Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 142 (VMFA-142) was an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps Reserve that was active from 1942 to 2008. At the time of its inactivation, the squadron was based at Naval Air Station Atlanta, Georgia and fell under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 42 (MAG-42), 4th Marine Aircraft Wing (4th MAW). Due to a re-organization within Marine aviation, the squadron moved to Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas and was placed in a cadre status under Marine Aircraft Group 41.
Mission
Plan for the conduct of air operations in support of the Fleet Marine Force, supervise and train selected Marine Corps Reserve units, provide administrative and logistical support for selected Marine Corps Reserve units, and ensure mobilization readiness.
History
World War II
VMFA-142 was first activated on 1st March 1942 at Camp Kearny, California as Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 142 (VMSB-142), Marine Aircraft Group 14, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force. It was assigned during August 1942 to Marine Aircraft Group 12, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing before being reassigned during September 1942 to Marine Aircraft Group 11. The squadron was deployed from October to November 1942 to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, and reassigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11. During the next ten months they flew in support of operations on Guadalcanal and did not lose one pilot in combat over that time. The squadron was equipped with the Douglas SBD Dauntless.
During World War II, VMFA-142 participated in the following Campaigns:
- Guadalcanal
- Southern Solomons
- Luzon
- Southern Philippines
The squadron relocated in August 1943 to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California, and was reassigned to Marine Base Defense Aircraft Group 41. It relocated during April 1944 to Marine Corps Air Station Ewa, Hawaii, and was reassigned to Marine Aircraft Group 32.
Post World War II
The squadron was deactivated 21 September 1945 and reactivated 1 July 1946 at Naval Air Station Miami, Florida, as Marine Fighting Squadron 142 (VMF-142) and assigned to Marine Air Detachment, Naval Air Reserve Training Unit, Naval Air Station, Miami, Florida. The “Flying Gators” were reassigned in December 1946 to the Marine Air Reserve Training Command, Naval Air Reserve Training Unit, Naval Air Station, Miami, Florida.
The squadron was redesignated 1 April 1949 as Marine Fighter Squadron 142, Marine Air Reserve Training Command, Naval Air Station Miami, Florida, later itself redesignated in February 1952 as Marine Corps Air Station Miami, Florida.
The squadron was redesignated in September 1953 as Marine Fighter Squadron 142, Marine Air Reserve Training Detachment, Marine Air Reserve Training Command, Marine Corps Air Station Miami, Florida. The squadron was yet again redesignated on 15th May 1958 as Marine Attack Squadron 142 (VMA-142) and relocated during March 1959 to Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida.
The squadron was reassigned during January 1971 to the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force before relocating during December 1978 from NAS Jacksonville to nearby Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Florida. Soon thereafter, in January 1979, the squadron was reassigned to Marine Aircraft Group 42 Detachment, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force and, a year later in January 1980, reassigned again to Marine Aircraft Group 42, Detachment A, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force.
During the early 70’s the squadron flew the J-65 powered A-4L before transitioning to the newer J52-P-408 powered A-4F. The last A-4L departed in the summer of 1976. As active duty A-4 units transitioned to the AV-8B during the 80’s, their A-4M’s replaced reserve unit A-4F’s.
The squadron converted from the A-4M Skyhawk II to the F/A-18A Hornet and was formally redesignated on 21 December 1990 as Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 142 (VMFA-142).
In August 1997, due to the pending BRAC 93-mandated closure of NAS Cecil Field by the end of 1999, the squadron relocated to Naval Air Station Atlanta, approximately 25 miles (40 km) North of Atlanta in Marietta, Georgia. It was the second F/A-18 squadron to be transferred to NAS Atlanta, having been preceded by the Naval Air Reserve’s Strike Fighter Squadron TWO ZERO THREE (VFA-203), which was also previously based at NAS Cecil Field.
VMFA-142 became part of the Department of the Navy TACAIR concept, which integrates both Marine Corps F/A-18 fighter/attack squadrons and Navy F/A-18 strike fighter squadrons into Navy carrier air wings. As a Marine Air Reserve squadron, VMFA-142 integrated into Carrier Air Wing Reserve TWENTY (CVWR-20).
In May 2000, in a first for CVWR-20, five Marine Hornets from VMFA-142 joined the wing for carrier qualification, qualifying all five pilots. Three of the Hornets then flew to Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico for additional Fleet training operations.
