VMFA-112
Encyclopedia
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112 (VMFA-112) is a reserve United States Marine Corps
F/A-18 Hornet
squadron. The squadron is based at NASJRB Fort Worth
, Texas
and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 41
(MAG-41), 4th Marine Aircraft Wing
(4th MAW). Their tail code is MA.
During World War II
the squadron saw extensive action throughout the Pacific Theater of Operations
especially at the Battle of Guadalcanal as part of the Cactus Air Force
. By the end of the war, its 140 air-to-air kills ranked it third among Marine Corps squadrons.
on March 1, 1942.
Deploying shortly after to Henderson Field
on Guadalcanal
in the Solomon Islands
in their F4F Wildcat
s, the Wolfpack joined the Cactus Air Force
with Marine Aircraft Group 11
. In recognition of its valor and its contributions to victory during its service on Guadalcanal, VMF-112 was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation (US)
for August 7 – December 9, 1942.
VMF-112 was withdrawn from Guadalcanal to Espiritu Santo
for a respite. There it began to switch to the Vought
F4U-1 Corsair
, the aircraft that it would fly for the rest of World War II. VMF-112 returned to the United States on September 5, 1943 and took up duty at MCAS Miramar, outside of San Diego. It was there that VMF-112 was redesignated VMF(CVS)-112, denoting that the squadron was carrier qualified. In December 1944, VMF-112 was assigned to Air Group 82 aboard USS Bennington
for its second combat tour. In mid-May 1945, Lieutenant Robert Cook scored the only downing of a barrage balloon
by a Marine squadron during the war when he shot one down over Kyūshū
. By the completion of World War II, the Wolfpack was credited with the destruction of 140 Japanese aircraft in aerial combat, ranking it third among Marine Corps squadrons in terms of enemy aircraft destroyed. Following the surrender of Japan
VMF-112 returned to the United States where it was deactivated on September 10, 1945.
. VMF-112 was reactivated with the Corsair, but eventually flew the Grumman F9F Panther
and Vought
F8U-1 Crusader
.
When VMF-111
was deactivated, its aircraft passed to VMF-112, which became the Marines' largest reserve squadron. Upon receipt of the all-weather D/E model of the Crusader, the squadron was redesignated VMF(AW)-112 and flew several more versions of the F-8 until 1975, when it switched to the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II
and was redesignated VMFA-112. On January 18, 1992, VMFA-112 retired the last active F-4S squadron in naval service. Some F-4 Phantom II's remained in naval testing facilities after this. VMFA-112 flew the McDonnell Douglas
F/A-18A Hornet
on their first official flight October 8, 1992. VMFA-112 moved to NAS Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base (JRB)in September 1996 and continues to operate there.
. In the summer of 2004, the squadron supported Operation Jungle Shield and Exercise Southern Frontier while operating out of Japan
, Guam
and Australia
. In 2005, VMFA-112 deployed to Oerland Main Air Station
, Norway
, for the multinational exercise: Battle Griffin. The exercise was conducted to enhance cohesive operations between multinational forces and hone air-to-ground combat skills. The Marines experienced cold weather and harsh conditions during the exercise.
Currently, VMFA-112 has been working closely with sister squadron VMGR-234
on
what has been called the “Herc/Hornet Expeditionary Package”. The conceptual program would allow an F/A-18A+ to land on a hasty runway refuel and rearm quickly without having to return to base, as is the current operating procedure. The program would be in keeping with the Marine Corps nature of self-sufficiency.
The squadron was deployed to Al Asad Air Base, Al Anbar Province, Iraq in late 2009. During their deployment, the Cowboys supported the ground withdrawal from the major cities in Iraq, supported special forces during numerous missions, and provided key ariel surveillance for intelligence. The squadron was the last fighter/attack squadron to leave Iraq closing that chapter on the Iraq War.
