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VMFA-323
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323 (VMFA-323) is an aircraft carrier-based aviation squadron of the United States Marine Corps. The squadron is equipped with the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornet and is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, United States. It falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 11 (MAG-11) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW) but deploys with the U.S. Navy's Carrier Air Wing 17 (CVW-17). Their tail code is WS and their radio callsign is Snake.
VMF-323 was commissioned 1 August 1943, at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. According to oral history, the squadron got its name from three fighter pilots who killed a 6-foot (1.8 m) rattlesnake and hung its skin in the squadron's ready room. VMF-323 began training in F4U Corsairs almost immediately for combat in the Pacific theater of World War II. On 16 December 1943, the squadron received orders to prepare to move to the west coast of the United States beginning the first week of January 1944. Much of the new squadron's training was done at Marine Corps Air Station El Centro and Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California. In July 1944, the Death Rattlers departed for the Pacific aboard USS Long Island. For the next nine months, VMF-323 flew training missions from secure island bases in the South Pacific.
On 9 April 1945, 24 aircraft from the Death Rattlers launched from the USS White Plains (CVE-66) and flew into Kadena airfield in support of Operation Iceberg during the Battle of Okinawa. Combat operations commenced the following day. Between then and the Japanese surrender in August, the Death Rattlers racked up 124 Japanese planes shot down without a single loss. The highest total of any squadron during the battle. Twelve Death Rattlers became aces.
After the war, the Death Rattlers were based at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, where they conducted training exercises. It was around this time that the squadron appeared in the 1949 movie Sands of Iwo Jima.
When the Korean War began in 1950, VMF-323 began combat operations from USS Badoeng Strait as part of Marine Aircraft Group 33 (MAG-33), supporting ground forces in the Battle of Pusan Perimeter, Battle of Inchon, Battle of Chosin Reservoir and almost every other major campaign of the conflict. During action near Kosong, on 11 August 1950, a VMF-323 Corsair pilot, Captain Vivian M. Moses, became the first Marine aviator killed in Korea. Around January 1951, VMF-323 performed their likely last combat operations from the USS Badoeng Strait and moved with MAG-33 to Bofu Airbase in Honshu Japan. Shortly afterward in Feb 1951 VMF-323 was rebased to the K-1 airfield near Pusan. Conditions at K-1 were reportedly harsh, as the squadron was living in tents, had no furniture, and was eating K-Rations in freezing weather. In March, the squadron was transferred officially to Marine Aircraft Group 12 (MAG-12). From 20 April onward the difficult non-hard-surface runway at the K-16 airfield near Seoul was used as a forward operating base for rearming and refueling, while K-1 was used for repair and scheduled maintenance. In June 1951, VMF-323 moved briefly to Itami Air Base in Osaka Japan, and then embarked on the USS Sicily. The squadron replaced its F4U-4Bs with the F4U-4 when it went aboard. Combat operations were flown off the Sicily for a few months. On 20 Sep, the Death Rattlers left the Sicily for Itami, changed back to F4U-4Bs, and rebased again to K-1. On 30 Oct 1951 the squadron was rebased to the K-18 near Kangnung, and on 21 April 1952, rebased to K-6 near Pyeongtaek. The unit also took part in the attack on the Sui-ho Dam in June 1952.
The squadron was re-designated Marine Attack Squadron 323 (VMA-323) in June, 1952. Around this time the 24 aircraft complement was changed to include approximately half F4U-4Bs and half of the more heavily armored ground attack focused AU-1s. The Death Rattlers left Korea in July 1953. VMA-323 was the Marine fixed-wing attack squadron with the longest overseas service during the Korean War, accumulating a total of 48,677 hours of flight time since their August 1950 arrival in Korea. In total, 16 Death Rattlers were Killed In Action (the same number of losses as in WWII) and 4 became POWs.
Once back home, the squadron began flying the F9F Panther and then the F9F Cougar, a swept-wing version of the Panther. In 1956 the squadron adopted the FJ-4 Fury, with which it deployed to the western Pacific in 1957. That year, the Death Rattlers flew armed patrols over the Quemoy and Matsu islands to support Chinese nationalist forces.
The squadron was reestablished at MCAS El Toro and received its first F8U Crusaders in the summer of 1958. it trained in 1958 and 1959 was then assigned to USS Oriskany.
