A flight of A-4Es in formation over San Diego,

California. Clearly seen are the VMA-311 matrix

letters WL on the vertical stabilizer and the squadron

insignia on the fuselage. (USMC Photo A422813)
A HISTORY OF MARINE

ATTACK SQUADRON 311

By

Major William J. Sambito, USMC

HISTORY AND MUSEUMS DIVISION

HEADQUARTERS U.S. MARINE CORPS

WASHINGTON, D.C.

1978

PCN 19000308000
PCN 190 003080 00

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRJNTING OFFJCE 1979 0—278-457 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office

Washington, D.C. 20402

Stock Number 008—055—00133—1
FOREWORD

In this publication the history of Marine Attack Squadron 311 is traced from its commissioning in December 1942 through three wars and several evolutions during which the

unit made the transition from a fighting squadron flying propeller-driven planes to a

modern attack squadron equipped with high-performance jet aircraft. The history was

prepared principally from primary sources such as command diaries and chronologies,

published historical works, and recollections of Marines involved.

Major William J. Sambito, a graduate of Colby College in Waterville, Maine, was

commissioned in 1961 and designated a naval aviator in 1965. Between December 1966'and

June 1971, he served two tours in the Western Pacific as a transport helicopter pilot. Major

Sambito joined the staff of the History and Museums Division in January 1975 after attending the Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia.

It is hoped that the information contained herein will provide some insight into the

development and employment of VMA-311 over the past three decades. The History and

Museums Division welcomes any comments on the narrative and additional information or

illustrations which might enhance a future edition.

E. H. SIMMONS

Brigadier General, U. S. Marine Corps (Ret.)

Director of Marine Corps History and Museums

Reviewed and approved:

15 June 1978

111

PREFACE

Marine Attack Squadron 311 was conceived as a "Fighting Squadron" during the rapid

build up of forces which followed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The squadron

participated in World War II and was assigned occupational duty in Japan upon cessation of

hostilities. During the Korean conflict, the squadron again saw combat, this time as a jet

fighter squadron. When Marine air was committed in Vietnam, VMA-311 was one of the

first attack squadrons to deploy to Vietnam and one of the last to leave. While this history

deals with one particular squadron, it exemplifies the many Marine squadrons whose

development and employment parallel that of VMA- 311.

A debt of gratitude is owed to those who reviewed the manuscript and provided valuable

comments. These include Lieutenant General Thomas H. Miller, USMC; Major General

Arthur A. Adams, USMC (Ret); Major General Paul H. Fontana, USMC (Ret); Brigadier

General Henry W. Hise, USMC (Ret); Brigadier General Manning T. Jannell, USMC;

Colonel James E. Johnson, USMC (Ret); Colonel Neil R. Maclntyre, USMC (Ret);

Colonel John H. Miller, USMC; Colonel Michael R. Yunck, USMC (Ret); Lieutenant

Colonel Ray D. Rushlow, USMC (Ret); and Lieutenant Colonel Samuel P. Brutcher,

USMC, who not only conducted an indepth review of the history, but also provided

assistance in understanding some of the technical material.

Without the assistance of the professionals in the Marine Corps Historical Division, the

completion of this document would have been impossible. In this regard I extend my appreciation to Miss Gabrielle M. Neufeld and Mrs. Joyce E. Bonnett for their help in

collecting source material and to the members of the Historical Branch who edited the

manuscript. Thanks are also extended to the manuscript typist, Miss Catherine A. Stoll,

and the publication production editor, Mr. Douglas Johnston. The pictures contained in

this publication are from the Marine Corps Photo Archives and the personal collections of

Brigadier General Hise, Colonel Yunck, and Lieutenant Colonel Brutcher.

WILLIAMJ. SAMBITO

Major, U. S. Marine Corps

V

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface . Foreword .iii

V

Table of Contents vii

Introduction 1 From Birth to War: 1941-1945 1 Post-World War II: 1946-1950 10

The Korean Era: 1950-1955 15

The Post-Korean Period: 1955-1965 30

The Vietnam Years: 1965-1973 39

Conclusion 54

Notes 57

Appendix A: Chronology 61

Appendix B: Commanding Officers 63

Appendix C: Streamer Entitlement 65

Appendix D. Squadron Insignia 67

Vii

A History of Marine

Attack Squadron 311

Introduction—From Birth to War.' 1941-1945—Post-World War II, 1946-1950—The Korean Era:

1950-1955—The Post-Korean Period.' 1955-1 965—The Vietnam Years: 1965-1973—Conclusion

Introduction

On 6 December 1941, Marine Corps aviation

consisted of two aircraft wings—the 1st Marine

Aircraft Wing (MAW) commanded by Brigadier

General Roy S. Geiger, headquartered at Marine

Base, Quantico, Virginia, and Brigadier General

Ross E. Rowell's 2d Marine Aircraft Wing with its

headquarters at the Naval Air Station, San Diego,

California. Although the Marine Corps could boast

of two aircraft wings, the total strength of the 1st

MAW consisted solely of the six squadrons of

Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 11 while the 2d

MAW similarly included only one group, MAG-21,

located on the island of Oahu in the Territory of

Hawaii. Of the six MAG-21 squadrons, four were at

bases on Oahu and two were on board carriers,

except for a detachment on Wake Island. With the

addition of Marine Scouting Squadron 3, stationed at

Boume Field, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, the

Marine Corps had a total of 13 aircraft squadrons,

204 aircraft, and 5,866 aviation personnel.'

On 7 December 1941, disaster struck the Territory

of Hawaii when Japanese carrier aircraft attacked the

U. S. fleet at Pearl Harbor. The Marine Corps Air

Station at Ewa, 10 miles west of Pearl Harbor,

received extensive damage and all but one of MAG21's aircraft were either destroyed or damaged. Six

hours later and 1,994 nautical miles to the west,

Japanese bombers from Kwajalein struck Wake

Island destroying 7 of the 12 Grumman F4F Wildcats

assigned to the forward echelon of Marine Fighting

Squadron 211.

After one day of war, the entire 2d MAW had

been reduced to only 40 operational aircraft. The

278—457 0 — 79 — 2 1

Marine Corps began rebuilding immediately. By

September 1944, Marine Corps aviation attained its

peak strength of 5 aircraft wings, which included

31 aircraft groups and 145 tactical squadrons. By 31

January 1945, Marine aviation personnel reached a

peak strength of 125,162.2

Marine Attack Squadron 311 is one of many

commands which were established during this rapid

expansion in World War II. This squadron,

originally commissioned as Marine Fighting

Squadron 311, was born of war and baptized in the

islands of the Pacific. It later met the challenge of

Korea and carried forth its legend to Vietnam.

From Birth to War,' 1941-1945

Marine Fighting Squadron 311 (VMF-311) was

commissioned on 1 December 1942 with Major

Ralph K. Rottet as its first commanding officer. The

fledgling squadron was assigned to the newly activated 3d Marine Aircraft Wing (3d MAW) and

headquartered at the Marine Corps Air Station

(MCAS) Cherry Point, North Carolina. At the time

of commissioning, a total of 2 officers and 64 enlisted

men comprised the skeletal organization of the

squadron.'

Major Rottet, who later rose to the rank of

lieutenant general, graduated from the Naval

Academy in 1934 and completed Basic School at the

Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1935. In July 1937 he

completed flight school at Pensacola, Florida, and

was designated at Naval Aviator. During the next 3

years, then Lieutenant Rottet served at the Naval Air

Station, San Diego, California. He then returned to

Pensacola where he was assigned as a flight in-
USMC Photo 131733

The F4U-l Corsair by Vought was the pride of the squadron VMF-31 1 first received Corsairs at Page Field,

Parris Island, in April of 1943, before being sent to the war in the Pacific.

structor until October 1941. After a 1-year tour with

the Bureau of Aeronautics in Washington, D.C.,

Major Rottet was assigned the task of building VMF311 into an operational squadron.

The 3d MAW, activated in November 1942, was

given the mission of preparing squadrons for

deployment and training replacement pilots for

combat squadrons. Dozens of returning aviators who

had learned their lessons over Guadalcanal were

assigned the task of teaching new pilots "how it was

on the Canal." To do this 3d MAW acquired 11

additional training fields located throughout North

and South Carolina. Even though there were 4,989

Marine pilots by 1 July 1943, the cry was always

''more.' '2

The building of VMF-311 during this period of

pell-mell expansion was difficult because the

squadron remained in a constant state of flux with

Marines continually transferring in and out of the

command. Difficulties were accentuated by the

frequent change of commanding officers due to the

rotation of officers to the Wing Headquarters

Squadron and to the headquarters of a new aircraft

2

group forming, MAG-31. Major Rottet retained

command until 31 January 1943, then became the

first commanding officer of MAG-31. During the

month of February, the squadron had four cornmanding officers, three second lieutenants and one

captain. Nevertheless, in the 4 1/2 months that the

squadron remained at Cherry Point, the essentials of

organization were completed.3

During this period the squadron was assigned 12

North American SNJ Texans for training in fighter

tactics, gunnery, and night flying. The two-seated

Texan, an advanced trainer, had two .30 caliber

machineguns in the fuselage synchronized to fire

through its two-bladed propeller. The aircraft,

powered by a 500-horsepower Pratt and Whitney

engine, had a maximum airspeed of 205 miles per

hour at 5000 feet. Because of its ease of handling and

maneuverability, the Texan proved to be an excellent

trainer .

On 18 April 1943, under the command of Captain

Jack D. Kane, VMF-311 was relocated to Page Field

at Parris Island, South Carolina, where the unit

started receiving the new Vought F4U-1 Corsair to

p.-
replace the SNJs. The single-seated F4U fighter with

its 2000-horsepower Pratt and Whitney engine was

originally developed as a fleet aircraft, but was

initially rejected by the Navy as a carrier plane. The

Corsair was capable of speeds up to 400 miles per

hour and had excellent maneuverability and handling

characteristics. Its armament consisted of six .50

caliber machineguns, three in each wing, with 400

rounds per gun belted in various fashions to utilize

the combined effect of tracers, armor piercing, and

incendiary bullets. The Corsair also carried one

centerline fuel tank or a 1000-pound bomb. This

aircraft, dubbed "Whistling Death" by the

Japanese, was the beginning of a new era in Marine

Corps aviation.' By the end of June 1943, 15 Corsairs

were assigned to VMF-311 and all SNJs were

transferred from the squadron.

On 1 June, VMF-311 greeted a new commanding

officer, Major Harry B. Hooper. This time the

squadron had a skipper who would remain in

command for an extended period of time and thereby

provided the leadership stability the unit had lacked.

Major Hooper enlisted in the Marine Corps in

March 1940 and was accepted for flight training. In

January 1941, he received his naval aviator wings

and was commissioned a second lieutenant. He

would remain on active duty for 22 years, retiring

with the rank of colonel.

The squadron continued training while acquiring

more Marines. During August 1943, full strength

was finally reached with a total complement of 45

officers and 243 enlisted men including 8 enlisted

naval corpsmen.6 On 31 August, the squadron, now

with 18 F4U-lCs, began the first leg of a journey that

would take it to the homeland of the Imperial

Japanese Empire. From 31 August to 8 September,

the squadron was en route to the Marine Corps Air

Depot (MCAD) Miramar, California. The Corsairs

were ferried to the west coast by the squadron pilots

and a Douglas R4D Skytrain carried the engineering

officer and nine engineering personnel. The

remainder of the squadron went by train. The ferry

flight began uneventfully, but on 4 September,

shortly after takeoff from Shreveport, Louisiana, en

route to Midland, Texas, the Corsairs encountered a

severe and widespread storm. The flight became

scattered and one aviator, Captain Rufus E. Garret,

was killed when his plane crashed at Fort Worth,

Texas.7

The squadron air echelon arrived at MCAD

Miramar without further mishap and the squadron

3

joined Marine Fleet Air, West Coast (MFAWC).

Four additional F4Us were transferred to the unit and

final preparations were made as VMF-311 awaited

the ships that would take it to the Pacific.

Meanwhile, MAG-31 with its three squadrons,

VMF-321 and Marine Scout Bombing Squadrons

(VMSB) 331 and 334, also had crossed the country

and was now awaiting further transportation. On 25

September, the air echelons of MAG-31, including

the 21 F4Us of VMF-311, embarked on board the

escort carrier USS Nassau (CVE 10) and sailed west.

Five days later, the ground echelons followed on

board the U. S. Army Transport Ship Puebla. On 30

September 1943, VMF-311 was detached from

MFAWC and again became part of Colonel Calvin R.

Freeman's MAG-31. On 5 October the Nassau

arrived at Pago Pago, Tutuila, Samoa. The following

day as the carrier lay at the dock, the squadron

Corsairs were catapulted from the deck and landed at

the Samoa Naval Station in what was one of the

earliest American catapult operations involving the

F4U.