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
F/A-18 Hornet
F/A-18 Hornet
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...
squadron. The squadron is based at NASJRB Fort Worth
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth
Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base or NAS Fort Worth JRB includes Carswell Field, a military airfield located west of the central business district of Fort Worth, in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. This military airfield is operated by United States Navy...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 41
Marine Aircraft Group 41
Marine Aircraft Group 41 is a United States Marine Corps reserve aviation unit based at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas that is currently composed of one F/A-18A+ squadron, one KC-130T squadron, a Maintenance and Logistics squadron, as well as detachments from Engineer and...
(MAG-41), 4th Marine Aircraft Wing
4th Marine Aircraft Wing
The 4th Marine Aircraft Wing is the reserve airwing of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana but its subordinate units are scattered throughout the United States...
(4th MAW). Their tail code is MA.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the squadron saw extensive action throughout the Pacific Theater of Operations
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
especially at the Battle of Guadalcanal as part of the Cactus Air Force
Cactus Air Force
Cactus Air Force refers to the ensemble of Allied air power assigned to the island of Guadalcanal from August 1942 until December 1942 during the early stages of the Guadalcanal Campaign, particularly those operating from Henderson Field...
. By the end of the war, its 140 air-to-air kills ranked it third among Marine Corps squadrons.
World War II
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112, was originally activated as VMF-112, at San Diego, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on March 1, 1942.
Henderson Field (Guadalcanal)
Henderson Field is a former military airfield on Guadacanal, Solomon Islands during World War II. Today it is Honiara International Airport.-Japanese construction:...
on Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
in their F4F Wildcat
F4F Wildcat
The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service with both the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy in 1940...
s, the Wolfpack joined the Cactus Air Force
Cactus Air Force
Cactus Air Force refers to the ensemble of Allied air power assigned to the island of Guadalcanal from August 1942 until December 1942 during the early stages of the Guadalcanal Campaign, particularly those operating from Henderson Field...
with Marine Aircraft Group 11
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 three F/A-18C squadrons, three F/A-18D squadrons, one fleet readiness squadron, one KC-130 tactical aerial refueling squadron and a maintenance and...
. In recognition of its valor and its contributions to victory during its service on Guadalcanal, VMF-112 was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation (US)
Presidential Unit Citation (US)
The Presidential Unit Citation, originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941...
for August 7 – December 9, 1942.
VMF-112 was withdrawn from Guadalcanal to Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
for a respite. There it began to switch to the Vought
Vought
Vought is the name of several related aerospace firms. These have included, in the past, Lewis and Vought Corporation, Chance Vought, Vought Sikorsky, LTV Aerospace , Vought Aircraft Companies, and the current Vought Aircraft Industries. The first incarnation of Vought was established by Chance M...
F4U-1 Corsair
F4U Corsair
The Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
, the aircraft that it would fly for the rest of World War II. VMF-112 returned to the United States on September 5, 1943 and took up duty at MCAS Miramar, outside of San Diego. It was there that VMF-112 was redesignated VMF(CVS)-112, denoting that the squadron was carrier qualified. In December 1944, VMF-112 was assigned to Air Group 82 aboard USS Bennington
USS Bennington (CV-20)
USS Bennington was one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the second US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for the Revolutionary War Battle of Bennington...
for its second combat tour. In mid-May 1945, Lieutenant Robert Cook scored the only downing of a barrage balloon
Barrage balloon
A barrage balloon is a large balloon tethered with metal cables, used to defend against low-level aircraft attack by damaging the aircraft on collision with the cables, or at least making the attacker's approach more difficult. Some versions carried small explosive charges that would be pulled up...
by a Marine squadron during the war when he shot one down over Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
. By the completion of World War II, the Wolfpack was credited with the destruction of 140 Japanese aircraft in aerial combat, ranking it third among Marine Corps squadrons in terms of enemy aircraft destroyed. Following the surrender of Japan
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
VMF-112 returned to the United States where it was deactivated on September 10, 1945.