Global War on Terror
In February 2005, VMFA-142 became the first fixed wing Marine reserve fighter unit activated to combat since the Korean War. They deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and served at Al Asad Air Base, providing combat support in the Al Anbar province of Iraq until September 2005.
In accordance with a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission decision directing the closure of Naval Air Station Atlanta and its transfer to the Air Force Reserve Command as part of Dobbins Air Reserve Base, VMFA-142 was placed in cadre status in July 2008. Plans from 2010 to transition the squadron to the F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter by 2019 have since been scrapped, and the squadron no longer appears in the transition plan Marine Corps Aviation Plan 2017.
Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Douglas A-4F Skyhawk 155208, VMA-142 “Flying Gators”, 1984
VMA-142 “Flying Gators” was established in 1942 as VMSB-142, deactivated in 1945 only to be reactivated in July 1946 as VMF-142. In 1990 they became VMFA-142. In the early 1970’s the squadron was first equipped with the A-4L before transitioning to the A-4F. The A-4F was ordered in 1965 and differed from the previous A-4E with the addition of steerable nose wheels, wing lift spoilers and upgraded ejection seats. The A-4F also had the hump-back dorsal and bent re-fuel probe.
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Following their successful amphibious invasion of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, if the Argentinean government were hoping that the 8,000 mile distance between them and the British mainland would present them with an uncontested territorial victory, they had seriously underestimated the situation. Just one day after their troops had secured Port Stanley, the British Government announced they would be sending a powerful naval Task Force to re-take the Islands, built around the two aircraft carriers HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible, with their compliment of highly capable Sea Harrier FRS.1 jets.
The relatively small size of the Sea Harrier enabled the Fleet Air Arm to retain a fixed-wing fleet defender aircraft capability and armed with the latest AIM-9L Sidewinder air to air missile, the Sea Harrier was an exceptional aeroplane, but one which would be tested to the full if a diplomatic resolution to the Falklands situation could not be negotiated as the Task Force steamed south. With just 20 Sea Harrier FRS.1 aircraft onboard the two carriers which left Portsmouth on 5th April, their pilots knew they would be facing overwhelming odds if called into combat, however, they were well trained and extremely confident in both their own abilities and the fighting qualities of their unique aircraft.
As the powerful British naval Task Force left Portsmouth harbour bound for the South Atlantic on 5th April 1982, it only had a modest force of 20 Sea Harrier FRS.1 jets aboard the two aircraft carriers Hermes and Invincible, which at that time were still wearing their respective FAA Squadron markings. In preparation for the coming air battles, all aircraft would be made ‘low visibility’ by having their white areas and all squadron markings overpainted during the voyage, using brushes on HMS Hermes and spraying equipment on HMS Invincible.
These aircraft would later be joined by a further eight Sea Harriers, which were initially being hastily prepared, having been either taken from storage or re-assigned from other duties, meeting up with the Task Force later at Ascension Island. Making its first flight on 15th December 1979, Sea Harrier FRS.1 XZ457 arrived aboard HMS Hermes for South Atlantic deployment on 2nd April 1982 and would soon lose her No.899 NAS identity, becoming ‘Black 14’ of the HMS Hermes Air Group. Once the Task Force had arrived in the South Atlantic, she would be used to deliver three delayed action 1,000lb bombs on the airfield at Goose Green, just hours after the RAF had bombed Port Stanley Airfield after mounting the first of their ‘Black Buck’ Vulcan raids.On the 21st May, when piloted by Lt. Clive Morrell, this Sea Harrier destroyed an Argentinean A4 Skyhawk with a Sidewinder missile and damaged a second using cannon fire from its ADEN gun pods. Three days later, Lt. Cdr. Andy Auld used XZ457 to destroy two Argentinean Israeli built IAI Daggers, again using the effective AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles it was equipped with. By the end of hostilities on 14th June 1982, Sea Harrier XZ457 had flown an impressive 66 operational sorties, dropped three 1000lb bombs, fired 680 rounds of 30mm cannon ammunition and fired three AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles. As the top scoring Sea Harrier aboard HMS Hermes, she returned to Portsmouth sporting victory profile stencils below her cockpit, on the port side of the fuselage – two IAI Daggers above an A4 Skyhawk. Sea Harriers from HMS Hermes flew 1,126 sorties during the Falklands Conflict and had an impressive 16 aerial victories to their name – Lt. Cdr. Andy Auld flew 62 combat missions and would have two of those victories credited to him.Later upgraded to FA2 standard, this historic aircraft is now one of the prized aviation possessions in the care of the Boscombe Down Aviation Museum, where she is now on display.