The same day, MAG-31 became a subordinate

command of the 4th Marine Base Defense Aircraft

Wing (MBDAW) which was activated at MCAS

Ewa on 22 August 1942 in recognition of the

defensive roles of MAG-13 in Samoa, MAG-21 at

Ewa, and MAG-22 on Midway. In August 1943, the

headquarters of the 4th MBDAW moved from Ewa

to Tutuila; by October the wing consisted of MAG13, MAG-31, and MAG-24.8

On 8 October, the squadron's aircraft were flown

to the Seabee-constructed field on Wallis Island and

were joined there 11 days later by the ground echelon

on board the Puebla. Wallis Island, a small French

protectorate 186 miles west of Pago Pago, was by no

means a Pacific paradise; the volcanic island was

small, flat, hot, and damp. The squadron stayed at

Wallis until January 1944 with only a 3-week break

in December when all planes and pilots went to

Samoa for fighter director training conducted by

MAG-31.

Marine aviation in Samoa had a purely defensive

mission. The pilots of VMF-311 were involved in

constant patrols and alerts, chasing unidentified

aircraft that inevitably turned out to be friendly.9

Although the squadron made no contact with the

enemy during the period, one pilot, First Lieutenant

William S. Robson, Jr., was killed when his aircraft,

after flying into clouds at 6,000 feet, went into a spin

and crashed in the ocean
As the Japanese-held islands within striking

distance of Samoa fell and the perimeter of the span of

Japanese control decreased, the 4th MBDAW, now

with MAG-31, -13, and -22, left Wallis Island and

moved 2,000 miles northwest to the Marshall

Islands.

On 26 January 1944, the squadron, less the air

echelon, began loading in the landing ship tank USS

Typhoon (1ST 1118) and the merchant ship USS

Constantine and sailed 4 days later for Roi-Namur

Islands, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. The

ships arrived at Roi-Namur, the small twin islands on

the northern perimeter of the Kwajalein Atoll, on 6

February and on the following day the squadron's

advance party went ashore.

Since Roi and Namur are joined by a narrow strip

of land, the two islands are often considered as one.

A three-runway Japanese airfield was located on Roi

while the support and billeting facilities were located

on Namur. Because the runway surfaces and airfield

facilities were severely damaged during the battle for

the island, it was necessary for two Seabee battalions

to prepare the area before the Corsairs could land

from Wallis

The 4th Marine Division had secured Roi-Namur

just 5 days before the forward echelon of MAG-31

and VMF-311 arrived. Kwajalein Island, 50 miles to

the south, had been secured by the Army's 7th

Infantry Division 3 days after Roi-Namur. MAG-13,

meanwhile, with the aid of the Seabees, was

establishing residency 250 miles away on the island of

Majuro. While mopping-up operations were still

being conducted on Engebi Island, Eniwetok Atoll,

MAG-22 landed its advanced echelon and began

preparations for future operations.12

The mission for the Marines in the Marshalls now

was to isolate the Japanese on the bypassed islands,

deny their escape, and prevent them from using any

of the airstrips on the numerous islands in the

Marshalls. These rearguard Marines would also have

to protect the vital lines of communication between

the United States and the forward areas.

The VMF-31 1 personnel on Roi began setting up

large pyramidal tents. The general unloading of

supplies and equipment proceeded satisfactorily until

about 0230 on 12 February when the island was

attacked by enemy bombers. The 12 to 14 Japanese

bombers, which had flown approximately 550 miles

from Ponape in the Caroline Islands, struck with

accuracy and effectiveness. VMF-311 took a heavy

pounding, suffering casualties of 14 officers and 99

4

enlisted men wounded. Warrant Officer John H.

Spotanski, the ground defense officer, Corporal

Claude S. Gibbs Ill, and Privates Albert B. Healy

and John H. Nancy were hit seriously enough to

require evacuation to the Typhoon. The enemy

attack, which hit a bomb dump and caused numerous

secondary explosions and fires, severely damaged a

substantial amount of the squadron's equipment and

supplies. All tents and personal gear were destroyed,

making living conditions quite primitive for the next

10 days.'3

A decision was then made to move the squadron

from Roi to Kwajalein Island. After an un- comfortable stay of 16 days, the personnel on Roi

were loaded in an LST and landed at Kwajalein on 24

February. Five days later they were joined by the air

echelon which arrived from Wallis Island.

Kwajalein Atoll, the largest coral atoll in the

world, forms a lagoon measuring nearly 65 miles in

length and reaches a maximum width of 18 mules.

The crescent shaped island of Kwajalein, the largest

island of the atoll, measures slightly more than 2

miles in length and 400 yards at its widest point.

Before the U. S. bombardment and assault of the

island, the Japanese had built numerous installations

and had an airfield under construction. Now through

the efforts of the Seabees, the field became the new

home of MAG-31 and VMF-311.

During March the 10 fighter and bomber

squadrons of the 4th MBDAW began their long,

unrelenting attacks on the bypassed atolls of Wotje,

Maloelap, Mille, and Jaluit. Before the arrival of

Marine aviation in the Marshalls, the Seventh Air

Force had pounded these atolls for 4 months and

Navy carrier aircraft had flown 1,671 sorties against

them. Although the VMF-311 pilots encountered no

aerial opposition, they were surprised to meet accurate and intense antiaircraft fire indicating that the

tons of bombs dropped since November 1943 had not

eliminated all resistance.'4

The forces attacking the bpissed Japanese

positions also had the duty of p otecting their own

rear areas. Because of the demonstrated use of

suicidal tactics by the Japanese, one-way sorties had

to be regarded as a possible enemy action.

If a few planes had sneaked into the Marshalls, the

Japanese could not have changed the course of the war,

but they could have upset plans and timetables and socked

the U.S. Fleet with heavy casualties."

On 23 March 1944, the squadron made its first

strike, a strafing attack against antiaircraft emplacements and a radio station on Wotje Island. The
flight was comprised of five VMSB-231 scout

bombers and one VMF-311 Corsair flying escort. As

the scout bombers began their dives, the fighter

delivered suppressive fires pulling Out at approximately 300 feet and 380 knots. Three bombs hit

the radio station and one hit an antiaircraft gun. No

enemy fire was encountered and the flight returned

home safely. The following day 12 F4Us accompanied five scout bombers for a continuation of

the attack on Wotje. This time the enemy responded

with small caliber antiaircraft fire, but no aircraft

were hit.16

Before the squadron could become too comfortable

in its new surroundings, word was received to move

back to Roi. The move began on 26' March and was

completed on 4 April. During this period the Corsairs continued their strikes against Wotje.

On 29 March, the Japanese antiaircraft gunners

scored their first hits; two F4Us received minor

damage. The following week the commanding officer, Major Hooper, experienced engine difficulties

during a strafing run and was forced to ditch his

plane. After about 2 hours in a raft, a destroyer

picked him up and returned him to Kwajalein.'7 On

23 April misfortune struck again when First

Lieutenant Frederick C. Hawkes, who had just joined

the squadron on 1 April, was killed when his plane

was observed to lose airspeed in a turn then spin and

crash into the ocean off Kwajalein.'8

Until May 1944, the strikes flown were predominantly strafing attacks, but occasionally an

aircraft would carry a 1,000-pound general purpose

bomb. On 14 May the first squadron bombing

mission was flown and from then on the Corsairs'

mission was primarily bombing attacks, although

strafing runs were frequently made on the targets

after the bombs were dropped. The aircraft were

loaded with 250-, 500-, or 1,000-pound bombs.

Because of the ineffectiveness of level-flight singlebomb delivery and the lack of documentation or

standardization associated with dive bombing in the

Corsair, the pilots began developing a technique

which would increase the probability of damage with

a single bomb:

At first "clean dives"' were made with the indicated

air speed as high as 380 knots, then for a period of about a

month, the diving brakes were used in an attempt to

improve accuracy with slower air speed, bomb release at

Clean dive is the aircraft configured for a dive with landing

gear up, flaps up, dive brakes up, and canopy closed, thereby

reducing drag.

5

lower altitudes, and greater aircraft stability. Results,

however, did not seem to justify subjecting pilots and

aircraft to the increased hazard of antiaircraft fire experienced when flying low and slow, and this technique

was abandoned. All dives were again clean and each pilot,

knowing his angle of dive and the direction of the wind,

developed his own technique for accuracy.'9

The experimentation and lessons learned would

prove very valuable in the future.

On 26 May 1944, First Lieutenant George W.

Diemer, Jr., was killed during a takeoff from

Kwajalein. Lieutenant Diemer's aircraft settled back

onto the runway after the landing gear was retracted

and the plane continued into the water off the end of

the runway.2°

During June and July the squadron attacked

Maloelap, Wotje, and Taroa as the campaign to

neutralize the Marshalls continued. July brought

another loss, the first directly attributable to enemy

action. Captain Michael J. Curran, Jr., while

engaged in a strike at Wotje on 30 July, was hit by

antiaircraft fire and was seen trailing smoke as he

crashed into the sea 500 yards from shore.21

From August through January 1945, air

operations in the Marshalls continued, and VMF311 expanded its atea of operation to include the

atolls of Mule and Jaluit. The job was tiresome and

monotonous, but the Marines assigned these rear

area tasks performed their duties faithfully if not

always cheerfully.22

On 24 October 1944, Major Hooper, who had led

the squadron to war in the Pacific, passed command

to Major Charles M. Kunz, who all too soon was

faced with the unwanted task of having to report

another casualty. One week after the change of

command, Second Lieutenant Frank T. Sweeney,

while flying his first combat mission, was hit by

antiaircraft fire while on a bombing run over Enidj

Island. Lieutenant Sweeney was observed bailing out

of his Corsair at about 4,000 feet, but he was never

found.23

Major Kunz retained command until 'he was

relieved by Major Perry L. Shuman on 11 February

1945. Soon after this change of command another

pilot, Second Lieutenant John H. Newton, was killed

when his plane crashed at sea during a routine

training ffight.24

The task of guarding the rear ended in March of

Curran commanded VMF-311 as a second lieutenant from

16-25 February 1943, during the squadron's initial

organizational period.
USMC Photo 118387

USMC Photo 117900

A closeup view of Marine Corsairs parked at

Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, (top) and an aerial view of

the same field in April 1945 (below). The picture

looks northwest with the China Sea in the

background. The airfield was either a bowl of black

dust or a quagmire of mud, such as that encountered

by the Marine Corsair on the left.

USMC Photo 118302

- — —:

---—--—- I - I —

__

,- (.._ - —

..-,.:... — - ..-—

•

.—

P.•

_

*4.
1945, and the personnel of VMF-311 gladly prepared

to vacate their home in the Marshalls for the chance

to move forward to the Emperor's backyard—

Okinawa. The squadron began loading new F4U1C aircraft on board the escort carriers USS Silkoh

Bay (CVE 86) and the USS Breton (CVE 23) on 8

March. Three days later the ships sailed and MAG31 became part of the 2d MAW under the Tenth

Army Tactical Air Force (TAF). The F4U-1C, a

modification to the basic Corsair, contained four 20

millimeter cannon, two in each wing, and four pairs

of small pylons for attaching 5-inch rockets.

It was determined early that the land-based

squadrons in Okinawa comprising the TAF would be

commanded by a Marine flyer. The job went to

Major General Francis P. Mulcahy. The TAF

consisted of MAGs-31, -33, -22, and -14 as well as

three Army Air Forces fighter groups.2'

The forward echelon of Marine Fighting Squadron

311, on board an LST, arrived off the coast of

Okinawa opposite Yontan Airfield on the afternoon

of 2 April 1945. On the morning of 4 April, just 3

days after the initial assault landings, Major Shuman,

with a detail of 20 officers and men, went ashore to

survey the area assigned to the squadron, set up

temporary camp facilities, and plan for the

disposition of supplies and equipment. Unloading

operations started the following morning and continued day and night until the task was completed.26

On 7 April the squadron aircraft flew from the two

carriers to the former Japanese airfield at Yontan.

During the launch, one division of planes, while

flying combat air patrol (CAP) over the carrier group

to cover subsequent launching, was vectored toward

a possible enemy aircraft. The pilots quickly identified the target as friendly, but at the same time they

noticed a Japanese Lil* at 500 feet heading directly

toward the carriers. Because of the low altitude of the

bomber, it was obvious that the Japanese pilot was

not planning any orthodox bomb belivery. His

collision course with the Sit kob Bay identified him as

a Kamikaze.**

With two divisions now airborne, the Corsairs

'Lii or Lily was an American name for the Japanese twinengined Kawasaki light bomber. The Lii was equipped with

1,150-hp engines and was capable of flying 233 knots at sea

level.

''Kamikaze is Japanese for ''divine wind," an action taken

by certain Japanese pilots in which they crashed their aircraft

against Allied targets. The airplanes were often laden with

explosives.

