On June 19, 1944, US Navy and Imperial Japanese forces were engulfed in a series of brutal crashes where the smoke of battery salvos filled the ambiance, and the sky was the playground of carrier fighters. The First Battle of the Philippine Sea was raging on, and the combat zone was hot.

Lieutenant Alex Vraciu was flying a rugged but versatile Grumman F6F Hellcat when he spotted an approaching formation of Japanese dive bombers that were bound for a carrier.

Vraciu did not hesitate and immediately intercepted the hostile formation at full speed, tearing them apart with the accurate fire of his Hellcat's six .50-caliber machine guns. One by one, the bombers began to go down. In a span of just eight minutes, the American pilot took them down with devastating effect.

When Vraciu landed for a refuel, he realized he had taken them down with only 360 rounds of ammunition, a true testament to what the Hellcat could do…

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Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.

As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.

All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.