Fighting around Guadalcanal, in the Pacific, northeast of Australia, was intense and it was there that the F4F Wildcat proved to be a tenacious and effective fighter. Warren E Thompson describes the action
Wildcat in Combat

Three American fighter prototypes flew within 11 months of one another: the Brewster Buffalo in December 1937, the Grumman F4F Wildcat in September 1938 and, a month later, the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. The Buffalo would have a brief and unsung combat career while the Grumman and Curtiss fighters were to achieve considerable fame.