The US Navy and US Marine Corps went to war in December 1941 using the tubby F4F Wildcat, the first of Grumman's famed "cats," as their principal fighter aircraft. Ruggedly built and well armed, the F4F was nevertheless inferior to the Japanese Zero-sen in terms of performance. Yet, in the carrier battles and the Solomons campaign of 1942, Naval Aviators held their own against seasoned opponents flying one of the best fighters in frontline service anywhere in the world. This volume examines the carrier battles that cook place around the first American offensive of the war: the amphibious assault on the island of Guadalcanal. Focusing on the Wildcat in combat with Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force aircraft, aviation expert Edward M. Young analyzes the key actions, training, and tactics that contributed to the success of F4F pilots in-theater. Tactical ribbon diagrams, Battlescene artwork, Armament views, Fully illustrated throughout