walika Posted August 11, 2017 Share #1 Posted August 11, 2017 VMF-213 | "Hell Hawks" Established at Ewa on July 1, 1942.Deactivated at Ewa on April 24, 1946.DEPLOYMENTSSolomons-March to December 1943 (F4U-l)USS Essex (CV-9) - December 1944 to March 1945 (FG-lD)Aircraft: F4U- 1, F3A-1, FG- 1, F6F-3, F6F-5, F6F-3PThe original insignia design was produced as an patch during an R&R in Sydney Australia. This was produced in two varieties: Australian embroidery on wool and American embroidery on twill (below), Later in the war a directive came out which banned the use of red as a background color in unit insignia on aircraft. The design was changed to a blue background and the motto "Hell Hawks Fight" dropped. The modified insignia was used by VMF-213 personnel aboard the USS Essex. Source: Millstein, Jeff. U. S. Marine Corps Aviation Unit Insignia, 1941-1946. p 45. Second issue | American embroidery on twill. Third Issue | American embroidery on twill. Maj Wade Britt took VMF-213 to Espiritu Santo in March 1943, where the squadron transitioned from F4Fs to F4Us. Off New Caledonia 39 Corsairs catapulted from the escort carrier USS Copahee (CVE-12), landing at Tontouta for staging to Espiritu Santo and on to the Solomons. Flying from Guadalcanal's "Fighter One", the "Hell Hawks" lost their skipper on April 13 when Britt was killed in a predawn takeoff accident, and another pilot disappeared after losing formation. Four Hellhawks fought a lopsided battle with perhaps 36 Japanese fighters and bombers on April 25, claiming five kills while losing a pilot and two F4Us.On June 17 VMF-213 relieved VMF-124 in the Russell Islands to cover the New Georgia landings. The first large combat occurred on June 30, with 20 kills claimed in two engagements, including four by lLt W. J. "Gus" Thomas. The new CO, Maj Greg Weissenberger, had an extremely busy few moments during one of these clashes, gunning down three Zeroes before being hit and bailing out. While being pulled from the water he saw a "Betty'' on an intercept course for the destroyer that was rescuing him until an unknown Corsair pilot downed the bomber. That same day 1Lt John Morgan's division jumped nine float biplanes, claiming all splashed. 1Lt Ed Shaw was credited with three.Operating from Guadalcanal and Munda, the squadron continued its winning ways with 16 claims on July 15 and fourteen more on the 17th. The persistent strain of operations that summer soon began to have an effect on VMF-213's pilots, however, and on July 19 Maj Weissenberger cited his flight surgeon's evaluation to Solomons Fighter Command. The report resulted in most pilots being temporarily relieved of flying duties on the basis of combat fatigue. September was the hardest month yet, with 12 Corsairs lost and seven aviators killed or missing. However, the "Hell Hawks" confirmed 25 victories, with 1Lt "Gus" Thomas emerging as the "topgun" after he claimed two triples during the month. 1Lt Walt Stewart also bagged three in one mission and Jim Cupp claimed four "Vais" on the 18th. From March to October VMF-213 lost 40 or more aircraft, but listed seven aces on its roster. Upon rotation home in December the squadron tally had reached 105, with Thomas, Ed Shaw and Jim Cupp all double aces or better. A rebuilding cycle began at Mojave early in 1944, with Don Frame becoming the longest-serving CO, commanding for 12 months beginning in February. However, the second ranking ace, Ed Shaw, perished in a flying accident in July.The "Hell Hawks" again deployed to the Pacific late that year, flying from Ewa to Ulithi Atoll in December. There, VMF-213 joined VMF-124 in CVG-4 aboard Essex for Western Pacific operations. The fast carriers provided air power for the Lingayan landings in January 1945, then struck lwo Jima, Formosa, Indochina, Tokyo and Okinawa. By the end of the Essex cruise in March the squadron had claimed another eight victories for a total of 113. Under Maj Conrad Winter, VMF-213 was based at Mojave, CA when the war ended in August 1945. Source: Tillman, Barrett. U. S. Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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