Marine Attack Squadron 141 (VMA-141) was a reserve fighter squadron in 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 ...

. The squadron fought as part of the

Cactus Air Force The Cactus Air Force was the ensemble of Allies of World War II, Allied air power assigned to the island of Guadalcanal from August 1942 until December 1942 during the most heavily contested phases of the Battle of Guadalcanal, Guadalcanal Campa ...

during the

Battle of Guadalcanal The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by the United States, was an Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during the Pacific Theater of W ...

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 ...

and they also saw service during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. While with the reserves, they operated out of the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

until their deactivation on 1 September 1969.

History

World War II

Marine Scout Bombing Squadron (VMSB-141) was commissioned on March 1, 1942, at

Camp Kearny Camp Kearny was a U.S. military base located in Linda Vista, California. Established in 1917, it was named for Brigadier General Stephen W. Kearny. Camp Kearny closed in 1946. History Establishment and early years The camp was established ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The Squadron was originally formed from personnel from

VMSB-132 Marine Fighting Squadron 132 (VMF-132) was a fighter squadron in the United States Marine Corps. The squadron, also known as "The Crying Red Asses", fought in World War II as a dive bomber unit during the Battle of Guadalcanal as part of the C ...

coming from

Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico (MCAF Quantico) is a United States Marine Corps airfield located within Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. It was commissioned in 1919 and is currently home to HMX-1, the squadron that flies the President ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. On August 30, 1942, the squadron departed San Diego for the

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

with the first echelon of aircraft arriving at Henderson Airfield,

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...

on September 23, 1942 becoming part of the

(CAF). On the night of October 13-14, the Japanese battleships Kongō and Haruna shelled the area of Henderson Field from a distance of about , firing 973 14-inch high-explosive shells. During this bombardment the squadron lost 26 of its 29 aircraft and five officers, including the commanding officer and executive officer. The squadron fought on the island until November 19, 1942, when its flight echelon was transferred to

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

. The squadron's ground echelon departed on January 19, 1943, bound for

Efate Efate (), also known as Île Vate (), is an island in the Pacific Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in Vanuatu. Geography It is the most populous (approx. 66,000) island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third larg ...

in the New Hebrides. During its time with the CAF the squadron lost 18 of its 41 officers

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

. VMSB-141 remained on Efate until May 1943 when it moved to

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. In late September 1943, the squadron returned to the United States arriving at

Marine Corps Air Station El Toro Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located next to the community of El Toro and was then adjacent to the city of Irvine. Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the home of Marine Corps Av ...

, California. In January 1944, the squadron was ordered to Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Gillespie in San Diego, CA where it undertook a rigorous syllabus in low-level bombing and strafing utilizing the

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

. On 14 October 1944 the squadron was redesignated Marine Fighter Bombing Squadron 141 (VMBF-141). In May 1945 the squadron again changed names. This time they became Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 141 (VMTB-141) and served as a training replacement squadron until the end of the war. The squadron was deactivated on 10 September 1945.

Post-World War II reserve service

Following the war the squadron was reactivated on 5 July 1946, at

Naval Air Station Livermore Naval Air Station Livermore was a United States Navy military facility located in Livermore, California. History This station was built in 1942 four miles east of Livermore to relieve overcrowding of the naval air facilities at Naval Air Stat ...

as part of the Marine Air Reserve. On 15 September 1946, it relocated to

Naval Air Station Oakland A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations ...

. In 1949 they were commanded by

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient Colonel James Swett. The squadron moved to

Naval Air Station Alameda Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station mostly in Alameda, California, with a slight portion of it within San Francisco proper, on San Francisco Bay. NAS Alameda had two runways: 13–31 measuring and ...

on 1 July 1962. On that same date it was also redesignated as ''Marine Attack Squadron 141''. The squadron was deactivated on 1 September 1969.

Notable members

Louis Robertshaw Louis Bentham Robertshaw (August 1, 1912 – July 14, 2003) was an American football player and lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps. He flew combat missions in World War II and the Korean War and flew an F4B Phantom II figh ...

Bill Bixby Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III (January 22, 1934 – November 21, 1993) was an American actor and television director. His career spanned more than three decades, including appearances on stage, in films, and on television series. He is known ...

Citations

References

;Bibliography * * * * * ;Web
USMC Bomber Squadron of WWII

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vmf-141

141 141 may refer to: * 141 (number), an integer * AD 141, a year of the Julian calendar * 141 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * 141 Lumen, a main-belt asteroid * Lockheed C-141 Starlifter The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter is a retired mil ...