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US Marine Corps - Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 124
VMFA-124 'Whistling Death'
 
no VMFA-124 crest available



no VMFA-124 aircraft image available



 
12/21
STATUS:   established as VMF-124 on September 2, 1942
VMF-124 redesignated VMA-124 on May 1, 1965
VMA-124 redesignated VMFA-124 in 1994
VMFA-124 deativated on June 19, 1999
 AIRCRAFT:   in active service (1942-45):
Vought F4F4 Corsair
Vought F4U1/1D Corsair
  
as reserve squadron (1946-99):
Vought F4U1D/4 Corsair
Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat
Grumman F9F-6 Cougar
North American FJ-4B Fury
Douglas A-4C/E/L/M Skyhawk
McDonnell Douglas FA-18 Hornet (on paper only)
 DEPLOYMENTS:   see history below
 
images


VMA-124

vma-124 whistling death wild aces a-4m skyhawk usmc marines 03
A-4M Skyhawk (VMA-124) at NAS Oceana, Virginia - August 1989

vma-124 whistling death wild aces a-4e skyhawk usmc marines 02
A-4E Skyhawk (VMA-124) at NAS Memphis, Tennessee - 1970's



VMF-124

vmf-124 whistling death wild aces f4u-1 corsair vought solomon islands 04
Vella Lavella airfield in the solomons on 10 December 1943. Visible U.S. Marine Corps Vought F4U-1 Corsair aircraft of Marine fighter squadrons VMF-123 and VMF-124, Grumman F6F-3 Hellcats, a Douglas SBD Dauntless, and RNZAF Curtiss Kittyhawk Mk.IV (P-40F) on the primitive runway at Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands, which was seized in the summer of 1943 and served as a base of operations to support landings by Allied forces in the Treasury Islands and at Cape Torokina, Bougainville. The swift advance of Allied forces in the South Pacific soon bypassed Vella Lavella and the airfield ceased operations in September 1944, less than a year after the first aircraft arrived.

vmf-124 whistling death wild aces f4u-1 corsair vought solomon islands 02
U.S. Marine Corps Vought F4U-1 Corsair fighters of Marine Fighting Squadron VMF-124 Whistling Death on Guadalcanal, in April 1943.
VMF-124 was the first Corsair unit to enter combat, in February 1943

vmf-124 whistling death wild aces f4u-1 corsair vought solomon islands 03
The first U.S. Marine Corps Vought F4U-1 Corsair of Marine Fighting Squadron VMF-124 Whistling Death on Guadalcanal, 13 February 1943. It had arrived on Guadalcanal on the morning of 12 February led by their commanding officer, Major William Gise. VMF-124 flew its first mission before lunch that day, with twelve F4Us escorting a PBY Catalina on a 350 km mission to pick up two downed pilots at Sandfly Bay, Vella Lavella.
 
 
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 124 (VMFA-124) was a flying squadron in the Marine Forces Reserve based out of Naval Air Station Memphis flying the A-4 Skyhawk. They were part of Marine Aircraft Group 42 and were decommissioned on 19 June 1999. The squadron is best known as the first Marine squadron to fly the F4U Corsair during World War II and also the first squadron to be based on an aircraft carrier. They were known as the “Wild Aces” and ended World War II with 78 air-to-air victories against Japanese aircraft.


VMF-124 was formed on September 2, 1942 at Camp Kearney, San Diego, California. They were declared fully operational on December 28, 1942 even though the squadron’s pilots had only an average of 25 hours each in the plane. They arrived on Guadalcanal on the morning of February 12, 1943 led by their commanding officer, Major William Gise. The squadron flew their first mission before lunch that day, with twelve F4Us escorting a PBY Catalina on a 230 mile mission to pick up two downed pilots at Sandfly Bay, Vella Lavella.

The first F4U pilot to be decorated with the Medal of Honor came from VMF-124 - 1st Lt Kenneth A. Walsh for a mission on August 30, 1943, during which he shot down four Japanese Zeros before ditching his borrowed Corsair. The squadron remained in the Solomon Islands until September 1943, fighting over the Russell Islands, New Georgia and Vella Levella.

Following the fighting in the Solomons, the squadron was disbanded and reconstituted back in the United States where it trained in the Mojave Desert at Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Mojave for the next year. When they received their orders for carrier assignments they had 5 combat experienced pilots as their training nucleus VMF-124 left the States again on September 18, 1944, heading to Hawaii. While in Hawaii they were attached to Navy Air Group 4 who were operating off the USS Essex (CV-9). Along with VMF-213, 124 became the first Marine squadron to be based on an aircraft carrier. While deployed aboard the Essex, they took part in fighting over Lingayen, Luzon, Formosa, Tokyo, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. On January 3, 1945 VMF-124 and VMF-213 struck Formosa and the Ryukyu Islands in the first Marine land strike off a carrier.

Reserve activity:
The squadron was reformed shortly after the war at Naval Air Station Memphis and were equipped with the F4U-4 Corsair. They were the first squadron in the newly formed Marine Air Reserve Training Command to reach full strength. The squadron was redesignated Marine Attack Squadron 124 (VMA-124) on May 1, 1965 and were subsequently equipped with the A-4 Skyhawk. During the 1970s and 1980s they flew various versions of the A-4 until 1994 when the squadron was moved to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth and redesignated Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 124 (VMFA-124). The squadron existed as a paper squadron only for two years while awaiting F/A-18 Hornets that would never materialize. The squadron existed on paper only until they were finally deactivated on 19 June 1999.

source: wikipedia
 
patches + more

vma-124 whistling death wild aces marine attack squadron usmc patch crest insignia 02

vmf-124 whistling death wild aces marine fighter squadron usmc patch crest insignia 02
 
 
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