7

immediately attacked the enemy plane. On the first

pass, Captain Ralph G. McCormick scored hits in the

fuselage and engines, and First Lieutenant Robert T.

Vaught with Second Lieutenant James F. Keegan on

his wing also hit the fuselage with cannon fire.

First Lieutenant John J. Doherty then scored hits in

both engines. First Lieutenant Organ E.

McCullough, Jr., rolled in next and put several hits

in the Lil's nose section. The Kamikaze started to

burn, but continued straight for the Sitkoh Bay. The

carrier began firing, but the Lil was already on its

way down and just 50 feet short of the carrier the Lil

ended its final flight.27

This was the first time the squadron had engaged

enemy aircraft. Captain McCormick and Lieutenant

Doherty had the honor of sharing the first kill, as

well as the distinction of being the first VMF-311

pilots to use successfully the F4U modified with the

2Omm cannon. It was not long before all the pilots

had the chance to try the cannons and as expected,

were ''very enthusiastic about the great destructive

power of the armament.' '28

While the story of the first squadron kill was being

retold, the opportunity quickly arose for other pilots

to develop their own ''sea stories.'' On 16 April,

while flying CAP for two radar picket ships, a flight

of four squadron Corsairs discovered aerial

engagement was vastly different from the bombing

and strafing missions of the Marshalls. An extract

from the squadron's war dairy describes this aerial

encounter:

About 35 miles from the picket ship, Captain Gilman

B. Rood and his wingman First Lieutenant Thomas M.

Kirby sighted a Val' flying low toward the picket ship.

Kirby led the attack and smoked her. Rood's first run

caused no damage. He closed again, shot the right wing

off and the Val flamed, disintegrated, and splashed. First

Lieutenant Raymond M. Barrett and First Lieutenant

Norman A. Turley sighted a Betty"" and seven Vals

heading towards a picket ship. Many other friendly

aircraft were present and a general melee ensued. Barrett

made a run on a Vat which disintegrated and splashed. As

he recovered, a plane from VMF-441 flashed in front of

him from below and Barrett's propeller chewed the tail

off. The pilot bailed out and got into his raft. Barrett

'Val—The Japanese single-engine Aichi carrier bomber

with a two-man crew was capable of flying 200 knots at sea

level. This plane had two 7.7mm guns and carried one 550-

pound bomb.

""Betty—The two-engine Japanese bomber could carry a

2,000-pound bomb payload and had two 20mm guns. This

plane had a range of 2,200 miles and a speed of 248 knots at sea

level.
waited until the downed pilot had been sighted by fescue

vessels. Turley spotted a Val making a dive for a picket

ship and made a run on her. The Val, under the impact of

four 20 millimeter guns of the F4U-1C, promptly blew up

and splashed close by the picket ship.2'

Later the same day, a section of two VMF-311

aircraft spotted two Vals and after a brief exchange of

fire the score for the day became: VMF-311—5;

Japanese—U.

Throughout the month of April the squadron

continued flying combat air patrol missions, and on

28 April, 13 more Japanese aircraft were added to

311's growing record. By the end of April, 22 enemy

aircraft had been destroyed with the squadron's only

loss occurring on 30 April. First Lieutenant William

K. Ouellette, while flying near a U. S. destroyer, was

mistaken for an enemy pilot and was shot down and

killed.30

May proved to be as exciting as the previous

month as the determination of the fanatical enemy

tested the skill of every pilot. On 4 May a total of 60

enemy aircraft were shot down by Okinawa-based

flyers, and VMF-31 1 got its share as it tallied 17 kills.

Second Lieutenant William P. Brown led the

squadron with four enemy planes shot down. By the

end of the month, the squadron had topped April's

score with a total of 37 enemy aircraft destroyed.3'

By mid-spring, improvements to the Okinawa

camp meant a new way of life for the men at Yontan

Airfield. Movies were shown periodically and a

recreational area was completed, which served as a

diversion from the routine of combat operations. Of

all the improvements, the construction of cold water

shower facilities was regarded as the most significant

step in making the existence on Okinawa more

civilized.

On 24 May, the Japanese suicidal efforts reached a

new level of daring. Immediately following a smallscale bombing attack on the airfield at about 2100,

the enemy succeeded in landing one of several twinengine bombers loaded with heavily armed troops in

the middle of the main runway. Before any opposition could be organized, the Japanese, perhaps 15

in number, scattered and started destroying aircraft

dispersed on the field. Several of the enemy worked

their way into the squadron parking area, but before

they could do any serious damage, they were killed

by squadron ground personnel who had been

preparing for morning operations 32

Weather conditions throughout the month were

the most hazardous ever encountered, even for the

most experienced pilots. Ground winds of 30 knots

8

USMC Photo 707811

Major Michael R, Yunck, commanding officer of

VMF-311 on Okinawa, 1945. Major Yunck was a

World Waril ace andihe winner of iwo Silver Stars,

were common, and winds aloft were frequently as

high as 80 knots. For almost a quarter of the time

ceilings were below 1,000 feet and many landings

were made in driving rains with negligible visibility.

The last 5 days of the month were filled with a very

wet7 /2 inches of rain.

Marine Fighting Squadron 311 got off to a good

start in June with eight enemy aircraft destroyed in

the first 11 days, bringing the squadron total for the

Okinawa operation to 67. Good hunting, however,

ended abruptly and, to the profound disgust of all

hands, not a sign of a Japanese aircraft was seen

during the rest of the month. Despite the lull in the

fighting, the squadron lost a pilot on 11 June when

Second Lieutenant Wilfred W. Wilhide went down at

sea after experiencing an engine failure.33

Four days after lieutenant Wilhide's accident, the

battle-weary pilots of VMF-311 were relieved by

replacement pilots from the States, and Major

Michael R. Yunck assumed command of VMF-311.

Major Yunck, who retired in 1967 as a colonel, was a

World War II ace and the winner of two Silver Stars.

In 1963 he was selected as the second recipient of the

Alfred A. Cunningham trophy as the Marine

Aviator of the Year. Among the severaJ

achievements cited in the award was the setting of a

cross-country speed record in a McDonald F-4B

Phantom when he flew, nonstop without refueling,
USMC Photo A332601

VMF-311 pilots at Chimu airfield in Okinawa, July 1945, The squadron had recently moved from Yontan to

Chimu across the island,

from El Toro to Quanticoin 3 hours and 50minutes.

Colonel Yunck was critically wounded in Vietnam

while flying as a co-pilot in a helicopter, and as a

result of these wounds his left leg was amputated.34 A

year later he returned to full duty and flight status.

Although organized resistance on Okinawa officially ceased on 22 June, sporadic fighting continued. On 28 June, First Lieutenant Eugene B.

Reade was on a bombing and strafing run when

enemy antiaircraft fire hit his F4U. Colonel Yunck

recalls:

Lieutenant Reade managed to get the Corsair out to

sea, and made a successful water landing. He got out of

the cockpit but was unable to inflate his rubber boat. He

disappeared soon after the aircraft sank and was not

lou nd."

The squadron was notified on 20 June that the

Marine aviators would move across the island to a

new airfield at Chimu, and operations from this base

would begin on 1 July. 'Scuttlebutt, accepted by the

more gullible, pictured a fully equipped and completed camp with not only heads and a messhall, but

also decked tents, hot showers, lights, and communications."36 The ugly truth was soon known

when working parties were formed and all hands

were given the word that they would have the

pleasure of building a beautiful camp area on a

wooded slope overlooking the airfield. First,

however, it would be necessary to clear the jungle

from the slope before building could begin. After

everyone recovered from this shock, the squadron

began work and by the 30th essential facilities for

handling and operating aircraft were completed.

On 2 July, the squadron participated in a fighter

sweep over the Japanese home island of Kyushu. The

flight consisted of eight F4Us, four from VMF-224

278—457 0 — 79 — 3 9

and four from VMF-311. The mission became

anything but routine as the Corsairs arrived over

Japan and passed directly over 40 enemy fighters on

an opposite course. The Marine pilots immediately

shifted to a defensive formation and fought their way

south. Fortunately, the Cors airs managed to avoid

the majority of the enemy aircraft; however, as a

parting gesture to the Japanese, the ffight destroyed

eight enemy planes without a single loss. The two

squadrons involved in the mission split the kills with

ftur each. Two more runs to Kyushu on the 17th and

the 30th failed to catch any more of the enemy in the

air.37

On 22 July, morning and afternoon flights totaling

20 planes provided fighter cover for a cruiser task

force close to the East China coast. The morning

flight, after being relieved on station, flew over

Wenchow in what is believed to be the first flight

over China by land-based Marine aircraft since

1929. 38*

In the slightly more than 4 months of operations

on Okinawa, the squadron destroyed 71 Japanese

aircraft, the second highest score of any squadron in

the Tenth Army Tactical Air Force. VMF-323 took

top honors with an impressive 124 kills. VMF-311 's

outstanding record was all the more noteworthy and

gratifying in that only three pilots were lost, and not

one was lost in aerial combat with the enemy.

Three pilots of the squadron distinguished

themselves as Marine Corps aces: First Lieutenant

William P. Brown Jr., with seven kills, Major Perry

'From 1927-1929, Fighting Plane Squadron-3M (M being

the designation for Marine) and Observation Squadron-5M

were attached to Major General Smedley D. Butler's 3d

Brigade in Shanghai and later in Tientsin, China.

'v !

A •
L. Shuman with six, and Major Michael R. Yunck

with five. Captain Raymond F. Scherer came close

with 41/2 kills. However, distinction was not limited

to these men alone—for it outstanding performance

in the Okinawa Campaign, VMF-311, as part of the

2d MAW, was awarded the Presidential Unit

Citation.39

With 3 weeks of good weather, and more time

available, the squadron camp was well established by

the end of the month. Facilities included a messhall

with a machine which produced ice cream twice a

week, showers, an open air theater with movies every

night, and a collection of enlisted men's tents with

decks and porches.4°

On 15 August 1945, announcement was made of

the cessation of hostilities with Japan. The end came

with startling suddenness following the use of the

atomic bomb and the entry of Russia into the war

with Japan. Pilots had flown the regular schedule of

CAP flights each day and as late as the 14th the

squadron had provided fighter escort for

photographic missions over southern Kyushu. For

several days after the 15th there was little change in

the daily flight schedule of CAPs, but beginning on

22 August flying was sharply curtailed, and by 26

August all flight activity ceased for the month.41

Shortly after the conclusion of hostilities, the

squadron was alerted to move to Japan as part of the

occupation forces. The last 10 days of the month

were devoted to intensive overhaul of aircraft and

equipment, daily close order drills, personnel inspections, and general preparations in expectation of

the word to move. By the end of the month, no

definite orders had been received and the unit

remained on an alert status. Finally on 9 September

1945, just 7 days after the war officially ended, 24

pilots and the squadron aircraft departed Chimu

Airfield for their new base at Yokosuka, Japan 42

The often-used wartime phrase, "I'll see you in

Toyko'' became a reality for the men of the squadron

as MAG-31 became the first land-based air group to

operate from the Japanese homeland, The war was

over and VMF-311 set about the routine task of

occupational duty.43

Post-World War II.' 1946-1 950

Occupation duty in Japan brought about changes

in normal flight operations. The squadron was now

flying extensive search and surveillance missions to

determine the status of Japanese airfields and other

military installations such as POW camps. In spite of

USMC Photo A332594

VMF-31 I pilots at Yokosuka, Japan, 1945. The original nickname adopted by VMF-31 1 was "Hell's Belles.''

A It ho ugh this nickname remained with the squadron throughout WW II, it was used infrequently,

10

—

•'
prevailing bad weather throughout October 1945 ,the

squadron continued to operate using repaired

Japanese support equipment to supplement its needs.

By the end of the month, the pilots had flown 227

search and reconnaissance missions for a total of 434

hours. No Marines of the squadron were killed or

injured during this time. The only accident was a

wheels up landing on a small Japanese airfield at

Koriyama. The pilot, Second Lieutenant Thaddeus

Z. Machuderski, had become lost due to the weather

and landed when he became low on fuel. The pilot

was not injured, and with the exception of a bent

prop, there was only slight damage to the plane.'

The life style of the men changed as recreation

facilities were prepared and regular basketball

competition was held. The squadron entered an

enlisted team and an officers' team in the group

basketball league. Old fashioned "beer musters"

A flight of VMF-31 I Corsairs flying over Mount

Fujiyama, Japan, in January 1946. Leading the flight

is the squadron commander, Major Michael R.

