Marine Fighter Squadron 541 (VMF-541) was a
reserve
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fighter squadron of the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
. Originally commissioned during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
as a
night fighter
A night fighter (also known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor for a period of time after the Second World War) is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility. Night fighters began to be used i ...
unit flying the
F6F-5N Hellcat, the squadron participated in combat action over
Peleliu
Peleliu (or Beliliou) is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu, along with two small islands to its northeast, forms one of the sixteen states of Palau. The island is notable as the location of the Battle of Peleliu in World War II.
H ...
and while supporting the
liberation of the Philippines in 1944–45. During the war, VMF(N)-541 was credited with downing 23 Japanese aircraft. Following the war, the squadron participated in the occupation of Northern China until returning to the States to be decommissioned on April 20, 1946. The squadron was reactivated sometime after the war in the Marine Corps Reserve until being decommissioned again in the early 1960s.
History
Formation, training and movement overseas
Marine Night Fighter Squadron 541 (VMF(N)-541) was commissioned on February 15, 1944, at
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
with Maj Peter Lambrecht serving as the first commanding officer. On March 14, the squadron commenced training for aerial combat at night and in poor weather and low visibility. Training was complete on July 17 and on July 20 the squadron's ground echelon departed for the West Coast. The aircraft departed MCAS Cherry Point on July 22 with all elements of the squadron having arrived in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
by July 26. On August 9 the squadron boarded the and sailed from
Naval Air Station North Island
Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado (N ...
arriving at
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census.
Geography
The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region o ...
on August 25.
Peleliu
On September 24, 1944, eight fighters from VMF(N)-541, flying in from
Emirau
Emirau Island, also called Emira, is an island in the Bismarck Archipelago located at . It is currently part of the New Ireland Province of Papua New Guinea. The local language is a dialect of the Mussau-Emira language. Emira is part of what on ...
, landed on Peleliu escorted by an
R5C flown by MajGen
James T. Moore. On the evening of October 31, Maj Norman Mitchell from VMF(N)-541 became the only Marine to shoot down a Japanese aircraft in the
Palau
Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the ...
s when he intercepted an
Aichi E13A JAKE Observation seaplane
Observation seaplanes are military aircraft with flotation devices allowing them to land on and take off from water. Their primary purpose was to observe and report enemy movements or to spot the fall of shot from naval artillery, but some were a ...
.
During the squadron's time on Peleliu it flew 287 night-bombing missions and 461 nighttime
Combat air patrol
Combat air patrol (CAP) is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft. A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, ...
s. Three F6F Hellcats were lost during this time with all three pilots surviving the incidents. At the end of November, a request was received from US Army forces in the Philippines for a land-based night fighter squadron flying F6Fs because the local
P-61 Black Widow
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow is a twin-engine United States Army Air Forces fighter aircraft of World War II. It was the first operational U.S. warplane designed as a night fighter, and the first aircraft designed specifically as a night figh ...
s were being outclassed by Japanese aircraft. The squadron was alerted to move on November 28 and twelve VMF(N)-541 night fighters departed Peleliu on December 3, 1944, flying 602 miles west to
Tacloban Airfield.
Philippines
Upon landing at Tacloban, the squadron was assigned to the
308th Bombardment Wing
The 308th Armament Systems Wing (308 ARSW) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Air Armament Center, stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. It was inactivated on 30 July 2010.
History
: ''For additional ...
and began flying the evening they arrived. VMF(N)-541 assumed facilities that had been left by the
421st Night Fighter Squadron
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest c ...
. Initial tasking for the squadron did not involve maintaining a continuous overhead presence at night as had been expected. Instead, the squadron was asked to conduct combat patrols at dawn and dusk when leadership viewed itself as most vulnerable. The squadron netted its first victory in the Philippines on December 5 when Second Lieutenant Rodney Montgomery Jr. downed a
Nakajima Ki-43 OSCAR. On the morning of December 12, three fighters from VMF(N)-541 were flying off of the west coast of
Leyte
Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census.
Since the accessibility of land has be ...
when they were vectored toward a large formation of thirty-three Japanese aircraft split into five separate groups heading towards the US Fleet in
Ormoc Bay
Ormoc Bay is a large bay in the island of Leyte in the Philippines. The bay is an extension of the Camotes Sea. The city of Ormoc lies at the head of the bay and exports rice, copra and sugar.
The World War II Battle of Ormoc Bay took place from ...
. The squadron's fighters immediately engaged and were credited with downing 12 Japanese aircraft at the end of the fighting. This marked the largest one-day tally for the squadron during the war.
Beginning on December 15, the squadron provided aerial protection for the US
landing at Mindoro. Dawn/dusk patrols and providing protection to allied convoys in the area continued until January 3, 1945, when a Japanese aircraft was able to strafe the runway at Tacloban multiple times. From that point forward, VMF(N)-541 was tasked with continuous nighttime combat air patrols. While in the Philippines, the squadron flew 312 sorties equaling 924 combat hours. It was credited with downing 20 Japanese aircraft and destroying another five more on the ground. VMF(N)-541 departed the Philippines headed back to Peleliu on January 11, 1945. For actions in support of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
in the Philippines, the squadron became the only Marine Aviation unit to be awarded the United States Army's
Distinguished Unit Citation.
Remainder of the war and occupation duty
VMF(N)-541 continued flying combat air patrols from Peleliu. On March 23, 1945, a six-plane detachment and maintenance personnel were sent to
Falalop Airfield to assist with local air interdiction after having been trained in nighttime dive bombing. The squadron was operating from both Peleliu and Falalop when the
Japanese surrendered. The Falalop detachment returned to Peleliu on August 28 in anticipation of follow-on movement of the squadron. In September 1945 the squadron departed Peleliu for
China. AFter a two-week stint on
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
, the advanced flight echelon arrived at
Nanyuan Airfield on October 8 with all elements of the squadron arriving by November 5. While in China the squadron was responsible for flying combat air patrols and reconnaissance flights. VMF(N)-541 returned to the United States in 1946 and was decommissioned on April 30, 1946.
Reserve years
After the war the squadron was reactivated in the reserves and originally based at
Naval Air Station Birmingham,
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
. On January 10, 1951, VMF-541 personnel were assigned to extended active duty as part of the call up of reserves in support of the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
mobilization. On March 4, 1951, VMF(N)-541 was the first Marine Corps squadron to win the Pete Ross Safety Award, beating out 29 other Marine Corps squadrons.
See also
*
United States Marine Corps Aviation
United States Marine Corps Aviation (USMCA) is the aircraft arm of the United States Marine Corps. Aviation units within the Marine Corps are assigned to support the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, as the aviation combat element, by providing si ...
*
List of United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons
This is a list of all of the active squadrons that exist in the United States Marine Corps, sorted by type. Most squadrons have changed names and designations many times over the years, so they are listed by their current designation.
:''To see ...
*
Citations
References
;Bibliography
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{{US Marine Corps navbox
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Inactive units of the United States Marine Corps