Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452

 

“Sky Raiders”, "Yankees"

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History 

15. Febraury 1944 VMF-452 established at MCAS Mojave CA.
31. December 1949 VMF-452 disestablished at MCAS El Toro CA
9. September 1988 VMGR-452 reestablished at Steward AFB NY.
2. December 2022 VMGR-452 disestablished at Steward AFB NY.

Tailcodes 

1946 - 1948 MI
1948 - 1949 AB
1988 - 2022 NY
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Planes:
 

 

 

1944 - 1946
F4U-1D
   
 

 

 

1946 - 1949
F4U-4
   
.
 

 

 

1988 - 2022
C-130F
   
.

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  VMF-452              
.
VMF-452, VMGR-452  Deployments 
3. March 1945 - 19. March 1945 CV-13 USS Franklin CVG-5 F4U-1D ..
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VMF-452, VMGR-452 Commanding Officers 
Maj. Charles P. Weiland 15. Feb. 1944 21. Jun. 1945
1st Lt. P. I. schaefer 21. Jun. 1945 1. Aug. 1945
Maj. E. S Roberts 1. Aug. 1945 ?
? ? 31. Dec. 1946
...

History 

VMF-452 was commissioned at MCAS Mojave, California. Known as the “Sky Raiders”, they flew the F4U Corsair, fell under the command of Marine Carrier Group 5.

On 7. February 1945, the squadron departed San Francisco on board the aircraft carrier CV-13 USS Franklin. From there they sailed to Pearl Harbor and then moved west to join up with Task Force 58 which was heading to support the invasion of Okinawa. On 18. March they flew their first combat missions against airfields on Kyūshū Island. The following day, the Franklin was attacked by a Japanese Yokosuka D4Y Judy dive bomber. Both of its two 500-pound bombs stuck the Franklin. 33 members of VMF-452 were killed in the ensuing devastation and the squadron was no longer combat effective. They transferred to the USS Bunker Hill and set sail for the United States.

Upon returning to the California, the squadron was sent to MCAS El Centro to refit and rearm in April 1945. They remained there until the end of the war.

Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452 (VMGR-452) is a reserve United States Marine Corps cargo squadron that currently flies the Lockheed Martin KC-130J. The squadron falls under the command of MAG-49 and the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing. Following the 11. September 2001 attacks, 62 reservists were activated in order to support Operation Enduring Freedom on 28. January 2002. The activated reservists along with numerous active duty Marines from MAG-49 Detachment B were consolidated to create a Detachment A (Det A). This detachment would be part of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and would be accompanied by four VMGR-452 aircraft. They supported operations in the Mediterranean, Horn of Africa, and the Middle East.

On 14 January 2003, the squadron was once again called up to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. The remainder of the reserves were activated for this operation. Seven aircraft along with pilots, aircrew, and support Marines went to Bahrain to join two other KC130 squadrons. These squadrons were VMGR-234 and VMGR-352. The three squadrons would join to create the Hercules Air Group (HAG). While being a part of the HAG, VMGR-452 supported Operation Southern Watch by doing aerial refueling for aircraft patrolling the southern no-fly zone.

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last update 1. February 2024

written  19. April 2009

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