Yunck. USMC Photo 140147

11

became more frequent for the enlisted men and a

small club was opened for the officers. A limited

number of men were taken to Tokyo for Sunday

tours, and the Americans had the opportunity to

observe the oriental way of life •2

Although the squadron was destined to remain in

Japan, many of its personnel were rotated or

replaced. In November the squadron acquired 16'new

officers and 82 enlisted men and transferred 7 officers

and 115 enlisted men.3 In December the squadron

was 3 years old. Flying continued during the month

as the pilots logged 433 flight hours of which 111

hours were search and surveillance missions and the

remainder were devoted to training in formation and

individual combat tactics.

The arrival of the new year brought little change to

the squadron's daily routine. Flight operations

continued to dominate the squadron's activities. In

January 1946, 776 flight hours were accumulated

in the most adverse weather yet encountered by the

pilots. The weather took its toll on 18 January when

a flight of eight Corsairs attempted to penetrate a

snow storm on the return leg of a navigation flight.

First Lieutenant Leon E. Canon apparently became

disoriented while flying under instrument conditions

and crashed.4

The routine of occupational duty continued until

May when MAG-31 was notified to prepare for the

termination of its Japanese assignment; VMF-311

was going home.

On 20 June 1946, embarked on board the attack

transport USS San Saba (APA 232), the Marines of

MAG-31 sailed for San Diego, California. Upon their

arrival on the west coast on 4 July, the squadron, still

assigned to MAG-31, became part of Marine Air

West Coast, at MCAS Miramar. Several squadron

personnel were transferred or discharged immediately, and by 17 July, when the unit was

reassigned to MAG-32, the entire squadron consisted of one officer—First Lieutenant Rupert C.

Wesley, Jr., the commanding officer.

On 26' September, Lieutenant Wesley moved his

"squadron" to MCAS El Toro, California. The

squadron remained at reduced strength until

November when Major Francis E. Pierce, Jr., the

new commanding officer and again the only officer,

received 132 enlisted men and undertook a new

mission as a maintenance and training unit. The

maintenance was conducted on the Corsairs which

were now collecting dust instead of combat hours.

The training program established was designed to
acquaint enlisted men with the fundamentals of F4U

maintenance and the maintenance of associated

aircraft systems. With the redistribution of personnel

within Marine aviation, this program became

particularly important as squadrons were deactivated

and mechanics were transferred to units with different types of aircraft 6

Upon the deactivation of MAG-32 on 21 April

1947, the executive officer of the group, Major Otis

V. Calhoun, Jr., became the new commanding

officer of VMF-311 and the squadron became part of

MAG-12. By the end of June, the unit had 22 officers and 123 enlisted men. Although this number

remained fairly constant over the next year, the

people within the squadron continually changed as

new men joined and trained personnel were transferred. The pilots assigned to the squadron followed a

training syllabus consisting of ground school as well as flight instruction in formation, instruments,

tactics, gunnery, bombing, and night flying.7

By the end of December, word was received that

VMF-311 would become the first jet squadron on the

west coast and the second such squadron in the

Marine Corps. The first jet squadron, VMF-122,

commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Marion E. Carl

and located at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina,

had received its first McDonnell FH-1 Phantoms in

March 1947.

In March 1948, Master Sergeant James G.

Alleman and seven other staff noncommissioned

officers attended a 5-week ground maintenance

course for jet aircraft held at March AFB, Riverside,

California.9 Meanwhile, the pilots were involved

with a new development in the field of aerial gunnery; the use of radio-controlled drone aircraft as

targets. The Air Force had been using this system for

some time, but this was believed to be the first time a

drone target was used by any Marine Corps aviation

activity. 10

In preparation for assuming the mission of a jet

training squadron, on 15 April 1948 the squadron

was detached from MAG-12 and made a separate

squadron under the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, which

until 1 October 1947 had been designated Marine Air

West Coast." Four days later, Lieutenant Colonel

John P. Condon, later Major General Condon,

became the squadron's 19th commanding officer.

Major General Condon was commissioned a

second lieutenant upon graduation from the Naval

Academy in 1934. He entered flight training at

Pensacola in 1936'and was designated a naval aviator

the following year. During World War II, General

Condon served on Guadalcanal, the Solomon Islands,

Bougainville, and Okinawa. In Korea he commanded

both MAG-33 and MAG-12. He was promoted to

major general in 1961 and retired the following

year.12

In preparation for the transition to jets, VMF-311

mechanics attended Air Force schools at Chanute

AFB in Rantoul, illinois, and March AFB, while

several pilots received jet aircraft flight training at

Williams AFB in Chandler, Arizona. Immediately

after Lieutenant Colonel Condon assumed command,

he and three other squadron pilots attended the

3-week course at Williams AFB and became the first

Marine jet instructors on the west coast. During

May and June, 23 mechanics attended a jet engine

course conducted by the Allison Division of General

Motors Corporation in Indianapolis, Indiana.13

With the necessary schooling completed, the

squadron lacked just one thing—jets. Finally on 20

July 1948, two Lockheed Shooting Stars, designated

the F-80B by the Air Force and TO-i by the Navy

and Marine Corps, were received, and the unit

became a combination jet and propeller squadron.'4

The TO-i was adopted by the Navy as a single-seat

jet trainer, although it was designed and built for the

Air Force as an operational fighter. The aircraft,

with its Allison J-33 jet engine, could accelerate to

speeds up to 558 miles per hour at sea level and had a

service ceiling of over 45,000 feet. An electric gyro,

lead-computing gunsight with a reflex optical

system was used with the six .50 caliber nosemounted machineguns. The TO-i could also carry

two bombs mounted on wingtip shackles in place o

long-range fuel tanks."

During July the unit designation was changed

from "Marine Fighting Squadron" to the new

designation, "Marine Fighter Squadron." In July

and August additional aircraft were delivered until

the squadron possessed 12 TO-is which the pilots

referred to as "slick chicks." The squadron was now

ready to begin training Marine mechanics in the

rudiments of jet propulsion and jet engine maintenance while the west coast pilots were all looking

for the chance to attend VMF-311's ground school

and ifight program.16

12

'This gunsight automatically computed the aiming point for

moving targets.
USMC Photo A700414

A Lockheed TO-i Shooting Star, the first jet aircraft to be assigned to the Marine Corps. VMF-31 1 was the

second Marine Corps squadron to receive the TO-is.

In a 1970 interview with Major General Condon,

the following comments were made regarding the

operation and maintenance of the TO-i:

We relied very heavily on the most welcome support of

the F-80 outfit at March Air Force Base which was just

over the hill from El Toro.

We had some Corsairs left in the squadron and we kept

one of them circling up above the saddleback. If we

needed parts that we didn't have, we had an arrangement

where we'd call the Corsair and he'd call March, give the

part number and say, "I'm coming in." By the time he

landed—he wouldn't even cut the engine—they'd have

the part there to him and he'd have it back over to us in

about 10 minutes. In that way we were able to keep the

few F-80s we had in commission almost all the time.

We also worked all night to do our routine checks or

repairs so we could fly every day.

When asked what the pilots thought of this new

aircraft, General Condon replied: "They were so

thrilled to be in a propellerless aircraft—they just

thought it was the greatest thing going. It was like a

change from a bow to a rifle—one of the best aircraft

this country has ever built." The squadron not only

trained its own pilots, but also trained Marine pilots

from other west coast units. In recalling this period

as an instructor, General Condon stated:

It was a single place aircraft, so when you turned a new

pilot loose in it you wanted to be sure. We only had 15 of

them and we wanted to be damn sure that he knew the

difference between what he had flown and this particular

machine, because it really was quite different. If you tried

to stretch a glide into a field and then overcome that by

advancing the throttle, you'd wind up in the boondocks

because it wouldn't take power as fast as a Corsair—and

any delayed action could be pretty crucial.

We had very detailed instructions, so that our student

pilots would know exactly what to expect. We would go

13

over and over these instructions. It was sort of a

mechanical thing, but it was the only way we could run

the program with such a limited number of machines.

That was just for the first three or four flights because

once these experienced pilots who were our ''students''

had half a dozen hours under their belt, their own innate

ability took over, and they were tremendous. The

syllabus varied depending on how much operating money

we had, but they were generally short—15-25 hours per

pilot. We also trained jet mechanics in VMF-311. Ithink

that helped really spread the knowledge of jet aircraft

operations right down through the support categories as

well as the pilot echelon; and that's very essential

On 27 July, Lieutenant Colonel Condon turned the

leadership of VMF-311 over to lieutenant Colonel

Paul J. Fontana,* later Major General Fontana, and

within 2 months he was leading flights of TO-is over

NAS El Centro, California, for gunnery evaluation at

15,000 and 35,000 feet.'8

The 1st of October 1949 brought to a close VMF311's role as an independent, jet training squadron.

The unit was reassigned again to MAG-12 as an

operational tactical squadron.2° By February 1950,

the reason for the reassignment of the squadron as a

tactical unit became apparent, the new Grumman

F9F Panther, a first-line jet fighter, was forthcoming

As a major in World War II, Fontana distinguished himself

by downing five enemy aircraft in 4 days over Guadalcanal and

was awarded the Navy Cross and earned the designation of

Marine Corps Ace. Later in his career, he served as the

commanding officer of MAG-33 in Korea. In 1965, as the

commanding general of the 1st MAW, Major General Fontana

brought Marine fixed-winged aviation to Vietnam.'9

.11

WI,.
A restored F9F-2 Panther jet on display at the Marine

The tail still shows VMF-31 1 markings (WL).

to replace the squadron's Shooting Stars.21 The TO-i

had served the squadron well. Over 300 pilots were

trained with only one minor accident, which occurred when a pilot landed short of the runway

following an engine failure •22

The F9F-2, first flown in November 1948, had a

Pratt and Whitney J-42 engine which produced 5,570

pounds of thrust, 1,150 pounds more than the TO-i

engine. The Panther was armed with four 2Omm

nose-mounted cannon and could carry external

ordnance in the form of 5-inch rockets, 500-pound

bombs, and napalm pods. With a speed of 600 miles

per hour and a service ceiling of over 50,000 ft,this

single-placed fighter was capable of functioning both

as a carrier and land-based aircraft.23

On 22 March the first F9F-2B was delivered from

the factory at Bethpage, Long Island, to NAS San

Diego. Lieutenant Colonel Fontana then flew the

aircraft to its new home in El Toro.24

During these years, the squadron acquired the

letters ''WL'' as its tail designator. It was an event of

some significance in squadron history. In the Korean

War era, these letters were spoken phonetically as

"William Love" from which came a new squadron

nickname of "Willy Lovers." Historical records do

not indicate the full array of misperceptions believed

to have been inspired by this name. The evidence

suggests, however, that this nickname, led to the

adoption of the heart as part of the squadron insignia.

On 25 July 1950, just 5 years after World War II

ended, the United States again was involved in a war

USMC Photo A332599

Corps Aviation Museum, located at Quantico, Virginia.

14

and the Marines of VMF-311 realized it would not be

long before they would find themselves in Korea. In

the months that followed the squadron was alerted

for deployment several times, but each time the order

was canceled prior to the movement date.

November found VMF-3i1 involved with training

in close air support at Camp Pendleton, rocket firing,

night flying, and instrument procedures. The routine

was interrupted on 7 November by a Chief of Naval

operations dispatch authorizing deployment of the

squadron to the Western Pacific on 14 November.

Operational flying was immediately halted and

preparations for deployment were begun. The men of

the squadron worked nights crating and staging

material and performing the necessary aircraft

maintenance. Since the aircraft were to be shipped on

the flight deck of a carrier, extensive measures had to

be taken to protect the jets against the destructive salt

air. The Fleet Air Service Squadron (FASRON),

located at NAS San Diego, prepared 19 planes for the

exposed trip. The remaining five aircraft were

preserved by the Overhaul and Repair Facility (O&R)

also at San Diego. The squadron preserved all the

aircraft guns by applying a heavy coat of grease over

each weapon.

On 14 November the 55 officers, 247 enlisted men,

and 24 F9F-2B aircraft of VMF-311, now under the

command of Lieutenant Colonel Neil R. Maclntyre,

departed San Diego on board the carrier USS Bairoko

(CVE 115). The first day at sea, the seals blew off the

aircraft engine air-intake ducts, and the engine doors

I

C
USMC Photo A130467

Marine Panther jets from VMF-311 at Yonp 'o Airfield, Korea. VMF-311 was the first land-ba.sed Marine jet

unit in Korea.

blew off and had to be replaced under the most adverse conditions. It was quickly learned that the

preservation performed by FASRON was most

inadequate. By the time the ship was off Japan, the

leading edges of the wings had oxidized and had

become pitted, especially on those aircraft stored

forward on the deck where they were more exposed

to the salt spray. The five aircraft prepared by O&R

made the crossing without damage and the guns

escaped with only slight traces of rust in some

bores 26

On 30 November 1950, Marine Fighter Squadron

311 was again at Yokosuka, Japan, and was ready to

resume its role in combat.

