Combat aircraft

75 YEARS

OF THE

‘BLACK

SHEEP’

In 2018 VMA-214 ‘Black Sheep’ marks the

squadron’s 75th anniversary. VMF- 214

was actually formed on July 1, 1942,

as the ‘Swashbucklers’. In August 1943,

Maj Gregory ‘Pappy’ Boyington led the

formation of VMF-214 ‘Black Sheep’, and

on January 3 the following year he led

the squadron’s F4U-1 Corsairs in to an

attack against the Japanese naval base

at Rabaul on the island of New Britain

in the Bismarck Archipelago. Boyington

shot down four Japanese fighters,

before being shot down himself and

taken prisoner. Believed to have been

killed, Boyington was ‘posthumously’

awarded the Medal of Honor.

management and a solid stock of

well-maintained jets will win hands-

down. As VMA-214 finally trades in its

AV-8Bs in 2021, the Marines will mark 50

years of Harrier flying. While offensive

support on the battlefield will have

moved towards the F-35B, it underscores

how the value of distributed STOVL

operations literally changed the way

the Marine Corps does business, and

continues to get the job done.

Acknowledgements: The author wishes

to thank Lt Col Brett McGregor, Lt Col Luke

Jacobs, Maj Keith Bucklew, Capt Gabriel

Adibe, 1st Lt Casey Littesy and VMGR-352

‘Raiders’.

Left: A VMF‑214

F4U‑1 Corsair in

late 1943. US Navy

Below left: Prior

to flying the

AV‑8B, VMA‑214

operated A‑ 4

Skyhawks from

1962 until 1989.

This is an A‑4M,

159790/WE‑13,

photographed in

1978. The Aviation
      Photo Company

35

24-35 VMA-214 C.indd 35 13/12/2017 14:43