Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 245
VMSB-245 Insignia
ActiveSeptember 15, 1943 - November 17, 1945
Country United States of America
Branch United States Marine Corps
TypeDive Bomber squadron
RoleReconnaissance
Air Interdiction
Close air support
Part ofN/A
Nickname(s)Red Mousie Squadron
EngagementsWorld War II
Aircraft flown
BomberSBD Dauntless

Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 245 (VMSB-245) was a dive bomber squadron in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. The squadron, also known as the “Red Mousie Squadron”, operated from Midway and Makin Atolls, Majuro and Ulithi while overseas. The squadron was decommissioned on November 17, 1945, shortly after the end of the war.

History

VMSB-245 was commissioned at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro on July 1, 1943.[1] After training for a few months, the squadron deployed to Marine Corps Air Station Ewa, Hawaii arriving there on December 31, 1943. On January 5, 1944, it moved to Midway Atoll to conduct anti-submarine patrol duty. The squadron returned to MCAS Ewa on April 1, 1944.[2]

On May 5, 1944, the squadron left Hawaii on board the USS Copahee headed for Majuro where they arrived on May 15. Later in the same month, they moved to Makin Atoll from which they conducted combat operations against bypassed Japanese garrisons in the Marshall Islands from June 1 until October 29, 1944. Late October saw the squadron move back to Majuro where they continued carrying out strikes.

On 6 January 1945, two VMSB-245 SBD Dauntless dive bombers mistook the United States Navy submarine USS Spadefish (SS-411) for a Japanese submarine and dropped two depth charges on her after she submerged off Majuro.[3] Spadefish suffered only superficial damage and no casualties.[3] March 1945 saw the squadron move again, this time to Ulithi, where it remained until the end of the war in August 1945.[2]

VMSB-245 was decommissioned on November 17, 1945.[1]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Rottman 2002, pp. 443.
  2. 1 2 Sherrod 1952, pp. 446.
  3. 1 2 Hinman & Campbell, pp. 8, 272

References

Books
  • 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.
Web
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.