The Korean Era: 1950-1955

On 30 November 1950, VMF-311 began

unloading its aircraft from the USS Bairoko.

Depreservation was accomplished at Kizarazu AFB,

then the aircraft were ferried to the 1st MAW

Headquarters at Itami AFB. In addition to the

ferrying of squadron aircraft, VMF-311 pilots were

used to ferry F4U-4s from Kizarazu to Itami. During

one of these flights, Captain John Strickland, Jr., was

killed when the Corsair he was flying developed

engine trouble and crashed 7 miles outside of Itami.

On the same flight, Captain Richard A. Flanagan was

brced to bail out over Kobe Bay when his plane also

had an engine failure. It was later determined that

both accidents were caused by a malfunction of the

engine fuel metering system.

After this ill-fated beginning, the unit was ready to

head for Korea. On 7 December the forward echelon,

consisting of 2 officers and 48 enlisted men, departed

Japan for Yonp'o (K-27) Airfield in North Korea

approximately 160 miles northeast of Seoul. They

were followed 3 days later by the remainder of the

squadron, including the pilots with the squadron's

15

aircraft. VMF-311 had become the first land-based

Marine air jet unit in Korea.

At 1640, 10 December 1950, VMF-311, now

assigned to MAG-12, 1st MAW, flew its first

combat strike. The first mission, a two-plane section

led by Lieutenant Colonel Maclntyre with Major

William F. Crowe flying his wing, provided close air

support for Eighth Army units approximately 10

miles southwest of the Chosin Resevoir. Although

the bomb damage was only one truck and one

bulldozer damaged, this mission marked the first

time Marine Corps jet aircraft had been used in

combat.

Colonel Maclntyre, now retired, in recalling this

first mission from Yonp'o writes:

Earl Crowe and I finally got airborne on 10 December

1950. What a relief. At least we were in our element.

We finally found target and started to work. As I recall,

on one run I had reached my pullout and was watching

Earl's run when I noticed something strange. His tracers

weren't quite right. I called, Earl, did you fire on that last

run? Pretty soon Earl comes back, no. The light

dawns—the tracers were going the wrong way. Earl, I

guess someone's shooting at us then—that's the way it

goes.'

After a few days in Yonp'o, VMF-311 was

reassigned to the U. S. Air Force field (K-9) seven

miles northeast of Pusan. The Fifth Air Force (FAF)

made space for the Marines and assumed operational

control of the squadron on 15 December. All landbased 1st MAW pilots and planes came under the

direct control of FAF while Marine ground units

were under the command of the Eighth U. S. Army

in Korea (EUSAK). The FAF-EUSAK Joint

Operations Center (JOG) coordinated and controlled

all Allied air operations in Korea. Marine fighter and

attack squadrons were employed by FAF to:

—Maintain air superiority.

—Furnish close air support for infantry forces

threatened by enemy penetration.

—Conduct day and night reconnaissance.
—Conduct interdiction and general support sorties

outside the bombline to harass and destroy Communist forces and other military targets which had an

immediate effect upon the current tactical situation •2

Colonel Maclntyre describes the field at Pusan (K9) and the conduct of missions flown in the following

way:

The strip at K-9 was laid out in an old river bed with

Marston matting for a surface. The Air Force tried to

keep the river bed (compacted dust) firm with asphalt

sprays etc. but nothing could really hold it down for any

length of time. We had to make our takeoffs in two plane

sections. The dust cloud raised by our tail pipes was so

thick that after one takeoff we had to wait several minutes

before the next takeoff could be attempted. Even the Air

Force P-51s were having their problems from this dust

cloud situation. So we became experts in section takeoffs

and four plane division Joinups en route. We continued to

operate under these conditions until the dust took its toll.

We knew we were having troubles; the cockpit warning

lights told us that. After a while it seemed like the cockpits were more like Christmas tree decorations. The

immediately problem was fuel pump breakdown along

with fuel control malfunctions. The bird had a dual pump

system which provided for a backup pump in the event

one of them broke down, which provided a margin of

safety. But who wants to take off with that situation

already in existence. A warning light doesn't lend itself to

peace of mind especially in the middle of a mission over

enemy territory.

Under the Fifth Air Force we had our missions

assigned on a daily op order. For example, it may be an

armed recon mission near Wonsan on the East Coast.

That's where we would start, however, as frequently

happened we would get diverted to a CAS mission over on

the West Coast. To be prepared for such possibilities,

each of us had quite a library of maps all carefully indexed

with a master chart on top for the immediately problem of

getting into the general operating area. Once in the

general area, all one had to do was select the map for the

target by grid coordinate, identify it, make a descent

through the nearest cloud hole, fold the map back up, and

reinsert it in its proper nitch under your leg, check the

fuel state, monitor the warning lights, smile at your

wingmen and go to work either on your own or under a

forward controller either airborne or on the ground.

By the end of December, the pilots had rocketed

and strafed barracks and storage buildings northwest

of Yonp'o; attacked rail bridges, tunnels, and rail

cars from Yonp'o west to Pyongyang; and flown

reconnaissance and CAS in support of the U. S. 25th

Infantry Division and the Army of the Republic of

Korea (ROK) in the area north of Seoul. The CAS

'Bombline — an imaginary line prescribed by the troop

commander and coordinated with the air force commander,

forward of which air forces are free to attack targets without

danger to or coordination with the ground units.

16

missions were often controlled in the target area by

Air Force special airborne coordinators who controlled the flights from small observation aircraft

known as "Mosquitoes."

A most unusual event was recorded on 21

December when, on a reconnaissance mission, First

Lieutenant Weldon R. Mitchell sighted an enemy

sipply caravan which included some animals used to

pack supplies. When rolling in on target, Lieutenant

Mitchell, expecting to see a shaggy Mongolian horse

appear in his gunsight, was astonished when he

identified his target as a two-humped camel. He hit

the target with his guns and, as he suspected, the

caravan contained ammunition and the camel was all

but vaporized in the ensuing explosion. Naturally

when the pilot reported he had sighted and destroyed

an enemy camel caravan, the squadron became the

object of many Air Force jokes. However, it was not

long before the Air Force also spotted other camels

and apologies were in order.3

The day after Christmas the squadron suffered its

first Korean War casuality. While leading a twoplane armed reconnaissance flight, Captain Jerry E.

A. Miller attacked a highway bridge and as he was

pulling out, his Panther hit the top of a hill and

exploded.4 During the short period in December that

the squadron operated in Korea, the unit accumulated a total of 424 hours of combat flying.

The squadron continued close air support for

Eighth Army units into January 1951, as the winter

cold, mud, and rain added to the squadron's difficulties. Colonel Maclntyre explained some of the

difficulties:

Hot tailpipe runups not only melted and blew away

snow but also melted the frozen ground and created

monstrous ruts in the ground making taxiing and parking

extremely difficult. That beautiful snow covered

cowpasture became a nightmare and a big mud hole.

These factors greatly affected the operation of the

F9F which had not been previously tested under

combat conditions.

During this period the squadron joined other ls

MAW units for a series of interdiction raids against

the Communist supply net located in the Korean

waist between the 38th and 39th parallels to disrupt

the Communist Chinese Forces' transport truck

system.'

By mid-January, mechanical difficulties progres.

sively curtailed tactical operations to a point below

normal combat requirements. In response to the

squadron's request for technical assistance, Pratt and

Whitney and Grumman sent representatives to
Pusan and on 16 January all 311's jets were

grounded. Because of the crowded conditions at

Pusan and the extensive maintenance required, on 25

January the squadron was ordered back to Itami AFB

in Japan until the aircraft could be overhauled.

Unfortunately, the grounding came too late to save

Captain Richard A. Flanagan. He was killed on 8

January when his jet lost power and crashed off the

end of the Pusan airstrip.7

On 5 February, although still in Japan, VMF-311

was reassigned to MAG-33 which was located at

Yongil-man Airfield (K-3) in Pohang, Korea. Two

days later the squadron's equipment accompanied by

6 officers and 27 enlisted men, sailed by LST for

Korea. By 17 February the planes were finally ready

and 22 Panthers took off for K-3 while the remainder

of the personnel departed Japan on air transports.

Two days later the squadron was back in action and

throughout the remainder of the month flew CAS

and armed reconnaissance missions resulting in the

destruction of 39 buildings, 4 warehouses, and 1

railroad car, while killing an estimated 16' enemy

troops as the pilots hit the area north of Seoul along

the 38th parallel.

In March, MAG-33 consisted of VMF-311 and

VMF-212 while MAG-12, at Bradshaw Airfield (K1) near Pusan, was composed of VMF-214, -312, and

-323, and VMF (N) -513.

On 11 March, Lieutenant Colonel John F. Kinney

became the new commanding officer of VMF-31 1.

The final recollection by Colonel Maclntyre was not

of the combat missions flown, but of the men of the

squadron. Of them he wrote: "They were the

greatest bunch of men I have ever known. They took

their losses, their heartbreaks, adversity and setbacks

and all they asked was a chance to do their jobs. They

were real pros.' '8

As had happened in the past, the change of

command was closely followed by the loss of a pilot.

On 18 March, Captain Robert D. Hayes failed to

return from a close air support mission and was

declared missing in action. Four days later the

wreckage of his aircraft was found and his status was

changed to killed in action.

Major General Paul J. Fontana, in recalling this

period, writes:

When the squadron returned to Korea in 1951, 1 was

the commanding officer of MAG-33 at K-3 (Pohang). By

this time VMF-311 had remedied the fuel control difficulties. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel

Kinney, the squadron compiled an impressive combat

sortie rate. John Kinney applied his ingenious mechanical

ability, which had maintained the F4F Wildcats' flying on

Wake Island almost 10 years previously, to make this

squadron an effective operational unit. The squadron's

performance from then on was outstanding.'

During April, the squadron on two separate occasions was scrambled to provide air support for units

in contact with strong enemy forces and each time

the speedy jets arrived on station in time to influence

the outcome of the engagement. As a result of these

two scrambles, the squadron's operational flight

procedures were changed for experimental purposes.

The practice of sending out flights of scheduled

armed reconnaissance or close air support was

terminated and a scramble alert system was placed in

effect. Under this program four aircraft were maintained on a 10-minute standby. The pilots were

required to remain in the cockpit ready for immediate

takçoff on call from the tactical air control center

(TACC). VMF- 311, with its 24 aircraft, was the only

unit in Korea to operate on this basis. Nearly 500

other aircraft continued to fly on a regularly

scheduled basis. The squadron also maintained two

aircraft on CAP alert with pilots in the cockpit. This

scramble procedure, however, proved less effective

than the FAF schedule system and, with the ex278—457 0 - 79 — 4 17
ception of the CAP mission, these standbys were

discontinued.

Under the FAF system, fighter-bomber aircraft in

Korea were scheduled at regular intervals for close

air support, special targets, or armed reconnaissance.

Four aircraft reported in to the TACC at intervals of

approximately 5 minutes on prescheduled missions.

As these aircraft were already airborne, they could

arrive over the target within 10 to 15 minutes. Those

planes which proceeded on a prebriefed mission were

given secondary targets and each flight was available

fur contact by any airborne tactical air controller

for other target assignments. This system proved to

be highly effective. Each squadron was given its daily

commitments and, therefore, could schedule its

maintenance around these requirements. VMF-311

found that with this system it could sustain, with no

difficulty, a schedule of four aircraft during every

daylight hour with the squadron flying as many as 42

sorties in addition to maintaining two aircraft on

CAP. Considering the shortage of spare parts which

existed during April, this was no simple ac- complishment 10

The lack of enemy opposition and the good

weather in April unfortunately did not carry over

into May. There was, instead, an average of 11/2

days of bad weather per week, and the pilots encountered intensive AA fire throughout the month

resulting in 12 planes damaged and 1 destroyed. One

pilot, Captain Mercer R. Smith, was captured when

his jet was hit and he was forced to bail out over

enemy territory on 1 May. Captain Smith remained a

prisoner of war until 5 September 1953.11

On 9 May 1951, 75 1st MAW Corsairs and

Panther jets were part of a 300-plane raid staged by

the FAF against Communist airfields at Sinuiju, on

the Korean side of the Yalu River. VMA-311's

contribution to this largest raid to date was 20 aircraft. The squadron pilots were among the first to

arrive on station and immediately began striking at

the targets on the enemy airfields. After 18 minutes,

fuel consumption required that the VMA-311 flight

return to base. While over the target, several MIG1 5s were sighted on the Manchurian side of the Yalu

River, but they did not attempt to engage the U. S.

armada, nor were the U. S. planes deared to cross

the Yalu. The only squadron incident which occurred during the mission was when one Panther

flamed out while on station, but a normal air start

was accomplished at 26,000 feet and the jet rejoined

the flight and returned safely.

