While many people may not know what the "Soccer War" or the "100 Hours War" was, it's remembered by many Warbird enthusiasts as the scene of the last Corsairs that saw combat. Of all the other fighter aircraft, it fought against what else but....... Corsairs.
Corsairs from El Salvador. We believe BuNo: 92460 is in the picture.
While Wikipedia isn't a clear and concrete source, its still a good starting point from which other info can be obtained. None-the-less Wikipedia describes the conflict as "...a four-day war fought by El Salvador and Honduras in 1969. It was caused by political conflicts between Hondurans and Salvadorans, namely issues concerning immigration from El Salvador to Honduras. These existing tensions between the two countries coincided with the inflamed rioting during the second North American qualifying round of the 1970 FIFA World Cup. On 14 July 1969, the Salvadoran army launched an attack against Honduras. The Organization of American States negotiated a cease-fire which took effect on 20 July, with the Salvadoran troops withdrawn in early August."
One of the Honduras F4U-5 Corsairs that engaged the FAS FG-D1s.
FAS Boneyard, littered with FG-D1s. The red arrow indicates what we believe was FAS 214, the Corsair brought back to Stratford and the aircraft currently being restored.
92460's Goodyear Dataplate. This plate is still in El Salvador.
Considering the facts that this particular fighter aircraft was originally designed and built in 1940, broke records in 1941, and saw action with the US services up until the Korean War, that alone is a record worth remembering and honoring. But the legacy didn't stop there. Third world countries received these aircraft after the US deemed them obsolete for there needs. Henceforth we come to the realization of these particular aircraft being used in this small conflict that only lasted for four days. While really minimal to the rest of the world's situation, the "Soccer" or "Football War" showed the people of Chance Vought and Goodyear that the products they produced some twenty years prior were still useful to someone somewhere. Not only this but the "Football War" was the last engagement in which piston powered fighters did battle against one another. Thats how solid, reliable, dependable, and important the Corsair was.
As the CASC continues our in-depth research and restoration of Buno: 92460, we are slowly uncovering her past; rivet by rivet. From her inception at the Goodyear factory in Akron. OH. To her service with the US military, to her time in El Salvador, and finally to the Sikorsky Memorial Airport, this aircrafts history will only grow with every step we take to restoring this irreplaceable fighter. If theres anyway you can help please send a check to:
Connecticut Air and Space Center
Box 1293 Stratford CT 06615-1293
Or by becoming a member and volunteering on the Corsair yourself email:
