Marine Fighting Squadron 111 was a reserve fighter squadron in the United States Marine Corps. Nicknamed the "Devil Dogs", the squadron was one of the first aviation squadrons in the Marine Corps and gained national attention in the 1930s as the Marine Corps show unit. The squadron fought in World War II and was later transferred to the Reserves where they fell under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 41 and the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing while stationed at Naval Air Station Dallas, Texas. They were decommissioned on 22 October 1965.
History
Early years
Marine Fighting Squadron 2 was activated on 1 September 1925 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. The directive authorizing the formation of the squadron stated, "The primary mission of this squadron will be the training and perfecting of pursuit pilots and the testing and development of pursuit aircraft." They were redesignated VF-9M on 1 July 1927 which was changed again to VF-5M on 1 July 1928. Because they were located so close to Washington D.C., the squadron became the "show unit" for Marine aviation. The squadron reverted to the previous designation of VF-9M on 1 August 1930. In 1937, after a stint aboard the USS Saratoga under the command of then Captain Bull Halsey, VF-9M was again redesignated, becoming VMF-1 on 1 July 1937. In 1938, the squadron turned in its Boeing F4B-4s for brand new Grumman F3F-2s. The squadron finally became VMF-111 on 1 July 1941 during the massive expansion of the Marine Corps that began just prior to World War II.
World War II
At the time of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, VMF-111 pilots were flying the Grumman F4F Wildcat. On 10 March 1942, the squadron arrived at Tafuna Airfield on Tutuila island, its new base of operations. They were the first Marine squadron to operate in Samoa. and eventually were relocated to Faleolo Airfield on Upolu Island after SeeBees completed Feleolo Airfield in July 1942. They spent the next year as part of the Samoa Defense Garrison Area and finally transitioned to the Vought F4U Corsair in early 1943. The squadron remained in Samoa until 1944, serving as a replacement pool for other squadrons engaged in the Solomon Islands Campaign. VMF-111 left Samoa in January 1944 for the Central Pacific and participated in raids against bypassed Japanese garrisons for the rest of the war. It was during this time that the squadron, under the command of Major William E. Classen, made the first experimental bombing run with F4U Corsairs when eight of their aircraft struck heavy anti-aircraft positions on Mili Atoll with thousand pound bombs Following the war the squadron returned to the States where it was deactivated on 26 November 1945. -2 after retrieval in 1990. It was lost at sea while attempting to land on on 29 August 1940 while with VMF-2. It has since been restored and is currently on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Fla.
Reactivated on 1 June 1948 as part of the Marine Air Reserve, VMF-111 was stationed at Naval Air Station Dallas. They were recalled to active duty on 23 July 1950 due to the Korean War but did not see any action. Instead they assumed their World War II role of training pilots. They were released from active duty in July 1953 and remained at NAS Dallas until their deactivation on 22 October 1965. Upon deactivation, their personnel and aircraft were turned over to VMF-112.