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VMFA-323
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323 (VMFA-323) is an aircraft carrier-based aviation squadron of the United States Marine Corps. The squadron is equipped with the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornet and is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, United States. It falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 11 (MAG-11) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW) but deploys with the U.S. Navy's Carrier Air Wing 17 (CVW-17). Their tail code is WS and their radio callsign is Snake.
VMF-323 was commissioned 1 August 1943, at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. According to oral history, the squadron got its name from three fighter pilots who killed a 6-foot (1.8 m) rattlesnake and hung its skin in the squadron's ready room. VMF-323 began training in F4U Corsairs almost immediately for combat in the Pacific theater of World War II. On 16 December 1943, the squadron received orders to prepare to move to the west coast of the United States beginning the first week of January 1944. Much of the new squadron's training was done at Marine Corps Air Station El Centro and Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California. In July 1944, the Death Rattlers departed for the Pacific aboard USS Long Island. For the next nine months, VMF-323 flew training missions from secure island bases in the South Pacific.
On 9 April 1945, 24 aircraft from the Death Rattlers launched from the USS White Plains (CVE-66) and flew into Kadena airfield in support of Operation Iceberg during the Battle of Okinawa. Combat operations commenced the following day. Between then and the Japanese surrender in August, the Death Rattlers racked up 124 Japanese planes shot down without a single loss. The highest total of any squadron during the battle. Twelve Death Rattlers became aces.
After the war, the Death Rattlers were based at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, where they conducted training exercises. It was around this time that the squadron appeared in the 1949 movie Sands of Iwo Jima.
When the Korean War began in 1950, VMF-323 began combat operations from USS Badoeng Strait as part of Marine Aircraft Group 33 (MAG-33), supporting ground forces in the Battle of Pusan Perimeter, Battle of Inchon, Battle of Chosin Reservoir and almost every other major campaign of the conflict. During action near Kosong, on 11 August 1950, a VMF-323 Corsair pilot, Captain Vivian M. Moses, became the first Marine aviator killed in Korea. Around January 1951, VMF-323 performed their likely last combat operations from the USS Badoeng Strait and moved with MAG-33 to Bofu Airbase in Honshu Japan. Shortly afterward in Feb 1951 VMF-323 was rebased to the K-1 airfield near Pusan. Conditions at K-1 were reportedly harsh, as the squadron was living in tents, had no furniture, and was eating K-Rations in freezing weather. In March, the squadron was transferred officially to Marine Aircraft Group 12 (MAG-12). From 20 April onward the difficult non-hard-surface runway at the K-16 airfield near Seoul was used as a forward operating base for rearming and refueling, while K-1 was used for repair and scheduled maintenance. In June 1951, VMF-323 moved briefly to Itami Air Base in Osaka Japan, and then embarked on the USS Sicily. The squadron replaced its F4U-4Bs with the F4U-4 when it went aboard. Combat operations were flown off the Sicily for a few months. On 20 Sep, the Death Rattlers left the Sicily for Itami, changed back to F4U-4Bs, and rebased again to K-1. On 30 Oct 1951 the squadron was rebased to the K-18 near Kangnung, and on 21 April 1952, rebased to K-6 near Pyeongtaek. The unit also took part in the attack on the Sui-ho Dam in June 1952.
The squadron was re-designated Marine Attack Squadron 323 (VMA-323) in June, 1952. Around this time the 24 aircraft complement was changed to include approximately half F4U-4Bs and half of the more heavily armored ground attack focused AU-1s. The Death Rattlers left Korea in July 1953. VMA-323 was the Marine fixed-wing attack squadron with the longest overseas service during the Korean War, accumulating a total of 48,677 hours of flight time since their August 1950 arrival in Korea. In total, 16 Death Rattlers were Killed In Action (the same number of losses as in WWII) and 4 became POWs.
Once back home, the squadron began flying the F9F Panther and then the F9F Cougar, a swept-wing version of the Panther. In 1956 the squadron adopted the FJ-4 Fury, with which it deployed to the western Pacific in 1957. That year, the Death Rattlers flew armed patrols over the Quemoy and Matsu islands to support Chinese nationalist forces.
The squadron was reestablished at MCAS El Toro and received its first F8U Crusaders in the summer of 1958. it trained in 1958 and 1959 was then assigned to USS Oriskany.
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