VMFA-531

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 531
VMFA-531 Insignia
Active	16 November 1942 – 27 March 1992
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Fighter/Attack
Role	Close air support Air interdiction Aerial reconnaissance
Part of	Inactive
Nickname(s)	"Grey Ghosts"
Tail Code	EC
Engagements	World War II Vietnam War
Commanders
Notable commanders	LtCol Robert P. Keller LtCol John F. Goodman LtCol Keith Stalder
Aircraft flown
Bomber	Lockheed PV-1 Ventura Douglas SBD Dauntless Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
Fighter	Grumman F7F Tigercat Douglas F3D Skynight Douglas F4D Skyray McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18 Hornet
Trainer	North American SNJ Brewster SB2A Buccaneer

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 531 (VMFA-531) was a United States Marine Corps fighter squadron consisting of various types aircraft from its inception culminating with the F/A-18 Hornet. Known as the "Grey Ghosts", the squadron participated in action during World War II and the Vietnam War. They were decommissioned on 27 March 1992.

History

World War II

Marine Night Fighter Squadron 531 (VMF(N)-531) was commissioned on 16 November 1942 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. On 9 January 1943 the squadron became part of the Fleet Marine Force and on 1 April was absorbed by Marine Aircraft Group 53 (MAG-53). The squadron took delivery of its first non-trainer aircraft, the Lockheed PV-1 Ventura on 15 February. Due to the uniqueness of their night fight mission, VMF(N)-531 was placed under the direction of the Commandant of the Marine Corps until it was ready to deploy to combat.

Responding to Japanese night attacks on Guadalcanal, MAG-53 was reassigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing on 15 April 1943 and was quickly ordered to deploy to the South Pacific as soon as possible. VMF(N)-531 was the first combat squadron to leave MCAS Cherry Point. After layovers in Hawaii and Espiritu Santo, the squadron finally arrived at Renard Field on Banika in the Russell Islands on 11 September. Joining Marine Aircraft Group 21, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, the Grey Ghosts flew their first combat patrol on 16 September making them the first naval aviation night-fighter squadron to operate in the South Pacific. The squadron's first kill was made by Captain Duane Jenkins, who happened upon a Betty bomber on the evening of 13 November 1943.

The first kill aided by GCI did not come until 6 December. During their tour in the Pacific, the squadron operated out of fields in the Russell Islands, Vella Lavella and Bougainville. They accounted for 12 enemy planes shot down by 5 different crews, all at night, with a loss of 6 of their own aircraft and 17 crew members, none of them a result of enemy fire. The squadron returned to MCAS Cherry Point on 1 September 1944 and was quickly deactivated only to be reactivated a short time later on 13 October at Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Kinston (MCAAF Kinston), North Carolina and reassigned to MAG-53, 9th Marine Aircraft Wing. A short time later the squadron moved to Marine Corps Air Station Eagle Mountain Lake near Fort Worth, Texas to operate as a training squadron for replacement pilots and ground control intercept operators being sent overseas.

Following the conclusion of World War II, the squadron was relocated back to MCAS Cherry Point and in March 1947 reassigned to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW).

An F-4N of VMFA-531 in 1982.

The Vietnam War

On 10 April 1965, 15 F-4Bs from the squadron arrived at Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam becoming the first land-based Marine Corps jets during the Vietnam War. They immediately began flying bombing missions under radar guidance and standard close air support missions in support of Marines on the ground.

The 1980s to 1992

On 29 May 1983, 531 received its first F/A-18 Hornet, becoming the 3rd fleet squadron to receive the new fighter.

LtCol Keith J. Stalder was the commanding officer from December 1990 to the time the squadron was decommissioned 21 March 1992.

Gallery

• 
  A PV-1 of VMF(N)-531 in the Solomons, 1943
• 
  VMF(N)-531 F7F-3N in 1950
• 
  VMF(AW)-531 F3D-2 in 1957
• 
  VMF(AW)-531 F4D-1 in 1960
• 
  A VMFA-531 F-4B operating from HMS Ark Royal in 1973
• 
  A VMFA-531 F-4N landing on the USS Coral Sea in 1980
• 
  An F/A-18A of VMFA-531 in 1985

See also

• VMF(N)-531 GCI Detachment
• United States Marine Corps Aviation
• List of United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons
• List of decommissioned United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons

References

Notes

Bibliography

• De Chant, John A. (1947). Devilbirds: The Story of United States Marine Corps Aviation in World War II. Harper and Brothers Publishers.
• Dorr, Robert F. (2005). Marine Air - The History of the Flying Leathernecks in Words and Photos. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-425-20725-0.
• Porter, Bruce; Hammel, Eric (1985). Ace! - A Marine Night Fighter Pilot in World War II. Pacifica Press. ISBN 0-935553-31-2.
• Rottman, Gordon L. (2002). U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle - Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939 - 1945. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-31906-5.
• Sherrod, Robert (1952). History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Combat Forces Press.
• Shettle Jr., M. L. (2001). United States Marine Corps Air Stations of World War II. Bowersville, Georgia: Schaertel Publishing Co. ISBN 0-9643388-2-3.
• Simmons, Edwin H. (2003). The United States Marines: A History, Fourth Edition. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-790-5.
• Quilter, Colonel Charles J. II; Chapin, Captain John C. (2001). A History of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 531 (PDF). PCN 19000319600. Washington D.C.: History and Museums Division, Headquarters, United States Marine Corps. Retrieved 12 December 2008.

Web

• VMFA-531 Unofficial Website)
• (531 Grey Ghost Squadron of the Marine Corps Aviation Association)
• Virtual Grey Ghosts
• "Scholarships, Fellowships and Loans - VMFA/VMF/VMF (N)-531". enotes.com. Retrieved 30 March 2007.