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Marine Observation Squadron 7 (VMO-7) was an observation squadron of the United States Marine Corps during World War II. They were active for a year and a half during which time they saw action 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 ...
. The squadron was quickly deactivated following the end of the war.


History

VMO-7 was commissioned on December 15, 1944 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. After a short period of training, the squadron moved 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 ...
on February 27, 1945, sailing on board the British escort carrier HMS Ranee (D03). Another two months of training in Hawaii saw the squadron depart Pearl Harbor on April 17, 1945, and sail for Okinawa. The squadron filtered onto the island from May 7-11 and quickly began flights spotting targets for
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 ...
’ artillery. During the period between June 11-22 the squadron made 271 CASEVAC flights from a dirt strip in Naha taking 369 casualties back to hospitals in the rear areas. VMO-7 aircraft were engaged in combat operations on Okinawa until June 21, 1945. During the battle, the squadron flew 300 combat hours without losing a pilot or plane. The unit remained on the island for the rest of the war and was decommissioned on November 16, 1945.


Awards

*    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one bronze star *    World War II Victory Medal


See also

* United States Marine Corps Aviation * List of United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons * List of decommissioned United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons


Citations


References

;Bibliography * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vmo-7 Observation7 Inactive units of the United States Marine Corps