Tag Archives: VMF 224

Cactus Crew Chief

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80 Years Ago Today: “March 22, 1943: Technical Sgt. R.W. Greenwood, a Marine, sits in the cockpit of a Grumman Wildcat fighter plane, based at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, that is credited with shooting down 19 Japanese aircraft, as illustrated by the number of Japanese flags on his plane. Several different pilots have flown the ship during successful missions, but Sgt. Greenwood has remained plane captain.”

(AP Photo)

I’d imagine the good Sgt. Greenwood is from the “Bulldogs” of VMF-223. Led by Major John L. Smith (19 air-to-air kills 21 August-to-03 October 1942 with the “Cactus Air Force” on Guadalcanal) along with XO Capt. Marion Eugene Carl (16.5 air-to-air kills 04 June 1942-to-03 October 1942 with Cactus) the unit was a legend among legends.

Other Marine Wildcat Squadrons on Guadalcanal included the “Fighting Bengals” of VMF-224 under Major Robert E. Galer (11 kills with Cactus), The “Wolfpack” of VMF-112 which included the “Raging Cajun” Lt. Jefferson J. DeBlanc who downed five Japanese aircraft in minutes before being shot down himself in Jan. 1943, the “Green Knights” Of VMF-121, the “Candystripers” of VMF-122 (whose XO at the time was Pappy Boyington of later Baa Baa Blacksheep fame), the “Flying Eight Balls” of VMF-123, and the “Hell Hounds” of VMF-212.

The Bengals of Majuro

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Here we see a F4U-1 Corsair #252 (possibly that of 1/Lt. William ‘Bill” Boshart) of the “Fighting Bengals ” of VMF 224, Marine Corps 4th Marines Aircraft Wing, Majuro Airstrip, Marshall Islands, in 1944.

Two things: A) that guy’s cap has to be held on by staples– have you ever stood next to a 2,000 hp 18-cylinder Pratt & Whitney and felt the airblast? B) Note the well-worn .50 cal blisters (U.S. Navy photo colorized by Paul Reynolds.)

The 100th Naval Construction Battalion (Seabee) moved into Majuro only days after the primitive strip was captured from the Japanese in February 1944 and soon created a very nice (for the Pacific War) coral-surfaced 5,800-foot runway that covered most of the island itself linked to aprons on two close atolls connected by newly-built causeways.

4th Airwing’s Marine Air Group 13 (MAG-13) relocated to Majuro Atoll in mid-March 1944 and included VF-39 operating the F6F Hellcat, VMF-155 and VMF-224 operating F4Us and VMSB-231 operating SBDs.

1944 photo of bomb-laden Marine F4U Corsairs of VMF-224 taxiing out for an airstrike from Majuro Airfield

The base proved popular for about a year, with MAG-13 (including our Corsairs of the Bengals) heading to Yomitan airfield in Okinawa for that campaign.

While the 100th NCB was disestablished after the war and Majuro was abandoned by the Navy in 1947 (and altogether by the Marshall Islands government in 1972), VMF 224 has maintained a long history and is still flying high as VMFA(AW)-224, pushing F/A-18Ds with MAG-31.

Illuminated by the setting sun after landing at Al Asad, Iraq, a ‘tiger-striped’ U.S. Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas F/A-18D Hornet from with Marine all-weather fighter-bomber Squadron VMFA(AW)-224 Fighting Bengals rests in the new hangar area prepared for the squadron by 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Marines, on 15 January 2005. Cpl. Paul Leicht, USMC – U.S. Marine Corps photo 200511961450