18

USMC Photo A347877

A Marine Panther jet has just released three

napalm bombs on a run against Communists forces in

Korea, The napalm bombs can be seen at the bottom

of the picture.

Operation Strangle, a FAF all-out interdiction

effort to cripple the enemy supply line, was undertaken on 20 May. This operation against vital

road and rail networks severely restricted the flow of

supplies to the enemy units advancing south.

When the Chinese Communist spring offensive

began, MAG-12 Corsairs and MAG-33 Panther jets

delivered maximum support to the 1st and 7th

Marines as well as keeping the pressure on the enemy

through Operation Strangle 12

June found VMF-311 supporting elements of the

1st Marine Division south of the "Punch Bowl"

where the 2d and 3d Battalions of the 5th Marines

were preparing to assault Hill 729. As the fog lifted

on 6 June, close air support was delivered with such

deadly effectiveness that the assault battalions were

able to take the first ridge by nightfall. For the next 9

days the 5th Marines fought to secure the objective

}
while the F9Fs continued to pound the enemy until

Hill 729 was firmly in Marine hands.'3

Antiaircraft fire continued to plague the squadron

throughout the month. On 18 June, Captain Jack E.

Perry was hit and forced to bail out of his crippled

Panther over enemy territory. His wingman saw him

run for cover, but, by the time a rescue helicopter

arrived on the scene, Captain Perry could not be

located and the helicopter was forced to abandon the

search when it began taking intense small arms fire.

Captain Perry was later confirmed as a POW and was

held in captivity until 1 September 1953.'

The effect of Operation Strangle on the enemy

must be left largely to conjecture. There can be no

doubt that it added enormously to the Communists'

logistical problems. It is equally certain that they

solved these problems to such an extent that their

combat units were never at a decisive handicap for

lack of ammunition and other supplies. Operation

Strangle, in short, merely added to the evidence that

interdictory air was not enough to knock a determined adversary out of the

New tactical developments pioneered by the 1st

MAW during the Korean War advanced the United

Nations Command (UNC) air effort and added to the

1st MAW reputation for versatility. In order to

achieve Marine aviation 's primary goal of providing

24-hour close air support, regardless of weather

conditions, the new MPQ-14 radar-controlled

bombing equipment, developed between 1946 and

1950, was employed by a Marine Air Support Radar

Team (MASRT) to control Marine attack sorties. By

means of height finding and directional radars, a pilot

was able to take off, fly to the target, drop his ordnance, and return to base without ever having seen

the ground.'6

During June the squadron flew an astounding total

of 2,241 flight hours of which only 107 were noncombat flights. Throughout the month the pilots

flew numerous close air support and interdictory

missions in an area 75 miles north of Seoul, ranging

eastward to the Sea of Japan. However, the accumulation of this flight time did not come without

cost. In addition to the loss of Captain Perry's aircraft, another F9F was severely damaged when an

engine failure necessitated a wheels-up landing, and

11 others received damage from enemy fire.

As operations in 1951 continued, the true value of

the jet fighter was recognized. The superior speed of

the jets became a significant element of effective air

support. Time after time the Panthers were on target

19

delivering ordnance before the Corsairs arrived in the

area. The jets were also a more stable firing platform

offering better gunnery, bombing, and rocket accuracy.'7 Additionally the jet was less vulnerable to

enemy ground fire due to its speed and was more

capable of protecting itself from enemy fighters than

were the prop aircraft. Because of the greater

visibility in the jet, it was easier for pilots to pick out

targets. The jet could be rearmed and turned around

ftr another flight in less time than the prop aircraft,

and maintenance on the jet was deemed easier,

particularly engine replacements which could be

accomplished on the F9F in 2 hours.'8

The squadron continued its high tempo of

operations on into July as it provided support to

Eighth Army units with armed reconnaissance,

GAS, and bomber escort missions. A practice of

maintaining 300 knots speed and 1,000 feet

minimum altitude was adopted in the entire

reconnaissance area because of the increase in enemy

antiaircraft fire.

To counter this fire, fast, hard-hitting attacks were

made on antiaircraft positions. A VMF-311 flight

consisting of 16 jets made one such attack on

positions in a heavily defended town during which

the pilots dropped all their bombs during a single

run. So successful was the use of surprise and speed

that several gun positions were destroyed before any

accurate antiaircraft fire could be delivered.

Again in July the squadron was heavily tasked, but

the poor flying weather both at home base and in the

target area restricted flight operations. During the

month the unit lost another F9F-2B and its pilot.

First Lieutenant Robert W. Bell was part of a division

of 3 aircraft on 21 July when they were jumped by a

flight of 15 MIG-15s while the division was returning

from a combat patrol. Lieutenant Bell was last seen

on the wing of the leader as the Panthers made a run

for cloud cover. Communications with escaped

American POWs at a later time revealed that

Lieutenant Bell was a POW in North Korea and

remained as such until his release on 23 September

1953. '

During this encounter, the MIG pilots exhibited a

high degree of airmanship, but showed little enthusiasm for pressing an attack on an equal basis.

They seemed to prefer, instead, to use their advantage in speed and rate of climb to pick their own

time for engagement and to break away when

conditions became unfavorable. In actual fact the F9F

was no match for the MIG in overall performance.
Marine Panther jets from VMF-311 being refueled at

rearmed for their next mission against the Communists.

The best defense was to use the smaller turning

radius of the F9F to maneuver into a position where

the MIGs could not fire on the Panthers.2°

In August inclement weather continued to restrict

flight operations, although the squadron did manage

to accumulate 1,363 ifight hours. Maintenance

problems experienced during the month were routine

with the exception of three incidents of 20mm high

explosive rounds exploding in the mouth of the feed

mechanism causing major damage to two aircraft and

minor damage to a third. A change in the feeder

alinement was made and the malfunctions were

eliminated 21

On the majority of missions flown during this

period, no antiaircraft fire was received, but when it

was encountered it was heavy and accurate. During a

10-plane armed reconnaissance mission on 6'August,

one aircraft was hit and the pilot was forced to ditch

his plane. A helicopter picked up the uninjured pilot

and returned him to Pohang. Four days later, while

leading an attack on a supply area and a vehicle

convoy, Major Frank S. Hoffecker's aircraft took a

hit while on a napalm run, burst into flames and

exploded as it hit the ground. No one in the flight

saw the pilot eject; Major Hoffecker was listed as

killed in action.

On 26 August 1951, the squadron received a letter

of commendation from Major General Claude B.

Ferenbaugh, USA, the Commanding General, U. S.

Army 7th Infantry Division for missions flown in

support of elements of the division on 16' August.

USMC Photo A130478

Pohang (K-3) Airfield in Korea, The aircraft are already

20

The 7th Division was in the vicinity of Hills 851 and

820 when it began receiving heavy fire and en•

countering the enemy in several positions along the

front. A call for close air support was answered by

four F9Fs piloted by Captain Johnny D. Lindley,

Captain Mont L. Beamon, Second Lieutenant "L"

"G" Linman, and Technical Sergeant Lyle A.

Watts. They napalmed, strafed, and rocketed fortified positions with such "deadly accuracy'' that the

Army division was able to counter the enemy thrust.

The commanding general also congratulated the

squadron skipper on the "splendid cooperation and

the fighting efficiency of these pilots.''22

The only noteworthy incident in September occurred on the 25th when a flight of eight Panthers,

on a rail-cutting mission 35 miles north of

Pyongyang on the west coast of North Korea, were

jumped by 8 to 12 MIG-15s. The F9Fs jettisoned

their bombs and turned towards the MIGs. The

Panther pilots managed to get off a few extreme range

bursts, but no hits were apparent. After a few passes,

the enemy aircraft pulled away and broke contact

with no hits taken by either side.

Throughout October and November the Panther

jets hammered away at vital rail points and supply

convoys on the highways of North Korea. The

heaviest concentration of missions were on the road

and rail networks just north of Pyongyang extending

east to the Sea of Japan on a line about 20 miles north

of the 39th parallel.
On several occasions, MIGs made passes on the

Panther flights, with as many as 32 enemy aircraft

being observed in one formation, but the enemy kept

their distance and avoided decisive air-to-air

engagements.

One pilot, Second Lieutenant Edward L. Frakes,

was lost on 3 October when his aircraft was shot

down over enemy territory 35 miles north of

Pyongyang. A flight of three F9Fs again was attacking rail targets when Lieutenant Frakes radioed

that he was hit and was bailing out. The other planes

in the flight spotted the crippled jet diving toward the

ground, and watched the plane hit the ground and

explode. Since no one saw the pilot eject, he was

reported as killed in action 23

With the cold weather of the Korean winter approaching, all squadron members drew protective

clothing and prepared themselves for the months

ahead. The weather became unfavorable as rain and

reduced visibility hampered the operations but did

not reduce the requirements levied on the squadron.

As the year came to a close, enemy antiaircraft fire

downed another F9F. On 18 December, First

Lieutenant Charles A. Sewell was flying in an eightplane formation on a rail cutting mission in the area

north of Pyongyang which had become all too

familiar to the squadron pilots. When his aircraft was

hit, Lieutenant Sewell managed to keep the jet flying

long enough to get out to sea where he ejected after

giving a position report. After a brief but cold ride in

his raft, the pilot was picked up about 3 miles at sea

by a helicopter which brought him to a destroyer in

the area. After 5 days as a guest of the Navy,

Lieutenant Sewell was back at Pohang ready to

resume flying.

During the 845 flights flown in December, the

squadron expended 62,179 rounds of 2Omm, 167

general purpose (GP) 500-pound bombs, 1,860 250-

pound GP bombs, 16 260-pound fragmentation

bombs, and 90 5-inch rockets while attaining a total

of 1,353 flight hours.

The new year brought little change for VMF-311

as it continued to support Eighth Army operations.

Unfortunately, the loss of pilots also continued. On 3

January 1952, Major George N. Major was flying in

a three-plane division on an armed reconnaissance

mission along Highway 41 approximately 50 miles

north of Seoul. When all the jets began receiving

automatic weapons fire at 2,000 feet, Major called

the flight leader reporting that he had been hit and,

although he did not think it was serious, he said he

was returning to base. The other aircraft turned to

21

join on his wing when the flight leader saw the

damaged jet suddenly noseover and dive straight into

the ground about 10 miles from where it had been

hit. A search was conducted of the crash area, but

there was no sign of the pilot or any indication that

he survived the crash.24

Combat operations during February were directed

primarily against the enemy railroad system and the

jets made 161 rail cuts as the squadron continued its

participation in Operation Strangle. Although antiaircraft fire was encountered on 65 percent of the

missions, only three aircraft received hits and none

were lost. The toughest enemy during this period

was not the Communists but the bitter cold.

MAG-33, which had been operating with just two

aircraft squadrons, suddenly doubled in size as VMF115, also equipped with the F9F, arrived in February,

and in March the newly formed Marine

Photographic Squadron 1 (VMJ-1) was assigned to

the group. As these new squadrons were undergoing

their initial familiarization ffights in Korea, Captain

Frank J. Hubka flew VMF-311's 10,000th sortie on

28 March 1952.25

Unfortunately, this milestone was preceded by the

loss of another pilot when, on 4 March, Captain Roy

C. Gray, Jr., was shot down and captured. Captain

Gray was leading a flight on a rail-cutting mission

about 40 miles south of Pyongyang and as he was

pulling out of a run he was hit by intensive ground

fire. Because of the damage to the aircraft and the low

altitude at which he was hit, the pilot was forced to

put the aircraft down in enemy territory and was

captured immediately. Captain Gray remained a

POW until released on 5 September 1953.26

April was devoted to combat operations, on-thejob training of new personnel, and familiarization

instruction for newly arrived pilots. All the jets were

beginning to show signs of corrosion, and all F9F

were grounded for one day for inspection and

replacement of corroded cannon-plugs. While the

planes were grounded, the squadron Marines used

this opportunity to survey their assigned sector of the

airfield defense perimeter and to review the unit's

ground defense procedures.

Combat operations continued without any

significant change until the last day of April 1952

when the elusive MIG-15s again came on the scene.

At 1130, a flight of seven Panthers took off on a

prebriefed mission to strike a supply route 35 miles

directly north of Pyongyang. The aircraft approached

the target at 25,000 feet without incident and as the
formation was about to begin a high speed run on the

target, they were jumped by eight IVIIGs. The

Panther flight, led by Major Louis H. Steman,

continued its run on the target. The MIGs jettisoned

their external fuel tanks and followed the Marines

down, firing at the last aircraft piloted by Captain

John E. McVey. After pulling out from the run and

holding approximately 450 knots, the F9F turned

into the MIGs. After a brief exchange of fire, the

MIGs holding true to form, broke off the

engagement. Before the enemy departed, Captain

Walter E. Daniel managed to put a few hits into the

nose section of one of the MIGs, but the score ended

in a tie as one of the F9Fs also was hit in the tail

section. The flight then returned home without

further incident.

