Marine Air Control Squadron 7 (MACS-7) was a United States Marine Corps aviation command and control squadron. The squadron provided

aerial surveillance A surveillance aircraft is an aircraft used for surveillance. They are operated by military forces and other government agencies in roles such as intelligence gathering, battlefield surveillance, airspace surveillance, reconnaissance, observat ...

and ground-controlled interception and saw action most notably during the

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...

in World War II and the Vietnam War. They were last based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and fell under the command of Marine Air Control Group 38 (MACG-38) and the

3rd Marine Aircraft Wing The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (abbreviated as 3rd MAW) is the major west coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, in San Diego, California and provides the aviation combat el ...

(3rd MAW).

History

World War II

''Air Warning Squadron 7'' was commissioned 1 February 1944. as part of a larger program to provide radar early warning and fighter control for Marine units during amphibious operations. It was one of several such squadrons attached to Marine Air Warning Group 1 at

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point (*) is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, United States, in the eastern part of the state. It was built in 1941, and was commissioned in 1942 and ...

, North Carolina. For its first two months the squadron remained in the vicinity of MCAS Cherry Point learning to control both day and night aircraft. On 27 March 1944 they embarked for the west coast arriving on 1 April 1944. The squadron was subsequently stationed at

Naval Auxiliary Air Station Brown Field In urban planning, brownfield land is land previously used for industrial purposes or some commercial uses. Brownfield or Brown Field may also refer to: Places *Brownfield, Maine * Brownfield, Missouri *Brownfield, Texas ** Brownfield Independ ...

in Chula Vista, California where they underwent a long period of intensive training in which they controlled fighters, torpedo bombers and bombers during simulated combat missions. Combat conditioning and the firing of various infantry weapons was also a part of the regular training program. On 1 January 1945 the squadron began to load their gear on ships and set sail 3 January 1945. They arrived at

Marine Corps Air Station Ewa Marine Corps Air Station Ewa (MCAS Ewa) was a United States Marine Corps air station that was located west of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The base was hit during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and later served as the hub for all Mar ...

, Hawaii on 10 January 1945 and proceeded to the nearby island of

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

for further training. At this tim,e Early Warning Teams of sixteen men and two officers were each detached from the squadron for temporary duty with the 1st and

6th Marine Division The 6th Marine Division was a United States Marine Corps World War II infantry division formed in September 1944. During the invasion of Okinawa it saw combat at Yae-Take and Sugar Loaf Hill and was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation. The 6 ...

, the

III Amphibious Corps III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) is a formation of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps. It is forward-deployed and able to rapidly conduct operations across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance and d ...

and the Tenth United States Army On 19 February 1945 the squadron boarded amphibious ships and spent the remainder of the month and all of March transiting to Okinawa. AWS-7 debarked at Okinawa on 6 April 1945 and immediately set-up operating units in the vicinity of Yontan Airfield. Eight days later the squadron moved to

Hedo Point , also known as Hedo Point, is the northernmost point on Okinawa Island, located within Kunigami Village. A cape jutting out north from the island, it faces the South China Sea on the west, and the Pacific Ocean on the east. On a particularly ...

at the very northern tip of Okinawa where there remained a fair bit of enemy activity. During May 1945 the squadron controlled over 1800 aircraft without the loss of any pilots, assisted in the rescue of eight pilots who bailed out over water, controlled interceptions resulting in the destruction of 45 enemy planes, and with its direction finding station brought eighteen lost planes home. In June, the squadron controlled 503 division of combat air patrol (CAP) aircraft as well as 40 divisions of

close air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...

and strike missions, 94 barrier CAP divisions and 24 air-sea rescue escort divisions. On 19 June, the squadron was joined by a platoon from a United States Army Air Warning Battalion. In July, AWS-7 handled 312 CAP division, 105 special strike mission divisions and 14 air-sea rescue escort divisions. Two successful night interceptions were directed during the month to bring the squadron's total at the end of July to 63-day and 9 night kills. The squadron's final numbers during the Battle of Okinawa were 76 enemy planes splashed, 33 air-sea rescues and 315 lost planes honed homed. After the

surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...

in August 1945, AWS-7 remained on Okinawa for a few months until it departed for

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in October 1945. They squadron established itself at Nanyuan Airfield near Beiping (now Beijing). On 1 August 1946, the squadron was re-designated as ''Marine Ground Control Intercept Squadron 7'' (MGCIS-7). They remained in China controlling aircraft during the American occupation until 7 January 1949. After leaving China, the squadron transferred to

Marine Corps Air Station Edenton Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

, North Carolina and was assigned to

Marine Aircraft Group 15 Marine Aircraft Group 15 (MAG-15) was a United States Marine Corps aviation group established during World War II. MAG-15, a transport and photo-reconnaissance training group, was commissioned on 1 March 1942, headquartered at Camp Kearny, San Di ...

(MAG-15).

Vietnam War

On 17 April 1965 MACS-7 was moved from MCAS Cherry Point, NC to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. In September 1965 the squadron redeployed to Chu Lai in the Republic of Vietnam. MACS-7 assumed responsibility for radar control over I Corps on 15 September 1967. The squadron remained in Vietnam providing early warning and air surveillance until July 1967 when they were replaced by MACS-4 operating the new Marine Tactical Data System. MACS-7 transferred to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and was reassigned to Marine Air Control Group 38.

Unit awards

A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation. MACS-7 has been presented with the following awards:

Citations

References