Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 531 (VMFA-531) was a

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 ...

fighter squadron consisting of F/A-18 Hornets. Known as the "Grey Ghosts”, the squadron participated in action 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 ...

and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

. They were decommissioned on March 27, 1992.

History

World War II

Marine Night Fighter Squadron 531 (VMF(N)-531) was commissioned on November 16, 1942 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 ...

. On January 9, 1943 the squadron became part of the

Fleet Marine Force The United States Fleet Marine Forces (FMF) are combined general- and special-purpose forces within the United States Department of the Navy that perform offensive amphibious or expeditionary warfare and defensive maritime employment. The Flee ...

and on April 1 was absorbed by

Marine Aircraft Group 53 Marine Aircraft Group 53 (MAG-53) was a United States Marine Corps night fighter training group that was commissioned during World War II. It was the first night-fighter group in the Marine Corps. During the course of the war the group trained e ...

(MAG-53). The squadron took delivery of its first non-trainer aircraft, the

Lockheed PV-1 Ventura The Lockheed Ventura is a twin-engine medium bomber and patrol bomber of World War II. The Ventura first entered combat in Europe as a bomber with the RAF in late 1942. Designated PV-1 by the United States Navy (US Navy), it entered combat in ...

on February 15. Due to the uniqueness of their night fight mission, VMF(N)-531 was placed under the direction of the Commandant of the Marine Corps until it was ready to deploy to combat. Responding to Japanese night attacks on Guadalcanal, MAG-53 was reassigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing on April 15, 1943 and was quickly ordered to deploy to the South Pacific as soon as possible. VMF(N)-531 was the first combat squadron to leave MCAS Cherry Point. After layovers in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

and

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 ...

, the squadron finally arrived at

Renard Field Yandina Airport is an airport on Mbanika in the Solomon Islands. History The 33rd Naval Construction Battalion arrived on Banika Island in late February 1943 and commenced construction of a fighter airfield. By 13 April a basic airfield known a ...

Banika Mbanika or Banika is an island in Solomon Islands; it is located in the Central Province and is the second largest of the Russell Islands Group. The principal settlement is Yandina. As portrayed in the HBO miniseries, '' The Pacific'', episod ...

in the

Russell Islands :''See also Russell Island (disambiguation).'' The Russell Islands are two small islands ( Pavuvu and Mbanika), as well as several islets, of volcanic origin, in the Central Province of Solomon Islands. They are located approximately northwest o ...

on September 11. Joining

Marine Aircraft Group 21 Marine Aviation and Training Support Group 21 (MATSG-21) is a United States Marine Corps aviation training Group (air force unit), group that was originally established in 1922 as the 2nd Aviation Group. During World War II the unit was known as ...

1st Marine Aircraft Wing The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps that serves as the Aviation Combat Element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The wing is headquartered at Camp Foster on the island of Okinawa, Japan. A ...

, the Grey Ghosts flew their first combat patrol on September 16 making them the first naval aviation night-fighter squadron to operate in the South Pacific. The squadron's first kill was made by Captain Duane Jenkins, who happened upon a Betty bomber on the evening of November 13, 1943. The first kill aided by GCI did not come until December 6. During their tour in the Pacific, the squadron operated out of fields in the Russell Islands,

Vella Lavella Vella Lavella is an island in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands. It lies to the west of New Georgia, but is considered one of the New Georgia Group. To its west are the Treasury Islands. Environment The island of Vella Lavella is lo ...

and Bougainville. They accounted for 12 enemy planes shot down by 5 different crews, all at night, with a loss of 6 of their own aircraft and 17 crew members, none of them a result of enemy fire. The squadron returned to MCAS Cherry Point on September 1, 1944 and was quickly deactivated only to be reactivated a short time later on October 13 at Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Kinston (MCAAF Kinston),

and reassigned to MAG-53,

9th Marine Aircraft Wing The 9th Marine Aircraft Wing was an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The wing was commissioned during World War II as a training unit for Marine Aviation personnel he ...

. A short time later the squadron moved to

Marine Corps Air Station Eagle Mountain Lake Marine Corps Air Station Eagle Mountain Lake (MCAS Eagle Mountain Lake) was a United States Marine Corps air station that was located northwest of Fort Worth, Texas during World War II. Commissioned on December 1, 1942, the air station was ori ...

near

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

to operate as a training squadron for replacement pilots and

ground control intercept Ground may refer to: Geology * Land, the surface of the Earth not covered by water * Soil, a mixture of clay, sand and organic matter present on the surface of the Earth Electricity * Ground (electricity), the reference point in an electrical c ...

operators being sent overseas. Following the conclusion of World War II, the squadron was relocated back to MCAS Cherry Point and in March 1947 reassigned to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW). F-4N Phantom VMFA-531 ElToro 1982

1950s

The Vietnam War

On April 10, 1965, 15 F-4Bs from the squadron arrived at Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam becoming the first land-based Marine Corps jets during the

. They immediately began flying bombing missions under radar guidance and standard close air support missions in support of Marines on the ground.

The 1980s to 1992

On May 29, 1983, 531 received its first F/A-18 Hornet, becoming the 3rd fleet squadron to receive the new fighter. LtCol Keith J. Stalder was the commanding officer from December 1990 to the time the squadron was decommissioned March 21, 1992.VMFA-531 Commanding Officers
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Gallery

File:PV-1 night fighter VMF(N)-531 1943.jpg, A PV-1 of VMF(N)-531 in the Solomons, 1943 File:F7F-3N Tigercat VMF(N)-531.jpeg, VMF(N)-531 F7F-3N in 1950 File:F3D-2 Skyknight VMF(AW)-531 1957.jpg, VMF(AW)-531 F3D-2 in 1957 File:F4D-1 Skyray VMF-531 Korea 1960.jpg, VMF(AW)-531 F4D-1 in 1960 File:F-4B VMFA-531 ArkRoyal1.jpg, A VMFA-531 F-4B operating from ''HMS Ark Royal'' in 1973 File:F-4N VMFA-531 CV-43 Apr80.jpg, A VMFA-531 F-4N landing on the USS ''Coral Sea'' in 1980 File:F-18A Hornet VMFA-531 Cairo 1985.jpeg, An F/A-18A of VMFA-531 in 1985

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * * * * * * ;Web
VMFA-531 Unofficial Website)

(531 Grey Ghost Squadron of the Marine Corps Aviation Association)

Virtual Grey Ghosts
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vmfa-531 Fighter attack squadrons of the United States Marine Corps Inactive units of the United States Marine Corps