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VMF-215 | "Fighting Corsairs"


walika
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VMF-215 "Fighting Corsairs"

Organized as VMSB-244 at Santa Barbara on June 3, 1942
Redesignated VMSB-242 on September 14, 1942 and redesignated VMF-215 on September 15, 1942
Deactivated November 13, 1945
Date of Insignia: 1943
Authorization: HQMC
Aircraft Employed: F4U-1, SNJ-4, F4U-ID, FG-1, FG-1 D, F6F-5, F6F-5P.

DEPLOYMENTS
Midway-April 1943 (F4U-1)
Espiritu/Munda- July 1943 (F4U-1)
Torokina/Bougainville- January 1944 (F4U-1)
Emirau - September 1944 (F4U-1)
Ewa-1945 (F4U-1)

AERIAL COMBAT RECORD
135.5 victories, 10 aces

 

 

American embroidery on wool. (This patch was formerly in the Millstein Collection and shown in his book.)

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Capt Jim Neefus, a well-regarded officer who had previously led VMF-221, held command of VMF-215 for its first 14 months. Ironically, for so successful a fighter squadron, VMF-215 first bore two dive-bomber unit designations during 1942.

VMF-215 arrived at Midway in April 1943, then proceeded to Espiritu Santo and points north. The squadron's first combat occurred on August 1 with two Zeroes damaged in a scrap north of Munda. Capt Don Aldrich scored the first confirmed kill on the 12th, signaling the start of near constant combat for VMF-215. Mostly flying from Munda, the "Fighting Corsairs" were credited with 22 victories by month-end. The last of those went to 1Lt Grafton Sidger on the 30th, identified as a "Fred," the Japanese Focke-Wulf Fw 190!

Over Ballale on September 2, Aldrich became the squadron's first ace, while another luminary, Capt Harold Spears, scored a double.

Lt Col H. H. Williamson commanded the "Fighting Corsairs" during October and November, supervising the move to Vella Lavella. The final combat of the year came on November 1 with five kills over Empress Augusta Bay, three by a new arrival. 1Lt Bob Hanson had completed a forward tour with VMF-214, during which time.he had scored two kills. Now with VMF-215, he downed two "Zekes" and a "Kate" on the 1st over Empress Augusta Bay at Bougainville. Although he too was shot down on that mission, at least Hanson was now ranked as an ace.

Maj Bob Owens took over in December, and although he only remained as CO through February 1944, those three months were by far the squadron's most active.

VMF-215's third tour was spent at Torokina, Bougainville, beginning in late January. The "Fighting Corsairs'" best day was January 14 with 19 victories in a sprawling combat over Rabaul. Hanson returned with claims for five kills, Maj Arthur Warner with four and Owens and Capt Ralph Robinson scored doubles. Capt Roger Conant made ace in the same mission. The "Corsairs" did nearly as well on the 26th with 14 victories, mainly posted by Hanson, Aldrich, Spears and Warner. In all, Owens' pilots claimed 85 victories in January. The squadron's last month of aerial combat netted 19 more in February, mostly over New Britain.

Under Owens, VMF-215 had been competitive as a unit, as had its individual pilots. A scoring race emerged, with Bob Hanson, Don Aldrich and Harold Spears claiming half the unit total. The "Fighting Corsairs" emphasized the star system, with ten aces accounting for 85 percent of total victories scored. In comparison, during the Solomons campaigns VMF-121's aces scored 55 percent of the unit's victories, VMF-221 's figure was 65 percent and VMF-112's was 43 percent.

The "Fighting Corsairs"' success was purchased at a price, however - at least 21 planes were destroyed with ten pilots killed or missing. Returning from a scoreless mission to Rabaul on February 3, HaJiison descended to strafe and was killed by ground fire.

In March and April 1944 VMF-215 reformed with new personnel under Maj Jim Gill, then continued operating against Rabaul and the Bismarcks. After another reorganization in May, the squadron returned to the US in October. VMF-215 was temporarily deactivated at El Toro in November, but in early 1945 it moved to Ewa, finishing the war as a replacement training unit with F4Us and F6Fs. The squadron was led by the highly experienced Lt Col Bill Millington until he was replaced by ex-VMF-223 pilot Maj Alan Armstrong.

The "Fighting Corsairs"' aces' suffered a high attrition rate, with four of the top five being killed either in action or in flying accidents and Warner being injured in Spears' fatal crash in December 1944.



VMF-215 on Barakoma airstrip on Vella LaVella
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F4U-1 Corsair aircraft of VMF-215 on the flight strip at Munda 1943
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Sources

Millstein, Jeff. U. S. Marine Corps Aviation Unit Insignia 1941-1946.

Tillman, Barrett. U. S. Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II.

 

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