VMFA - 321 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 321 ( VMFA - 321 ) was a United States Marine Corps fighter squadron consisting of F / A - 18 Hornet s . Known as " Hell ’ s Angels ” , the squadron participated in action during World War II and was then transferred to the Marine Forces Reserve . The squadron was decommissioned on September 11 , 2004 . History . World War II . VMF - 321 was established February 1 , 1943 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point , North Carolina , as a unit of Marine Aircraft Group 31 , 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing . After a crash course in tactics and maneuvers , the squadron was off to the war in the South Pacific . They were initially stationed at Barakoma Airfield on Vella Lavella , a recently captured island base in the Solomon Islands . First Lieutenant Robert B . See made the squadron ' s first " kill " four days after arriving on the island . While in the Solomon ' s , the ' Hell ' s Angels " amassed a record of 39 kills of Japanese aircraft and an additional 11 probables , with only eight aircraft lost . At one time the squadron was scoring at least one kill and / or one probable a day with its F4U Corsair aircraft . Captain J . R . Norman once downed four planes in a single day . Major Edmund F . Overend , the squadron ' s Commanding Officer , who had come to the squadron with 5 . 83 credited kills from his services with the American Volunteer Group in China , accounted for three more confirmed kills . The squadron transferred north to the area around Guam , where pilots took over " milk run " bombings of neighboring islands and played a major role in knocking out Japanese bases from which attacks against American bomber bases were being launched . The Cold War . After the war , the squadron returned home and was deactivated on January 28 , 1946 . Early in 1946 a group of Marine aviators in the Washington , D . C . area began organizing a reserve fighting squadron from the ranks of pilots , officers , and enlisted members who had served together in the war as VMF - 321 . This new VMF - 321 became an organized Marine Corps Reserve fighting squadron in July 1946 at Naval Air Station Anacostia Maryland , and was assigned 14 Corsair aircraft similar to the ones flown by the squadron during the war . On April 1 , 1949 , Marine Fighting Squadron 321 was redesignated Marine Fighter Squadron 321 . The squadron was placed on alert January 13 , 1951 and was activated on March 1 , 1951 flying the F8F Bearcat during the Korean War . The 164 - man unit began an intensive training program under the command of Major George Robertshaw , in preparation for deployment to the Far East . The squadron did not go to Korea as a unit . Instead it was declared an augmentation squadron and its members were assigned to regular Marine units to fill empty billets . In the 1950s , the squadron flew the A - 1 Skyraider and on May 15 , 1958 they were redesignated Marine Attack Squadron 321 ( VMA - 321 ) . On July 1 , 1962 , the squadron again became VMF - 321 when it began flying the FJ - 4B Fury . This was followed by a transition to the F - 8 Crusader in January 1965 . In October 1973 . a new paint scheme , consisting of a black dorsal and vertical stabilizer prompted a temporary nickname changed to the " Black Barons " . However , the squadron shortly returned to the " Hell ' s Angels " adding a pitchfork running through the " MG " on the vertical stabilizer . Marine Fighter Squadron 321 was redesignated Marine Fighter Attack Squadron VMFA - 321 in December 1973 , when it became the first Marine Air Reserve squadron to receive the F - 4 Phantom II aircraft . The designation , which remains today , indicated the dual fighter / attack mission . Aircrew and maintenance personnel began preparing for the new aircraft long before its arrival , and on January 15 , 1974 , VMFA - 321 made its first Phantom flight . Reservists from VMFA - 321 appeared in a film produced for recruiting personnel into the Marine Corps Air Reserves . The film , which featured actor and former Marine Christopher George , was produced in the summer of 1976 at Andrews Air Force Base by J . Walter Thompson , which has held the Marine Corps recruiting account contract for decades . In 1985 , VMFA - 321 operated twelve F - 4S Phantom aircraft and accumulated 12 , 344 mishap free hours . During the calendar year the squadron flew nearly 3 , 000 hours in support of a demanding aircrew training program . VMFA - 321 was nominated for the Chief of Naval Operations Safety Award . 1990 – 2004 . In 1991 , VMFA - 321 stood down the Phantom and commenced transitioning to the F / A - 18 Hornet . During 1996 , they deployed to Norway and Scotland . 1998 found them back in Scotland . 1999 sent the Hells Angels to Egypt . 2000 was a third and final deployment to Scotland . 2001 saw the squadron report to NAF Washington on September 12 without prior notice . The squadron reported mission ready with 6 aircraft and pilots ready for CAP missions and actually launched sorties in support of what would become Operational Noble Eagle . The squadron was chosen for deactivation as part of the Department of the Navy ’ s Tactical Air Integration Plan . And after a final deployment to Karup , Denmark in June 2004 , they officially stood down on September 11 , 2004 . Shortly after this the last CO of the squadron flew the last remaining plane belonging to the squadron to Quantico MCB where he crashed the plane on its final landing . The aircraft was repaired and it sits on display at TBS ( The Basic School ) .