The Wildcat was the main US Navy fighter at the start of the war. It is best known for its involvement in both the Battle of Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway. There were also several Wildcats present on Wake Island and fought valiantly in defense of superior Japanese forces.

The Wildcats flew from both carriers and island airstrips.

The Wildcat did not fair well against the Japanese A6M2 in combat due to both lower performance and the greater experience of the Japanese pilots.

However, the sturdy Wildcat did provide for a higher level of pilot survivability. This allowed for US pilots with combat experience to be cycled back to the US to pass on their knowledge to the next wave of pilots. This would soon be a vital turning point in the battle for the Pacific as Japan slowly lost its original pool of experienced pilots and was forced to put inexperienced pilots into combat.