When an Argentinean scrap metal salvage team landed at a derelict whaling station on South Georgia in March 1982 and immediately ran up an Argentinean flag, little did they know that this relatively innocuous incident would spark one of the most serious international military confrontations of the post war years. A small British military force aboard HMS Endurance was dispatched from Port Stanley to remove the Argentinians, a move which would escalate the situation dramatically. On receipt of this information, the new political regime in Buenos Aires, keen to bolster nationalist fervour in the country, immediately put full invasion plans in place and on the morning of 2nd April 1982, a small force of commando troops landed on the Islands to be followed by a much larger amphibious force, far stronger than was needed to achieve their objective. Despite the valiant efforts of the small force of Royal Marines troops based on the Island, the Governor ordered them to cease firing at 09.25, fearing the intense fighting would put the lives of civilians at risk. With Argentinean forces now in control of the Islands, the task of moving in more troops, supplies and heavier equipment began in earnest, as military planners and government officials awaited the British response. They were hoping that possession of the Islands would give them a significant advantage and that a positive resolution for Argentina could be negotiated without the need for conflict, however, by the following day, they had their answer and knew what they would be facing. With the world now watching, the British Government announced that they would be sending a powerful naval Task Force to retake the Islands without delay and the South Atlantic was heading for conflict. As the South Atlantic erupted into conflict during April 1982, the need to effectively transport and supply troops in the battle zone was brought starkly into focus. The most effective aircraft for this task during the Falkland air war was the mighty Boeing CH-47 Chinook, with both British and Argentinean forces deploying examples of these helicopters to theatre, but with all but one of the British machines destroyed during the Exocet missile attack on the Atlantic Conveyor, the ship on which they were being transported. Once Argentinean forces had landed and secured the Islands, the two serviceable Chinooks they had available at that time were flown in to operate from Stanley Airport – AE-521 would be the harder working of the two aircraft, until it was destroyed on the ground by cannon fire from a Harrier jet, whilst AE-520, the aircraft modelled here, was apparently beset with persistent engine problems and used rarely. Following the surrender of Argentinean forces, Chinook AE-520 was discovered relatively intact on land behind the Governor’s residence and was later stripped of parts and sent back to the UK. Interestingly, the RAF’s famous ‘Bravo November’ Chinook which was the only British CH-47 to take part in the conflict, suffered damage to its port cockpit door during operational use and a replacement was fitted using one taken from the captured Argentinean machine.Later transported to RNAY Fleetlands in Hampshire, the captured Chinook was given a UK serial number and used as a ground instructional airframe, but that was not to be the final chapter in this fascinating story. Royal Air Force Chinook HC.2 ZA704 sustained significant damage conducting a run-on landing whilst on exercise, with its rear rotors striking the ground and ripping off the aft transmission and rear rotor stack. Rather than scrap the aircraft, it was sent to Fleetlands, where engineers repaired ZA704 using components from the captured former Argentinean Chinook AE-520. With the aircraft eventually returning to squadron service, it is fascinating to think that parts from this captured Argentinean Falklands War Chinook continued flying on two serving RAF machines long after the end of the conflict.
With the ‘Black Buck 1’ bombing raid against Port Stanley Airport on the night of 30th April/1st May 1982 showing a watching world that Britain had both the capability and the resolve to mount such an audacious strike attack, Argentinean forces occupying the Falkland Islands knew they about to face a committed enemy and could come under attack at any moment. The ‘Black Buck’ raids required the use of a complex airborne refuelling plan, involving as many as eleven Victor tankers to get a single Vulcan over its intended target and seven such operations would ultimately be planned. ‘Black Buck 6’ was mounted in an attempt to take out Argentinean anti-aircraft radar installations on the Falkland Islands and would see Avro Vulcan B.2 XM597 equipped with four AGM-45 ‘Shrike’ missiles for the task. Loitering over Stanley Airfield for 40 minutes in an attempt to try and get radar operators to turn on their equipment, two missiles were eventually fired and a Skyguard fire control radar unit destroyed, but with lack of fuel now a major concern, the Vulcan headed back to rendezvous with a waiting Victor tanker over the ocean.
