VMF-511

Marine Fighting Squadron 511
Marine Fighting Squadron 511
	VMF-511's WWII insignia
Active	1 Jan 1944 – 11 Mar 1946; 15 Apr 1958 – 31 Aug 1972;
Country	United States
Branch	USMC
Type	Fighter squadron
Role	Air interdiction; Close air support
Part of	Decommissioned
Engagements	World War II Battle of Okinawa; Battle of Balikpapan (1945);
Aircraft flown
F-8 Crusader

Marine Fighting Squadron 511 (VMF-511) was a fighter squadron of the

F-8 Crusader.^[1] They were originally activated during World War II and fought during the Battle of Okinawa and the Battle of Balikpapan (1945). They specialized in close air support and during the course of the war were credited with only one plane shot down.^[2]

Following the

tailcode was originally 7W, then in 1970 it became 5W, and then in 1972 it changed to MK.^[1]

History

World War II

Marine Fighting Squadron 511 (VMF-511) was commissioned on 1 January 1944, at

VMTB-233 on USS Block Island (CVE-106). The squadron left the West Coast on 20 March 1945.^[2]

On 10 May 1945, the squadron saw its first combat during the

Formosa.^[14]

Following the surrender of Japan, the squadron returned to Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara, California^[2] and was eventually decommissioned at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California on 10 March 1946.^[3]

Reserve Years

On 15 April 1958, the Marine Corps reactivated the squadron as the Marine Air Reserve Training Detachment Willow Grove at Naval Air Station Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.^[2] At first, the squadron shared its F-8 Crusader aircraft with Naval Air Reserve squadrons VF-931 and VF-932. In 1970, the reserves were reorganized and VMF-511 became an independent squadron with its own aircraft.^[1] The squadron was finally deactivated on 31 August 1972, as part of the post-Vietnam draw down of forces.^[2]

Notable former members

Navy Cross^[15]

Unit awards

A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear the awarded unit citations on their uniforms. VMF-511 was presented with the following awards:

Ribbon	Unit Award
	Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
	World War II Victory Medal
	National Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Star

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Dirkx, Marco. "Chapter 6: Crusader Units". US Marine Corps. www.crouze.com. Archived from the original on 14 March 2007. Retrieved 19 December 2007. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Crowder 2000, pp. 155.
^ ^a ^b Rottman 2002, pp. 445.
^ Shettle 2001, pp. 119.
^ Shettle 2001, pp. 111–112.
^ Condon 1998, pp. 92.
^ Sherrod 1952, pp. 471.
^ Condon 1998, pp. 88.
^ Tillman 1979, pp. 153.
^ DeChant 1947, pp. 246.
^ "Block Island". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy. 13 April 2005. Retrieved 19 December 2007.
^ Mersky 1983, pp. 100.
^ Condon 1998, pp. 100.
^ Yanacek, Robert J. "Marines Trained at Manteo: VMF-511". Marine Corps League Outer Banks Detachment. Retrieved 19 December 2007.
^ "Walloff, Edward J." Full Text Citations For Award of The Navy Cross to U.S. Marines - World War II. www.homeoftheheroes.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 19 December 2007.