Marine Fighting Squadron 132 (VMF-132) was a fighter squadron in the United States Marine Corps. The squadron, also known as “The Crying Red Asses”, fought in World War II as a

dive bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...

unit during the Battle of Guadalcanal as part of the

Cactus Air Force Cactus Air Force refers to the ensemble of Allied air power assigned to the island of Guadalcanal August 1942 until December 1942 during the early stages of the Guadalcanal Campaign, particularly those operating from Henderson Field. The term " ...

and later fought in the Central Solomon Islands. The squadron was decommissioned shortly after the end of the war but was reactivated in the Marine Air Reserve flying out of Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. They were again decommissioned sometime after 1958.

History

Marine Bombing Squadron 6 (VB-6M) was formed in San Diego, California in 1932. They were deactivated shortly thereafter in 1933, only to reactivate again in January 1935. The squadron was redesignated as Marine Bombing Squadron 1 (VMB-1) on 1 July 1937. The squadron was again redesignated as Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 132 (VMSB-132) on 1 July 1941. At the outbreak of World War II, the squadron, under the command of Major A.D. Cooley, and its 19 Douglas SBD-1 ''Dauntless'' dive bombers were stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Quantico, Virginia as part of

Marine Aircraft Group 11 Marine Aircraft Group 11 is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar that is currently composed of two F-35C squadrons, one F-35B squadron, two F/A-18C squadrons, one fleet replacement squadron, one KC- ...

. VMSB-132 left the United States on 13 October 1942 from San Diego aboard the ''Lurline''. At the time of their departure the squadron consisted of 27 officers, 245 enlisted men and a few attached Navy personnel. They landed in Nouméa,

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on 28 October. On 30 October 1942, VMSB-132, under the command of Major

Louis Robertshaw Louis Bentham Robertshaw (August 1, 1912 – July 14, 2003) was an American football player and lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps. He flew combat missions in World War II and the Korean War and flew an F4B Phantom II fight ...

, landed at Henderson Field,

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...

. Upon arrival, they became part of the

and fought during the Battle of Guadalcanal until December 1942 when they were relieved by

VMSB-233 Marine Attack Squadron 233 (VMA-233) was an A-4 Skyhawk attack squadron in the United States Marine Corps. The squadron, also known as the “Flying Deadheads”, were part of the Marine Forces Reserve and were based at Naval Air Station Norfolk, ...

. The squadron’s pilots and gunners left the island on 24 December 1942 and arrived in Sydney, Australia for leave on New Year’s Eve. After resting, reorganizing, and retraining, they then moved to Espiritu Santo where they were met by their ground echelon in January 1943. During this time, they became part of the Strike Command of the

13th Air Force The Thirteenth Air Force (Air Forces Pacific) (13 AF) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It was last headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. 13 AF has never been stat ...

, responsible for attacking nearby enemy bases and shipping and giving what was then considered close support to front-line units. The squadron returned to Guadalcanal in June 1943 and flew missions from there until their return to the States on 26 October 1943. Early in the summer of 1944, the squadron was reorganized and in training at

Marine Corps Air Station El Toro Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located next to the community of El Toro, near Irvine, California. Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the home of Marine Corps Aviation on the West Coast ...

as part of Marine Base Defense Air Group 41. On 14 October 1944, the squadron was once again redesignated, this time as Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 132 (VMTB-132). They received their first Grumman TBF Avengers in November of that year. The squadron training at Marine Corps Air Station Mojave, California from 15 December 1944 until January 16, 1945. They remained in training until they embarked on board the USS ''Cape Gloucester'' on 21 May 1945. They arrived in Leyte on 29 June 1945 and operated in the

East China Sea The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. It covers an area of roughly . The sea’s northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea, separated b ...

during July and August 1945. Grumman TBM-3E Avenger HB-RDG OTT 2103 16

Following the war, 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 ...

, Hawaii where they were decommissioned on 9 November 1945.

Awards

Unit

Presidential Unit Citation — Guadalcanal/Tulagi (August 7 – December 9, 1942)

Notable Former Members

* Major Joseph Sailer Jr. - awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during the Battle of Guadalcanal from 10–15 November 1942 * Second Lieutenant Frank Christen - was a U.S. Marine dive bomber pilot who on 16 December 1942, participated in a night strike against a Japanese destroyer off New Georgia during the Battle of Guadalcanal. Lt. Christen made the initial run on the destroyer and illuminated it with flares. Lt. Christen’s section leader, Lt. Jackson Simpson, then rolled in on the ship and scored a direct hit. Christen followed a moment later and was last seen entering his dive. This was the last time Lt. Christen’s SBD was ever seen as it vanished into night. Lt. Frank Christen and his radioman/gunner, PFC Glenn Shattuck were reported missing in action shortly thereafter and were declared dead one year later on 17 December 1943. According to a translated Japanese report captured in Manchuria in May of 1943, Lt. Christen had been interrogated at

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in ...

and was reported to be a prisoner of war. Frank died while in captivity and was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart.

Citations

References