Marine Attack Squadron 322 (VMA-322) was an attack squadron in the United States Marine Corps. The squadron, also known as the “Fighting Gamecocks”, fought in World War II and later became a part of the

Marine Forces Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command, by assigned pe ...

based out of Naval Air Station South Weymouth, Massachusetts.

History

Marine Fighting Squadron 322 (VMF-322) was established on July 1, 1943, 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 ...

flying the F4U Corsair.Sherrod ''USMC WWII OOB'', p. 443. In the fall of that year they moved to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina to continue their training. They moved again in January, 1944 to

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. In October, 1944, the squadron became part of

Marine Aircraft Group 33 Marine Aviation and Training Support Group 33 (MATSG-33) is a United States Marine Corps aviation training group that was originally established during World War II as Marine Aircraft Group 33 (MAG-33). Fighter squadrons from MAG-33 fought most ...

(MAG-33) when they moved to Espiritu Santo. The squadron was part of 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 ...

and on April 3, 1945, over 150 of its members were killed when its lead support element was struck by a Kamikaze. They rebounded quickly and were able to fly their first combat mission on April 9, 1945. VMF-322 remained on Okinawa for the rest of the war as they made bombing runs over the Japanese mainland. Following the war, the squadron moved to

Midway Island Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; haw, Kauihelani, translation=the backbone of heaven; haw, Pihemanu, translation=the loud din of birds, label=none) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the Unit ...

in November 1945 where they remained as part of Marine Aircraft Group 44 (MAG-44) until they were deactivated on November 30, 1949.

Cold War

VMF-322 was reactivated during the Korean War on July 6, 1951, again flying the F4U Corsair. The squadron moved to Naval Air Station South Weymouth in January 1954 and transitioned to the F9F Cougar in March 1955. The squadron was re-designated as Marine Attack Squadron 322 (VMA-322) in May 1958 and changed aircraft again, this time to the FJ3 Fury in November 1959. In September 1962 the squadron received its final aircraft in the venerable A-4 Skyhawk. In 1964, VMA-322 absorbed the aircraft and personnel of

VMA-217 Marine Attack Squadron 217 (VMA-217) was a fighter squadron of the United States Marine Corps that was activated and fought during World War II. Known as “Max’s Wild Hares”, they fought in many areas of the Pacific War including the Battl ...

after their deactivation. VMA-322 was decommissioned on June 27, 1992, as part of the post-

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

drawdown of the United States Military

Notes

References

;Bibliography * * * ;Web
VMA-322 Fighting Gamecocks

History of the South Weymouth Naval Air Station
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vma-322

322 __NOTOC__ Year 322 ( CCCXXII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Probianus and Iulianus (or, less frequently, year 1075 ' ...

Military units and formations in Massachusetts Inactive units of the United States Marine Corps

History

Cold War

See also

Notes

References