Post World War II
The squadron was reactivated on July 1, 1946 as the Marine Air Detachment, Marine Air Reserve Training Command, Naval Air Station (NAS) Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. VMF-112 was reactivated with the Corsair, but eventually flew the Grumman F9F Panther
F9F Panther
|-Popular culture:The Panther played a prominent role in the 1954 movie Men of the Fighting Lady . The F9F was featured in the flying sequences in the 1954 movie The Bridges at Toko-Ri, although in the 1953 James A...
and Vought
Vought
Vought is the name of several related aerospace firms. These have included, in the past, Lewis and Vought Corporation, Chance Vought, Vought Sikorsky, LTV Aerospace , Vought Aircraft Companies, and the current Vought Aircraft Industries. The first incarnation of Vought was established by Chance M...
F8U-1 Crusader
F-8 Crusader
The Vought F-8 Crusader was a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps, replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass...
.
VMF-111
Marine Fighting Squadron 111 was a reserve fighter squadron in the United States Marine Corps. Nicknamed the “Devil Dogs”, the squadron was one of the first aviation squadrons in the Marine Corps and gained national attention in the 1930s as the Marine Corps show unit...
was deactivated, its aircraft passed to VMF-112, which became the Marines' largest reserve squadron. Upon receipt of the all-weather D/E model of the Crusader, the squadron was redesignated VMF(AW)-112 and flew several more versions of the F-8 until 1975, when it switched to the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
and was redesignated VMFA-112. On January 18, 1992, VMFA-112 retired the last active F-4S squadron in naval service. Some F-4 Phantom II's remained in naval testing facilities after this. VMFA-112 flew the McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It formed from a merger of McDonnell Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft in 1967. McDonnell Douglas was based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport...
F/A-18A Hornet
F/A-18 Hornet
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...
on their first official flight October 8, 1992. VMFA-112 moved to NAS Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base (JRB)in September 1996 and continues to operate there.
2000 & beyond
In 2002, VMFA-112’s aircraft were reconfigured to the F/A-18A+ platform. The Cowboys were the first Reserve squadron to deploy on a Western-Pacific exercise since the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. In the summer of 2004, the squadron supported Operation Jungle Shield and Exercise Southern Frontier while operating out of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. In 2005, VMFA-112 deployed to Oerland Main Air Station
Ørland Main Air Station
Ørland Main Air Station is situated at the mouth of the Trondheimsfjord in the municipality of Ørland, in the center of Norway. Ørland is operated by the Royal Norwegian Air Force and is an important air base not only for Norway, but also for NATO...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, for the multinational exercise: Battle Griffin. The exercise was conducted to enhance cohesive operations between multinational forces and hone air-to-ground combat skills. The Marines experienced cold weather and harsh conditions during the exercise.
Currently, VMFA-112 has been working closely with sister squadron VMGR-234
VMGR-234
Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 234 is a reserve United States Marine Corps KC-130T squadron. They are a part of Marine Aircraft Group 41 , 4th Marine Aircraft Wing and provide both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aerial refueling capabilities to support Marine Forces Reserve air operations...
on
what has been called the “Herc/Hornet Expeditionary Package”. The conceptual program would allow an F/A-18A+ to land on a hasty runway refuel and rearm quickly without having to return to base, as is the current operating procedure. The program would be in keeping with the Marine Corps nature of self-sufficiency.
The squadron was deployed to Al Asad Air Base, Al Anbar Province, Iraq in late 2009. During their deployment, the Cowboys supported the ground withdrawal from the major cities in Iraq, supported special forces during numerous missions, and provided key ariel surveillance for intelligence. The squadron was the last fighter/attack squadron to leave Iraq closing that chapter on the Iraq War.
See also
- United States Marine Corps AviationUnited States Marine Corps AviationUnited States Marine Corps Aviation is the air component of the United States Marine Corps. Marine aviation has a very different mission and operation than its ground counterpart, and thus, has many of its own histories, traditions, terms, and procedures....
- List of active United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons
- List of inactive United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons