Marine Fighting Squadron VMA-223
"Rainbow", "Bulldogs"
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History |
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| 1. May 1942 | VMF-223 Established at MCAS Ewa HI |
| 1. July 1957 | VMF-223 was redesignated VMA-223 |
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Tailcodes |
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| 1946 - 1948 | WP |
| 1948 - present | WP |
| Planes: |
F2A-3
F4F-4
F4U-1
F4U-4
F9F-2
F9F-4 & -5
FJ-4B
A4D-2N
A-4E
A-4F
A-4M
AV-8B
| VMA-223 Deployments | |||||
| 6. September 1949 - 26. January 1950 | CV-32 USS Leyte | CVG-7 | F4U-4 | WP 00 | |
| 23. April 1956 - 15. October 1956 | CVA-18 USS Wasp | CVG-15 | F9F-5 | WP 00 | |
| 23. October 1964 - 17. May 1964 | CVS-10 USS Yorktown | CVSG-55 | Det. T | A-4C | WP 00 |
| -unknown- | - | - | - | - | |
| VMA-223 Commanding Officers | ||
| Capt. John L. Smith, - | 1. May 1942 | Dec. 1942 |
| ? | ? | ? |
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History |
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The first fighter
squadron in the Solomons, arriving on August 20, 1942. After heroic service
with the Cactus Air Force, the squadron left for home on Oct. 16. In 1944,
VMF-223 participated in the aerial siege of Rabaul; in Jan. 1945 it
participated in the liberation of the Philippines.
VMF-223 was credited with downing 132 Japanese planes. - later more - |