If there was such a thing as a ''routine day'' in a

combat environment, it can probably best be

described by the following extract taken from the

VMF-311 Historical Diary of April 1952.

Example of a Routine Day

Due to the operations [in which] the squadron is now

engaged, the following schedule is to serve as an example

only. This routine is variable to meet existing weather

and operational conditions:

0500—-Combat Air Patrol aircraft are manned.

0600—Reveille for normal working day.

0630—Breakfast.

0730—Muster of all personnel in respective working

areas. 1100—Personnel not engaged in immediate work on

aircraft relieved for dinner.

1130—Dinner.

1230—Personnel are mustered in the working areas.

1630—Personnel not engaged in immediate work on

aircraft relieved for supper.

1700—Supper.

1800—Personnel needed for loading, gassing, or maintenance of aircraft not in commission or not combat

ready, return to work until such time as the work is

completed.

1945—Combat Air Patrol aircraft are secured.

CAP aircraft are on alert scramble from one-half hour

before until one-half hour after sunset. Pilots, working

two hour shifts, remain in the cockpit of the aircraft

ready for immediate takeoff until scrambled or relieved.

(1) Pilots of the squadron report for briefing approximately one hour prior to takeoff.

(2) Plane captains, ordnance and line personnel are at

their respective jobs prior to one hour before takeoff and

remain there until their jobs are secured in the evening.

(3) Engineering personnel average 3 to 4 days a week of

night work from 1730 to 2230 placing aircraft in commission.

(4) One operations clerk reports for duty at 0415, prior

to the first CAP and first briefing.

22

(5) One intelligence clerk reports for duty at 0415 to

annotate the Flak Situation Map for the immediate target

that is to be hit that day.27

One item which was not addressed in this schedule

was that of normal flight operations which were

conducted throughout the day from sunrise to

sunset.

The warm weather of May was a welcome relief to

the officers and men who had just endured the severe

Korean winter. However, spring weather was the

only good thing about May for VMF-311. On 10

May, four Panthers led by Captain William Regas

were directed to attack enemy supply dumps and

artillery pieces about 40 miles south of the 39th

parallel, north of Seoul. On the second pass at the

target, Captain John S. Bostwick delivered his ordnance, made a left climbing pullout, rolled over on

his back, and dove straight into the ground 150

meters behind enemy lines. Although the other

members of the flight did not observe any ground fire

while they were over the target area, they did come

under intense machinegun fire as they circled over

the wreckage of the F9F. The cause of the crash

remained undetermined, but enemy ground fire was

listed as a possible factor.

The following day, a four-plane division was on a

close air support mission, just 15 miles east of where

Captain Bostwick went down, when misfortune once

again claimed a squadron pilot. The planes were

orbiting at 6,000 feet, waiting for the airborne

controller to mark the target with rockets, when

Captain Malcom C. Hagan flew into a small cloud.

Just as he emerged from the cloud, he collided with a

small observation plane, causing the right wing of the

jet to be torn from the fuselage. The aircraft then

went into a violent, nosedown roll and exploded as it

struck the ground. The pilot of the observation plane

was also killed as the initial collision completely

destroyed the small craft before he could bail out 28

Two days later, seven aircraft were on a railcutting mission approximately 25 miles north of

Pyongyang, when First Lieutenant Milton H. Baugh

transmitted a ''Mayday,'' stating his plane had been

hit and he had lost power. The pilot, rather than

bailing out, elected to make a forced landing on the

salt flats just to the west along the coast. Lieutenant

Baugh landed the aircraft with what appeared to be

little damage to the jet, but by the time the flight

arrived over the downed plane, the canopy was

observed open and there was no sign of the pilot.

Lieutenant Baugh was later reported as captured and

remained a POW until 30 August 1953.29
We frequently flew as many as 20 aircraft stacked down

in formation through several thousand feet of clouds and

sometimes all the way to the target. On arriving at the

initial point in the clouds, the let-down would be started

and if we did not break out, the flight would climb and

drop all ordnance under the guidance of radar. The

normal altitude of approach was 25,000 feet with a ground

speed of 270 knots [then we would make a] high speed

approach to 14,000 feet. [We would then begin] a dive at a

45 degree angle to 3,000 feet, drop the bombs, and pull

out in level flight by 1,000 feet.

23

General Hise also described what he considers to

have been ''hairiest flight that we flew during the

period'':

On 15 June 1952, we flew a flak suppression mission on

the airfields east of Pyongyang. . . We were carrying VT

[variable timed] fused bombs for the first time in Korea.

VMF-311 was the lead element of the flight and VMF115 had the last 12 to 16 aircraft. Each of us was armed

with four bombs. You could look out at the wing and see

each bomb's nose and fuse. We had the flight joined and

were just passing through about 8,000 feet when I heard

someone in the VMF-115 sections state that [Captain

Howard D. Campbell] had just blown up. His wingman's

jet received major damage from the blast and was forced

to bail out. After the news sunk in on me that Campbell's

VT fuses had malfunctioned and killed him, I had to

decide what to do. Since we were the opening squadron of

a major attack on Pyongyang, it was very desirable that

we go through with the mission. I called the flight and

told them that if the prop on their bomb fuses started to

spin to jettison immediately. Then I directed the flight to

open up so that one plane blowing up would not get his

wingman and also suggested that anyone with doubt

about his ordnance go out over the ocean, drop, and

abort. We then went on to Pyongyang. All of the 311

planes made the trip OK. Some of the 115 pilots who had

seen Campbell explode went Out to sea and jettisoned. It

was about a 45 minute ride to Pyongyang and they were

long minutes. We made an approach above broken clouds

and encounted some radar directed heavy AAA breaking

just below the formation. I broke up the flight and got rid

of the bombs on the airfield. It was a great relief. We had

one pilot with a hung bomb but he managed to shake it

off. We did not lose anyone to AAA and made it home

without further incident.

USMC Ph)to A 332600

F9Fs from VMF-311 and VMF-115 destroyed the hydroelectric plant at Chosin Reservoir on 24 June 1952 in

the first massed strike by the PantherJets. Photographs show the target before and after the strike.

Whoever made the statement, ''We had lots of

luck and all of it bad" must have been with VMF311 during this period. Five days after the loss of

lieutenant Baugh, the commanding officer of

MAG-33, Colonel Martin A. Severson, logged the

squadron's fourth mishap of the month. During a

takeoff, Colonel Severson, flying a 311 plane, was

unable to gain sufficient speed to become airborne.

As the jet was running out of runway, Colonel

Severson realized he was committed to getting the

plane off the deck. Holding the jet on the runway

until the last possible moment, he lifted off just long

enough to raise the gear before the plane settled back

on the runway skidding about 300 yards beyond the

overrun, causing serious back injuries to Colonel

Severson and major damage to the Panther.3°

On 3 June 1952, Major Henry W. Hise, who later

retired as a brigadier general, assumed command of

the squadron. In recalling that period, General Hise

writes:
Investigation revealed that the 311 pilots were not in

any danger. Our bombs and fuses had been properly

installed. The ordnance crew of 115 had improperly

installed the arming wires. The mission was a real

exercise in decision making and tension."

The next massing of airpower in which the

squadron was involved came on 23-24 June when

MAG-33, now under the command of Colonel

Condon, put VMF-311 and -115 into the air for a

2-day mission to destroy a power complex at the

Chosin Reservoir. On the 23d, 22 aircraft from

VMF-311 and 18 from VMF-115 took off from

Pohang and arrived over the target at 1559. The

attack, which continued until 1612, completely

demolished the power station except for one wall left

standing. The flight received intense antiaircraft fire,

but no planes were hit. The following day 20 jets

from 311 and 15 from 115 attacked the complex a

second time. In 22 minutes a multistory building, a

barracks complex, and a large reinforced concrete

building were destroyed. Again enemy fire was

encountered, but resulted in only minor damage to

one plane. This was the first time F9Fs had ever been

massed for a strike of this type. Although the jets

carried a smaller payload than the Corsairs and

Douglas AD-6 Skyraiders of MAG-12, the extremely

precise bombing record made by the Panther jet

pilots put to rest the doubts about jet accuracy that

had been held by some in the 1st MAW.32

From July to September 1952, the squadron enjoyed a period free from combat losses, operational

accidents, and MIG encounters. In September,

however, a landing accident occurred when the nose

gear of a F9F collapsed. Investigation of the accident

revealed that this aircraft as well as 16 other squadron

planes had cracks in the nose wheel struts. This

caused the majority of the aircraft to remain

inoperative until repairs could be made. The required

repairs hampered the unit's combat effectiveness and

monthly combat sorties were limited to 733 for a total

of 888 flight hours.

On 19 September, a flight of eight Panthers, attacking a supply area about 45 miles northeast of

Seoul, came under intense machinegun fire which hit

the aircraft piloted by Captain Edward H. P. Lynk.

Fortunately, the pilot was able to get the crippled

plane over friendly territory before he ejected.

Captain Lynk was quickly picked up by a helicopter

which returned him to home base.

On the last day of the month, a flame-out during

the landing approach resulted in the death of Second

24

lieutenant Odyce W. Livingston when his jet

crashed 2 miles short of the runway at K-3.

Although misfortune plagued the squadron, Major

Alexander J. "Rocky" Gillis, a VMF-311 pilot

assigned as an exchange pilot to the Air Force's

335th Fighter Intercepter Squadron, distinguished

himself by becoming not only the first naval aviator

to destroy three enemy aircraft in Korea, but also the

second to score a multiple kill in a single day.33* On

15 September, Major Gillis, flying the Air Force's

North American F-86 Sabre, downed his first MIG15. Then on 28 September, while flying in a fourplane formation in the vicinity of the mouth of the

Yalu River, Major Gillis brought down two more

MIGs before having to eject from his disabled aircraft. After nearly 4 hours in the Yellow Sea, a

rescue helicopter picked him up and returned him to

safety .

By the fall of 1952, the situation in Korea changed

to a type of position warfare that enabled the enemy

to increase their radar and antiaircraft installations.

To counter this, passive electronics countermeasures

(ECM) were instituted by FAF. This program was

enhanced in September 1952 by the commissioning

of VMC-1 (Marine Composite Squadron 1), administratively assigned to MACG-2 (Marine Air

Control Group 2). The squadron possessed the only

FAF ECM capability to locate enemy radars and was

the primary source of ECM intercept equipment in

FAF squadrons for early warning and radar control

monitoring."

As VMF-311 ended its second year in Korea,

another pilot was lost. On 5 December the squadron

launched an 18-plane attack on an enemy supply

concentration just 18 miles south of where Captain

Lynk had been hit. Each plane was loaded with two

500-pound and six 250-pound bombs. The attack

proceeded as briefed, and upon completion of the

mission the flight leader called for all aircraft to check

in by radio. Captain Donald H. aark failed to answer

the call and did not rendezvous with the rest of the

flight. The pilots conducted a search but could not

find any evidence of a crash. After being carried as

missing in action for a year, Captain Qark's status

was changed to killed inaction.36

The same day, the squadron dropped a record of

47.9 tons of ordnance on enemy positions. By the end

The first naval aviator to achieve a multiple kill in Korea in

a single day was Captain Phillip C. DeLong, a F4U-4 pilot from

VMF-312, who shot down two enemy planes on 21 April 1951.

squadron high of 47.9 tons set on 5 December 1952.

Joined by other squadrons, as well as some Air Force

jets, the pilots hit target after target destroying

bridges, supply dumps, bunkers, mortar emplacements, and trenches and raking troop positions

with 20mm fire. After patching those planes which

were hit by small arms fire, the pilots were back on

the following day, joined by VMF-115 for a continuation of the mission. By nightfall the 5th

Marines owned Vegas. The air-ground team had

knocked out the 358th CCF Regiment without any

squadron losses ending the month with an air of

success 40

Along the division front, the war in April was still

a daily survival contest despite the promising outlook

at Panmunjom. On 10 April, the pilots of VMF-311

were again called for support, this time to thwart a

Communist attempt to retake outpost Carson.

Two flights of Panthers, totaling 16' F9Fs, quickly

discouraged any serious attacks by the Communists

and the hill position remained firmly in Marine

Corps hands.4

For the two MAG-33 fighter squadrons, 17 April

was recorded as a "maximum effort day." From

0410 until 2030 that evening, VMF-311 flew continuous missions in support of the 7th Infantry

Division which had met stiff resistance while

operating on the extreme right flank of the I Corps

sector. While VMF-31 1 was working to prevent a

penetration on the one flank, VMF-115 was faced

with the identical situation on the opposite flank.

