Marine Fighting Squadron 216 (VMF-216) was a reserve fighter squadron of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...

that was based out of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. Known as the “Bulldogs”, VMF-216 participated in numerous combat engagements in the Pacific Theater during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

to include the Battle of Guam and the

Battle of Iwo Jima The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army ( ...

. The squadron was decommissioned shortly after the end of the war but was reactivated in 1946 as part of the Marine Air Reserve. The squadron remained in the Reserve until being decommissioned on December 21, 1972.

History

World War II

Marine Fighting Squadron 216 was formed at

Marine Corps Air Station El Centro Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

in January 1943 but was not officially commissioned until September 16, 1943 with Major Rivers J. Morrell, Jr. in command. Initially training in FM-1 Wildcats, the squadron transitioned to the

Vought Vought was the name of several related American aerospace firms. These have included, in the past, Lewis and Vought Corporation, Chance Vought, Vought-Sikorsky, LTV Aerospace (part of Ling-Temco-Vought), Vought Aircraft Companies, and Vought Ai ...

F4U-1 Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts ...

and operated roughly 18 of these aircraft at any one time. VMF-216 was the first squadron to land at the recently opened

Torokina Airfield Torokina Airfield, also known as Cape Torokina Airfield, is a former World War II airfield located at Cape Torokina, Bougainville. History World War II The 3rd Marine Division landed on Bougainville on 1 November 1943 at the start of the Bo ...

on December 10, 1943. By this time VMF-216 had at least partially transitioned to the F4U-1A Corsair, featuring a bubble canopy. On August 4, 1944, VMF-216 joined

VMF(N)-534 Marine Night Fighter Squadron 534 (VMF(N)-534) was a United States Marine Corps night fighter squadron that was commissioned during World War II. It was the fourth night fighter squadron commissioned in the service and participated in limited com ...

VMF-217 Marine Attack Squadron 217 (VMA-217) was a fighter squadron of the United States Marine Corps that was activated and fought during World War II. Known as “Max’s Wild Hares”, they fought in many areas of the Pacific War including the Battl ...

, and VMF-225 on

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic ce ...

following the

invasion An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing co ...

of the island by United States forces. Following this, they were based on the Essex Class aircraft carrier

USS Wasp (CV-18) USS ''Wasp'' (CV/CVA/CVS-18) was one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. The ship, the ninth US Navy ship to bear the name, was originally named ''Oriskany'', but was renamed while under construction in honor of the ...

starting in early February 1945. Flying from the ''Wasp'' on February 16, 1945 as part of

Task Force 58 The Fast Carrier Task Force (TF 38 when assigned to Third Fleet, TF 58 when assigned to Fifth Fleet), was the main striking force of the United States Navy in the Pacific War from January 1944 through the end of the war in August 1945. The tas ...

, VMF-216 took part in fighter sweeps against military airfields in the vicinity of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

. Led by their commanding officer, Maj George E. Dooley, VMF-216 Corsairs strafed and bombed airfields at

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The ...

and Tateyama. Following the carrier raids on Tokyo, the squadron provided

close air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movemen ...

for Marine assault forces during the

. The squadron remained aboard until ''Wasp'' retired to the west coast for overhaul of battle damage. On March 13, 1945, VMF-216 was relieved and began transit back to the United States via

and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

. The squadron was decommissioned on March 10, 1946 at

Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara (MCAS Santa Barbara) was a United States Marine Corps air station that was located in Goleta, California north of Los Angeles during World War II. It was also known as the Goleta Air Station in the 1940s. ...

Reserve Years

VMF-216 was reactivated on July 1, 1946 at

Naval Air Station Seattle Naval Station Puget Sound is a former United States Naval station located on Sand Point in Seattle, Washington. Today, the land is occupied by Magnuson Park. History After World War I, a movement was begun to build Naval Air Station Seattle a ...

. The squadron was mobilized for a year during the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

beginning on October 22, 1951. In 1958 it moved to

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (NASWI) is a naval air station of the United States Navy located on two pieces of land near Oak Harbor, on Whidbey Island, in Island County, Washington. The main portion of the base, Ault Field, is about ...

and continued training until finally being decommissioned on December 21, 1972.

Citations

References

;Bibliography * * * * ;Web
Memorial website for VMF-216 pilot killed during the war

History of VMF-216

External links