Q&A ยท 5:41:25-5:41:54

Light-carrier air groups for the British Pacific Fleet

More British light carriers arriving in time for Pacific operations would mainly carry the same Hellcat and Firefly types already entering service.

Question

What would Royal Navy carrier squadrons contain if the light-carrier swarm arrived for the British Pacific Fleet?

Short answer

They would largely use the Hellcats and Fireflies already being produced for late-war Fleet Air Arm service.

Notes

Many light carriers did arrive, so the counterfactual changes numbers more than aircraft selection. Their additional squadrons would draw on the established late-war flow of Hellcats and Fireflies. Existing production, training, maintenance, and supply arrangements would favor repeating proven air groups. The result is a larger British Pacific Fleet aviation force rather than a novel carrier-air-group concept.