Marine Fighting Squadron 222 (VMF-222) was a fighter squadron of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

that was activated and fought during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Known as "The Flying Deuces," they fell under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 14 (MAG-14) and fought in many areas of the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

, including the

Philippines campaign (1944–45) Philippines campaign may refer to various military campaigns that have been fought in the Philippine Islands, including: Spanish colonial period (1565–1898) *Numerous revolts against Spain during the Spanish colonial period; see Philippine revo ...

and the

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa Island, Okinawa by United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War, Impe ...

. During the war, the squadron was credited with shooting down 53 enemy aircraft and was the sister squadron to VMF-215. They were deactivated on 31 December 1949.

History

VMF-222 was commissioned on 1 March 1942, at

Midway Atoll Midway Atoll (colloquialism, colloquial: Midway Islands; ; ) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the United States and is an Insular area#Unorganized unincorporated territories, unorganized and unincorpo ...

. They were originally formed from members of

VMF-221 Marine Fighting Squadron 221 (VMF-221) was a Marine Forces Reserve, reserve fighter squadron of the United States Marine Corps. Originally commissioned during the World War II, it flew the Brewster F2A-3, and after reconstitution in 1943, the F ...

and were part of

Marine Aircraft Group 22 Marine Aviation Training Support Group 22 (MATSG-22) is a United States Marine Corps aviation training Group (air force unit), group that was originally established during World War II as Marine Aircraft Group 22 (MAG-22). Squadrons from MAG-22 ...

. The squadron was transferred to

Marine Corps Air Station Ewa Marine Corps Air Station Ewa (MCAS Ewa) was a United States Marine Corps air station that was located west of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The base was hit during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and later served as the hub for all ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, in April 1942 and remained until September 1942 when they returned to the United States. They then were sent to the Solomon Islands, operating from bases on Munda and Bougainville. Original pilots of VMF-222 in February 1943

Original pilots of VMF-222 in February 1943

Following the Battle of the Green Islands, on 13 March 1944, VMF-222 landed on the newly constructed

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

on Green Island along with VMF-223. From here they participated in the allied effort to isolate the Japanese bases on

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province ...

and Kavieng. In May and June of that year

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York (state), New York to Paris, a distance of . His aircra ...

, while in the area as a civilian technician, flew combat sorties with the squadron. F4U-1 VMF-222 Bougainville 1944

On 11 January 1945, the squadron, along with other from MAG-14, landed on the island of Guinan in the Philippines. Between April and June 1945, VMF-222 operated from

Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...

in the Philippines. These missions were in a fighter-bomber capacity. VMF-222 Corsair crash

It was during this time that the squadron was a part of one of the worst aviation accidents of the war. At 0940 AM on 24 January 1945, while taking off, 1stLt Karl Oerth hit a lump in the runway, blew a tire, and his Corsair careened wildly into his own squadron's revetment area, which was shared with VMF-212. It completely wiped out the tents housing the intelligence, oxygen, parachutes, and materiel departments. Many men attempted to rescue the pilot but while they were making this brave effort the plane exploded and set off all its .50 cal ammunition. 14 men were killed and over 50 wounded during this incident. By early May 1945 the need for air support in the central Philippines had decreased and VMF-222, was transferred to the

2nd Marine Aircraft Wing The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW) is the major East Coast of the United States, east coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered in Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The Wing provides the ...

on the island of

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

. Following the

surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...

the squadron was transferred to

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force. It is located in Miramar, a commu ...

, California and placed in a cadre status while its gear was used to form the new VMF-912. They regained their flying status in January 1947 but were deactivated at

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point (*) is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, United States, in the eastern part of the state. It was built in 1941, and was commissioned in 1942 an ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, on 31 December 1949

Notable former members

* Donald H. Stapp - recipient of the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

with 10 confirmed kills * Kenneth Ambrose Walsh, USMC (retired), Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Walsh served with VMF-222 during his second combat tour. He scored the last of his 21 victories whilst flying an F4U-4 Corsair with VMF-222.USMC Corsair Aces of WWII
. Acepilots.com. Retrieved on 11 November 2009.

* Captain Arthur Miller United States Marine Corps VMF 222, 111 Combat Missions, DFC x2.
Click here for a detailed description of Captain Miller defending the USS Franklin from attack on 19 March 1945.

Unit awards

A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation. VMF-222 was presented with the following awards:

Notes

References

;Bibliography * * * * *

External links