 1943 Banner Displaying 86 Air Victories
Stats
- The squadron at Guadalcanal was comprised of 49 pilots and 155 crew members
- First echelon landed at Henderson Field, Guadlacanal on Nov. 3, 1942
- VMF-112 was credited with downing 140 enemy aircraft - third highest in Marine Corps aviation history
- VMF-112 Pilots included 12 WWII aces
- The squadron served three combat tours at Guadalcanal
- Transitioned from the F4F Wildcat to the Vought
F4U Corsair by May 19, 1943
Noted Commanding Officers
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Aces
- Jefferson J. DeBlanc, 9 aerial victories (1 in a F4U)
- Archie Glenn Donahue, 14
- Paul John Fontana, 5 (retired as a Major General)
- Robert B. Fraser, 6
- Wayne W. Laird, 5
- Joseph P. Lynch, 5.5, also 2 other sqns
- John B. Maas Jr., 5.5, also VMF-322
- Donald C. Owen, 5, also VMF-212
- Gilbert Percy, 6 (1 in a F4U)
- Wallace E. Sigler, 5.3, also VMF-124
- Stanley T. "Chief" Synar, 5, also VMF-124
- Franklin C. Thomas Jr., 9
Current Status
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112 (VMFA-112) - The squadron left the combat zone in July, 1945, and relocated to MCAS El Centro, where it was deactivated on September 10, 1945. It was later recalled during the Korean Conflict in 1951 and returned to Dallas after its Korean tour of duty. On July 1, 1946, VMF-112 was resurrected as a reserve unit of NAS Dallas, located in Grand Prarie, Texas. The squadron was assigned to MAG-41 in February, 1965. On October 22, 1965, VMF-111 was deactivated with Devil Dog personnel and aircraft moving to VMF-112. In July, 1967, the unit changed its name to the "Cowboys" and designated the squadron to reflect the local Dallas Cowboys NFL team, and their designation as the "Wolfpack".
Today, the VMFA-112 is a reserve United States Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet squadron. The squadron is based at NASJRB Fort Worth, Texas and is attached to Marine Aircraft Group 41 (MAG-41), 4th Marine Aircraft Wing (4th MAW).
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