VMF-212 | Fighting Squadron 212 | "Hell Hounds" and "Musketeers" | theater-made patches

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VMF-212 | Fighting Squadron 212 | "Hell Hounds" and "Musketeers"

 

Commissioned 1 Mar 1942 | MCAS Ewi, HI

 

Deployments
Guadalcanal | September to November 1942 (F4F-4)
Solomons | August to December 1944 (F4U-1)
Philippines | January to May 1945 (F4U/FG-1A)
Okinawa | June to September 1945 (F4U-4)

 

Aircraft: F4F-3A; J2F-5; SNJ-3; F4F-3; F4F-4; FM-1; F4U-1; F4U-4

 

Aerial Combat Record:  126.5 victories, 8 aces

 

Nickname: | Early War: "Hell Hounds" | Late War: "Musketeers"

 

Insignia
Bulldog with Tommy Gun (Walt Disney Studios)- 1942
Musketeer - Jun 1945

Authorization of Insignia: Both approved by HQMC

Theater-made. Australian embroidery on wool. (Design by Walt Disney Studios)

 

 

 

 

The following variety is distinguished by the blue pads on paws and additional black accents on gun barrel.

 

Theater-made. Australian embroidery on wool. (Design by Walt Disney Studios)

 

 

 

 

The only originals I have seen have the unique tan fabric backing, shown above, typical of Australian embroidered insignia made during the war.

 

See another post, here, for several examples of the use of the insignia in the theater.

 

Several reproductions exist, some shown below for comparison.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VMF-212 used the Disney insignia until the late spring of 1945 when the "Musketeers" insignia was approved. The significance of the Musketeer insignia was derived from the military discipline, loyalty, and teamwork displayed by the Musketeers in the written works of Dumas. Although approved, I have not seen an authentic war-time patch using the Musketeers logo and suspect it was never made.

 

 

Maj Harold W. Bauer stamped his personality on his squadron as few officers ever did. Widely admired and respected in Marine aviation before Pearl Harbor, "The Coach" stood up VMF-212 in Hawaii and remained in command for nine months. At the end of March the squadron began working its way to Guadalcanal via Efate, the New Hebrides and New Caledonia. Seven pilots were forwarded to VMF-223 at "Cactus" in August, with the rest of VMF-212 arriving in September and October, serving with "Cactus Air Force" squadrons. Officially VMF-212 alit at "Cactus" on 16 October, now Lt Col Bauer leading 19 pilots. The CO arrived over the airfield with little fuel in his tanks, but this did not stop him from shooting down four enemy dive-bombers before he landed!

 

Two days later seven pilots claimed 13 victories during an early afternoon interception. Marine Gunner Henry Hamilton accounted for three planes, while four more pilots gained doubles. At that point Bauer regained most of the "loaners" who had been attached to VMF-223. Among their number was Marine Gunner H. B. Hamilton, who was killed in action on the 21st. He had been one of John L. Smith's stalwarts, gaining four victories in August and three more on October 18 following his return to VMF-212.

 

On October 25, during a major Japanese raid, the squadron notched five kills, two by Jack Conger who ran out of ammunition but not ambition. He closed on a Zero, sawed into its fuselage with his propeller and both planes went in the water. Conger was rescued, having downed an entire three-plane shotai. He was picked up by a US Navy boat that also plucked up a Zero pilot. That same day 1 Lt J. H. King was shot down and spent four days walking back.

 

At the end of October Bauer's men plucked the feathers of a group of floatplanes, downing five. It raised the squadron's tally to more than 50 kills, excluding the successes individual pilots had had with other squadrons. The last ''Cactus" combat came during the mid-November flurry of missions. Countering the major Japanese reinforcement effort, Bauer and company downed four Zeroes, the last by "The Coach" himself. He disappeared in an attack on Japanese ships on the 14th and was never seen again. Bauer was credited with 11 kills and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his valor. From October through November VMF-212 wrote off five Wildcats, with three pilots recovered.

Returning to ConUS by year-end, the squadron had claimed 57 victories, led by 2Lt Jack Conger with eight while Bauer, Loren Everton, Bob Stout and Fritz Payne also achieved acedom.

 

VMF-212 converted to F4Us in May 1943 just before sailing for Midway. Back in the Solomons that August under Hugh Elwood, the unit moved up to Bougainville in October. The "Hell Hounds" spent 1944 at various Solomons bases, flying against Rabaul, outlying Bismarck:S bases and supporting US forces on Bougainville. On the best day of its career VMF-212 scored 20 kills around Rabaul on January 23, four of them falling to 1Lt Phil Delong (three of these were shared), although Maj D. W. Boyle was posted missing in action. That month the squadron recorded five pilots killed or missing and six Corsairs lost.

 

By August 1943, VMF-212 was back in the Solomon Islands where they participated in the campaigns to retake Vella Lavella and Bougainville. From October 20 through November 27, 1943 the squadron was based out of Barakoma Airfield and supported operations in the Treasury Islands, Choiseul and Bougainville. By December 1943 they moved to Torokina Airfield and remained there until they moved again on January 20, 1944 this time to Piva Airfield. Another move came on March 20 when they transited to Green Island and later back to Vella Lavella. VMF-212 remained in the vicinity of the Solomons and Bismarck Islands for the remainder of 1944 running fighter sweeps against the Japanese garrison on Rabaul and providing close air support for ground forces on Bougainville. On January 8, 1945, VMF-212 landed on Samar and provided close air support for United States Army troops during the campaign to retake the Philippines. During this time they flew over Mindoro, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. It was also during this time that the squadron was a part of one of the worst aviation accidents of the war. At 09:40 on January 24, 1945, while taking off, 1Lt Karl Oerth of VMF-222 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.

 

In three combats during January and February, Capt William A. Carlton set a record by becoming the oldest leatherneck ace at the age of 37. He was nearly two years older than Joe Bauer had been at Guadalcanal.

 

Maj Quint Johns took VMF-212 to the Philippines to fly with MAG-14 in January 1945. It was a rough preparation period, with four aircraft written off. Two pilots went missing during early operations from Samar, and over the next four months the "Hell Hounds" lost 17 Corsairs, but 15 pilots were saved.

 

In June VMF-212 moved to Okinawa, combating kamikazes. The squadron arrived at Okinawa on the USS Hillsborough County (LST-827) and conducted operations from there until the end of the war. However, opportunities were surprisingly rare, with only two victories claimed - a "Val" and a "Zeke" that month near Kadena. Those June combats ran the wartime total to 126 victories- 69.5 in Corsairs. The "Hell Hounds" finished their long war at Awase, on Okinawa, in August.

 

The squadron was recognized for its Guadalcanal and Okinawa record with two Presidential Unit Citations.

 

 

 

 

 

Group photo of Marine Fighting Squadron 212 (VMF-212) "Hell Hounds" flight personnel believed to have been taken at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, September–November 1942.

 

 

 

Sources:

Millstein, Jeff. U. S. Marine Corps Aviation Unit Insignia 1941-1946. pp 42-44.

Tillman, Barrett. U. S. Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II. pp 101-103.

 

 

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