Again the teamwork paid off as the Communists

the American lines 42

Although nine aircraft received battle damage

during April and one plane was damaged as the result

of an operational accident, no pilots were injured or

wounded and the squadron enjoyed its second

straight month with aircraft availability averaging

over 94 percent. Much of the credit for the success of

the squadron went to the maintenance personnel,

who in the unit's command diary of April 1953, were

described as "miracle workers.'' Considering that

the unit had flown 741 combat sorties plus the fact:

the squadron was also transferring the remaining

F9F-2Cs and accepting new F9F-5s, the title appears

well deserved.

April also brought some happiness and a glimmer

of hope as the enemy released 684 captives of whom

149 were Americans. Of those freed 15 were

Marines, though none were aviators. This release,

which took place between 20 and 26'April 1953, was

part of Operation Switch during which the United

Nations Command (UNC) released a total of 6,670

Communist prisoners.

During May the squadron continued dose air

support, interdiction, and combat air patrol missions

as assigned by the FAF and the 1st Marine Aircraft

Wing. In the. execution of these missions, only six

squadron aircraft received battle damage, but two

aircraft were lost on 6' May as the unit sustained its

first pilot casualty of 1953.

A flight of four F9Fs was returning from a close air

support mission after working with the 7th ROK

USMC Photo A132958

A combat veteran of the Korean War. This F9FPanther jet from VMF-31 1 was one of the oldest combat planes

of its kind in Korea. It had accumulated 445 combat missions and flown over 1, 000 hours in Korea.

26

of ordnance on enemy positions, topping the previous were forced to abandon their attempts to penetrate

4
Infantry Division, when the ffight ran into bad

weather. By the time the planes arrived in the

Pohang (K-3) area, the field was almost completely

obscured by low douds. The first two planes sighted

the field and landed but the second section became

lost while orbiting the field trying to spot the runway. Because of the limited fuel remaining, the jets

were unable to divert so the alternatives were land,

ditch, or bail out. One pilot, Captain Joseph N.

Carruthers ditched his aircraft at sea and was rescued

by a helicopter about an hour later. The other pilot,

Captain Joe D. Bailes, continued descending, expecting to spot the field through the overcast, when

his plane struck the top of a small mountain. The

crash was observed by some Korean police who

reported the accident and confirmed that the pilot

had been killed .'

Bad weather continued to hamper flight

operations, but the time was well utilized by the

maintenance section to pull acceptance checks on

replacement aircraft and to perform the necessary

maintenance to keep the aircraft availability above 90

percent. During the entire month of May,there were

only seven aircraft which aborted missions due to

maintenance problems. The squadron was rightfully

proud of its ability to respond to a mission, and the

pilots attributed this capability to the men of the

maintenance section.

In addition to combat operations in May, the

squadron also provided air defense for a 1st Marine

Division amphibious training exercise at the

Yongjong-ni beaches on the west coast near Kunsan.

The 1st Marine Division in April, after 20 months

on the line, had been relieved by the Army's 25th

Infantry Division and became the I Corps reserve.

The 1st Marine Division effectively used this time for

"continued improvement of amphibious and ground

offensive combat capabilities," anticipating the

return to the front which would come in June.4

Enemy antiaircraft fire kept the maintenance

section jumping during June as 15 of the jets

returned from missions with battle damage. This

damage was readily accepted, however, by squadron

personnel since no planes were lost and no pilots

were missing or injured.

"If the monsoon rains of July hung like a shroud

over the infantryman, they were an even more

serious impediment to the air operations of MAG-12

and -33.'' There were 24 days of restricted flying and

12 full days during which air operations were canceled entirely 46

27

When nearly a week of inclement weather finally

lifted, the squadron welcomed a brisk change in the

tempo of operations. The 1st Marine Division had

moved back on line. On 11 July, the Chinese fortifications north of the 7th Marines' sector were

attacked. Combined flights with VMF-115 were

again utilized on 14 July. Twenty Panther jets

swooped over enemy territory from sunrise to sunset,

unleasing 25 tons of rocket and bombs north of the

troubled 7th Marines and an additional 9 tons on

hostile emplacements near the western end of the

division line.47

On 17 July, Captain Robert I. Nordell, flying his

third mission that day, and his wingman, First

lieutenant Frank L. Keck, Jr., were hit by intense

automatic weapons fire while on an interdiction

flight. Their planes reportedly went down at 2000

over the Sea of Japan. After a 4-day search they were

declared missing and subsequently reclassified as

killed in action.

Also on the 17th, Captain Harold F. Hagans was

forced to ditch his aircraft after it was set afire by

small arms fire. Captain Hagans received only minor

injuries and was promptly rescued and returned to

Pohang, but the squadron had lost its third aircraft of

the day. An additional plane had been lost earlier in

the montFi when the jet blast from one F9F ignited

20mm ammunition on the plane manned by Captain

William B. Gem. The pilot got safely out of the

aircraft, but the jet was destroyed.49

On the morning of 25 July, the Chinese again

assaulted elements of the 3d Battalion, 7th Marines

from positions in the vicinity of Marine-held Hills

119 and 111. Air support was requested and F9Fs

from VMF-311 and -115 responded. Between 0616'

and 1036, they bombarded the enemy with more than

32 tons of explosives as the 7th Marines stubbornly

held its ground. The enemy's attack on the Marine

positions constituted the major action in the I Corps

during what was to be the final 10 days of the war.

The Communists had gained a few miles of territory,

but at the cost of an estimated 72,000 casualties

including more than 25,000 killed.'°

After 3 years, 1 month, and 2 days, the so-called

"police action" in Korea ended on 27 July 1953 with

the signing of an armistice agreement at Panmunjom.

For the 7,035 Marine officers and men on duty

with Major General Vernon E. Megee's 1st Marine

Aircraft Wing, the final day of the war was an active

one. Corsairs, Skyraiders, and Panther jets mounted
USMC Photo A332596

Victorious pilots and crewmen hold the gunnery sleeve, which had been riddled with hits by VMF-3llpilots

during a gunnery meet in Korea. VMF-31 1 pilots captured first through fourth places in the individual corn - petition as well asplacingfirsi in overall squadron standings.

222 sorties and blasted the enemy with 354 tons of

high explosives along the front. The last Marine jet

pilot in action was Captain William I. Armagost of

VMF-311. He smashed a Communist supply point

with four 500-pounders, at 1835, declaring his flight

felt ''just like the last winning play of a football

am"1 The wing closed out its part in the Korean

War just 35 minutes before the cease-fire.

In the 2/2 years that VMF-311 spent in Korea, it

amassed a total of 18,851 combat sorties. Now it was

time to slow down the pace. Instead of combat

missions the pilots were now flying training flights in

order to maintain a high level of readiness in the

event hostilities were resumed. Time, however, was

available for both the officers and the men to participate in recreational activities and to enjoy the

postwar calm.

In September the unit's strength was reduced

slightly to 39 officers and 174 enlisted men, yet 741

hours were flown as the pilots continued their

training flights. Until 22 December, the squadron

flew without an accident, but on that day Second

Lieutenant Charles H. Bishop experienced an engine

flame-out and although he safely ejected, the plane

was lost at sea.

By the end of the year, the squadron's men had

improved the working spaces to allow themselves a

little more comfort. The pilots made themselves a

new briefing room as their contribution to the effort.

28

Most men participated in group athletic tournaments

during their off-duty time, but the one event in

which all Marines actively participated was prophesying the squadron's fate for the coming year.

The new year brought little change for the 33

officers and 165 enlisted men who now made up

VMF-311. The only excitement to break the

monotony occurred on 16 January 1954 when the

squadron was placed on a 30-minute alert beginning

an hour prior to sunrise and ending an hour after

sunset. This alert, caused by South Korea's release of

nonrepatriated prisoners of war, was finally canceled

by the Joint Operations Center on 23 January.

During February, in order that all units were

prepared for further combat in the event the current

armistice was not honored by the Communists,

specific tasks were assigned for each unit. VMF-311

was assigned tasks both as a Marine unit and as

element of Task Force 91, commanded by the

Commanding General, Fifth Air Force. The tasks

assigned as a Marine fighter squadron were:

1. To intercept and destroy enemy aircraft in conjunction with ground and airborne fighter direction,

during daylight hours.

2. Within the capability of the assigned aircraft, to

intercept and destroy enemy aircraft in conjunction with

ground fighter direction, during the hours of darkness and

foul weather conditions.

3. To conduct offensive operations against enemy

aircraft, airborne and on the ground.

4. To provide fighter escort of friendly aircraft.

a.
5. Within the capability of the assigned aircraft, perform strikes against enemy installations, close air support

missions, interdiction missions, and to perform opera

tions against enemy surface targets.

6. To perform visual reconnaissance missions.

7. Have the capability to operate from aircraft carriers.

8. Have the capability to depart from and return to

their base during the hours of darkness and during foul

weather conditions.

As an element of Task Force 91, the following

tasks were assigned:

A. Destruction of enemy aircraft.

B. Perform close air support missions in support of the

United Nations ground forces.

C. Perform interdiction of enemy ground lines of

communication.

D. Perform armed reconnaissance missions and offensive strikes against the enemy.

E. Escort and provide cover for United Nation forces on

land, sea, and in the air.

F. Provide air defense of military installations.

G. To maintain aircraft on alert status as prescribed by

the Commanding General, Fifth Air Force.

H. To be able to deploy as directed.

I. To be ready to operate Fifth Air Force installations

when ordered to by and in accordance with directives

from the Commanding General, Fifth Air Force.'2

Since most of the experienced combat pilots had

rotated back to the United States, the squadron

continued to fly in excess of 1,000 hours a month in

order to achieve maximum readiness.

On 17 May 1954, tragedy interrupted the placid

squadron routine. Second Lieutenant Willard E.

Miller, while on a routine training flight, ex- perienced aircraft difficulties and was forced to ditch

his F9F off the east coast of Korea. The landing was

good, but Miller drowned before a helicopter arrived

on the scene. The cause of the accident and the

subsequent drowning remained undetermined.

With combat readiness as the primary concern

throughout Korea, two major exercises were conducted in which the squadron participated. The first

was Marine Landing Exercise (MarLEx) VI, an

amphibious landing by the 5th Marines with the air

cover supplied by MAG-33. Bad weather prevailed

during most of the exercise, and the squadron was

able to provide little air support.

Later, on 28 June, VMF-311 participated in the

Air Force's Operation Homeplate, designed to test

the defenses of the U. S. airbases in Korea. The

squadron was employed as part of the defending

forces, while several Air Force units assumed the

enemy's role and attempted to penetrate the airfields'

defenses.

On 21 June 1954, Lieutenant Colonel Michael R.

29

Yunck assumed command of the squadron for the

third time. Lieutenant Colonel Yunck remained in

this position for 4 tranquil months. From 7 to 10

September, the 1st MAW held an air-to-air and an

air-to-ground gunnery meet with MAGs -11, -12,

and -33 competing. Not only did the squadron team,

led by Lieutenant Colonel Yunck, score a decisive

victory in the meet, but VMF-311 pilots also captured first through fourth places in the individual

competition. In addition to the skipper, the

squadron's "big guns" were Major James J. [.arkin,

First Lieutenant Robert J. Fagot, and First

Lieutenant James F. Browne.

During the period of 1 October through 31

December 1954, the squadron maintained an average

aircraft availability of 86.9 percent while flying a total

of 3,118 flight hours. Aside from the normal

training, the pilots participated in four more MarLEx

operations providing simulated close air support for

the Marine ground forces. On 26 November, the

squadron experienced its first operational accident

since May. While on a routine cross-country ffight,

Second Lieutenant John F. Watson, Jr., was killed

when his plane crashed as a result of a midair

collision in the vicinity of Pyongtaek (K-6), Korea.

With the arrival of a new year, the squadron

continued to busy itself by maintaining the 1,000

flight hours per month average. Despite the cold and

snow, the VMF-311 jets accumulated 3,181 flight

hours during the first quarter of 1955.

By 1 April 1955 the word was out that it would not

be much longer before MAG- 33 would be heading

home. All routine periodic inspections were performed on the jets, aircraft maintenance was completed, and test hops were flown in order to ready the

aircraft for their final ifight before being shipped to

the United States. Finally, on 18 April 1955, the last

of the squadron's planes were ferried from K- 3 to the

Naval Air Station at Iwakuni, Japan. Also on the

18th, the forward echelon of the unit was airlifted to

Iwakuni while the rear echelon completed the final

packing and crating of the shop equipment. On 27

April the squadron command moved to Iwakuni. By

the end of April, Marine Air Repair Squadron 17 had

all the aircraft preserved for the voyage home.

The aircraft were barged from Iwakuni to the

carrier USS Princeton (CVS 37) on 12 May and were

lifted on board without mishap. The following day,

the squadron under the command of Major Manning

T. Jannell, later a brigadier general, sailed on board

the Princeton for California. Meanwhile, the