What are the Rarest WWII USMC Patches

[usmc69]

On 11/24/2011 at 10:50 PM, jpstout said:

VMF(N)-533 Patch, American Embroidered on Wool, "BLACK MAC'S KILLERS", EBAY for $136.67!

 

Night fighter patches are hard to come by and this large, OUTSTANDING 533 patch is no exception! This patch belonged to Col. Thomas Nichols and was one of several sold on Ebay. Simply a great patch with history and provenance!

 

On October 1, 1943, Marine Night Fighter Squadron 533 (VMF(N)-533) was commissioned at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. Originally known as "Black Mac's Killers", after their first commanding officer Major Marion M. Magruder, they were one of three night fighter squadrons to be activated in the Marine Corps and were outfitted with the Grumman F6F-5N Hellcat, equipped with the APS-6 radar. The squadron left for the West Coast in early April and on April 16, they embarked on board the USS Long Island (CVE-1) headed for the South Pacific. In May 1944, the squadron conducted their final training on the F6F aboard Marine Corps Air Station Ewa, Hawaii and then headed for Eniwetok. On June 12 they relieved VMF(N)-532 and assumed night defense responsibilities for the area. On November 30 they moved to Engebi and continued operations.

On May 7, 1945, with only two days notice, the squadron of 15 F6F Hellcat planes took off from Engebi with R5C escorts and flew to Saipan, a total of 1,004 nautical miles (1,859 km). This was the longest flight ever over water by a squadron in single engine military aircraft. Each plane had a 150-gallon belly tank, and the squadron had to travel at the speed of the slowest plane. The squadron moved to Yontan Airfield, Okinawa in May 1945 and finally settled on Ie Shima on June 15, 1945. Between May 14 and June 29, 533 would claim shooting down 30 Japanese planes - by radar, at night - without one operational loss. This was a night fighter record for enemy planes shot down by a single squadron.[2] They also had the first night fighter ace, Capt Robert Baird. The first F7F-2N Tigercat for the squadron arrived on Okinawa the day before the end of the war so it did not see combat. In October 1945, the squadron moved to Peiping, China for occupation duty and completed their transition to the new Tigercat.The Hawks soon moved to Hawaii before finally settling back in the U.S. at MCAS Cherry Point in January 1947. 533 would spend the Korean War there as well, training Tigercat aircrew for night combat overseas.

 

 A continuation of the above. I have a drawing of a copy of the WW II patch packed away.  I spent over ten years (off and on) in 533.  In Japan, Viet Nam, on a carrier and in the States in my career.  533 eventually transitioned to the A6-A in the mid 60's and went to Viet Nam.  Back to Japan in 71 and back to Thailand to support the war in RVN in 72, then back to Japan in 73.  About 76 they came back to MCAS Cherry Point, NC.  From 78-89 depolyments to Japan and carriers filled the bill.  In 92 deployed to Kuwait for Desert Storm. In 93 they transitioned to the F-18.  If this is out of place, I apologize.  The mods can delete or transfer it as they see fit.  If I run across the drawing I will post it.