Unfortunately, the Vulcan’s refuelling probe broke during the transfer procedure and the aircraft’s Captain was left with just two options – ditch his aircraft in the ocean, or attempt a divert to land at Rio de Janeiro Airport. Heading for Brazil, the aircraft put out a mayday call and requested an immediate fuel critical landing at the nearest airport. At the same time, crew members threw sensitive documents into the ocean and attempted to ditch the two remaining Shrike missiles prior to landing, but despite their best efforts, one simply refused to release. Controllers in Brazil were becoming increasingly irate and would not grant authority until the aircraft identified itself and its airport of departure, also scrambling a pair of fighter jets to intercept the approaching aircraft. After several minutes of increasingly heated conversation, the Vulcan Captain informed the controller, ‘We are a British aircraft low on fuel, with a loss of cabin pressure and we are from Huddersfield!’ Finally cleared to land, the Vulcan touched down with so little fuel remaining that it would not have had enough to make a circuit of the airfield, but significantly with a single Shrike missile still attached to its pylon. With the aircraft now impounded, the crew would have some difficult questions to answer over the next few days.
Eventually, a high-level diplomatic deal was struck to release the Vulcan and its crew, with a fully fuelled up aircraft allowed to head back to Ascension Island on 10th June 1982, in return for spare parts for Brazilian military Lynx helicopters. The covertly supplied Shrike missile remained in Brazil. Avro Vulcan B.2 XM597 had a new refuelling probe fitted at Wideawake Airfield and flew back to RAF Waddington on 13th June. The aircraft is now preserved at Scotland’s National Museum of Flight at East Fortune, East Lothian.
The amphibious invasion and occupation of the Falkland Islands by Argentinean forces on 2nd April 1982 resulted in military planning which had already been taking place in Britain increasing in pace dramatically. In addition to assembling a powerful naval Task Force, planners were also exploring ways in which they could prevent the main airport at Port Stanley from being used as a base from where Argentinean strike jets could operate from, with their fleet of ageing Avro Vulcan B.2 bombers seen as being the only option for such a mission. As the Vulcan was scheduled for service withdrawal later that same year, the use of these Cold War sentinels for this huge undertaking would not be without its challenges and was underlined by the fact that the aircraft didn’t even have all the bomb rack components they were going to need for the task – these had to be bought back from the scrap metal dealer they had previously been sold to. The aircraft would also have to be given an in-flight refuelling capability if this plan was to be a viable one, so this was a time of feverish activity at Vulcan stations. On 29th April, just two weeks after training had begun, the first two Avro Vulcan bombers left RAF Waddington and set out for Ascension Island, arriving nine hours later having flown non-stop to Wideawake Airfield, refuelling from supporting Victor tankers twice each during the flight. On the night of 30th April/1st May, ‘Operation Black Buck 1’ saw Vulcan XM607 bomb the runway at Port Stanley, which was at that time, the longest-range bombing mission ever attempted.
In an attempt to neutralise Argentinean anti-aircraft radar installations operating at Port Stanley Airport during the Falklands War, the RAF mounted the sixth of their long-range ‘Black Buck’ missions, sending Avro Vulcan B.2 XM597 carrying four AGM-45 ‘Shrike’ anti-radiation missiles to undertake this specialised task. Loitering over Stanley Airfield for 40 minutes as they tempted radar operators to turn on their equipment so they could be targeted, two missiles were eventually fired and a Skyguard fire control radar unit destroyed, but with lack of fuel now a major concern, the Vulcan headed out to sea and a rendezvous with a waiting Victor tanker.
The refuelling procedure did not go to plan and a broken probe left the pilot with just two options – either ditch the aircraft in the ocean or attempt an unauthorised divert to Brazil. Heading for Rio de Janeiro airport, the Vulcan broadcast a mayday call requesting an immediate fuel critical landing, whilst at the same time attempting to jettison the two unused Shrike missiles, along with the many sensitive documents they had on board. Safely landing, but with so little fuel left they could not have stayed in the air for a minute longer, the Vulcan touched down with one of the Shrike missiles still attached to its pylon, creating an embarrassing international incident as the Falklands War raged on.
Thank you for reading this week’s Newsletter.
Richard.
Flying Tigers.