the

optional 0.50 cal guns in the wings of its F2A-1s, and
immediately started to encounter landing gear
failures because of the additional weight. Later that
year, VF-3 traded in its F2A-1s for more powerful
F2A-2s, and the F2A-1s were returned to Brewster
f o r m o d i f i c a t i o n s . E i g h t o f t h e m w e r e
remanufactured to F2A-2 standards, and were
reissued to VS-201 for service aboard the escort
carrier USS Long Island. By mid-1941, only one of
these was left (BuAer 1393), and it remained with a
training squadron until 1944.

Specification of Brewster F2A-1:

Powerplant: One Wright R-1820-34 Cyclone nine-
cylinder single-row air-cooled radial engine, rated
at 940 hp.
Performance: Maximum speed of 311 mph at
18,000 feet, and a maximum speed of 271 mph at
sea level.
Initial climb rate 3060 ft/min.
Service ceiling 32,500 feet.
Maximum range 1545 miles.
Weights: 3785 pounds empty, 5055 pounds gross,
5370 pounds maximum takeoff.
Dimensions:
Wingspan 35 feet 0 inches,
length 26 feet 0 inches,
height 11 feet 8 inches,
wing area 209 square feet.
Armament: Three 0.50 inch machineguns, one
0.30-inch machine gun.

32A

32A

32A

32A

32A

32A

34

3

4

a

3

4

a

3

4

a

35

a

b

c

15A

A

B

B

C

C

D

E

F

F

G

8A

8B

23A

23B

23B

23C

23C

11A

36

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

8A

8B

34

34a

11

12

33

I

II

II

36

23

23

24

23A

23A

23B

23B

23C

23C

11

12

13

13c

15+15a

16

21

17

22

25

13

1

17a

35

9

10

20

19

A

B

C

D E

F

G

27+28

27

28

29

31+32

14

30

W

IR

E

thread

1

2

3

6

7

12

13

b

b

c

d

19

20

a

b

23

23

26

25

25

15a

8

5

4

17a

30

11

9

14

a

29

27

28

32

31

33

20c

a

24

11

21

a

a

b

b

22

10

15

16

17

18