World War II In late 1940,
Congress authorized a naval air fleet of fifteen thousand aircraft. The Marine Corps was allotted a percentage of these planes to be formed into 2 air wings with 32 operational squadrons. On the advice of
Navy and Marine advisors returning from observing the war in Europe these numbers were doubled very soon after. It was under this expansion program that the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing was activated at
Marine Corps Base Quantico,
Virginia, on 7 July 1941. The
First Marine Aircraft Group which was the largest
east coast aviation unit in the Marines at the time, became its first component. Although a new wing, it is considered an unofficial descendant of the
Northern Bombing Group of
World War I. Following the
attacks on Pearl Harbor, the wing transferred to
Naval Air Station San Diego,
California, on 10 December 1941, and then to
Camp Kearny on 31 December. The first deployment for 1st MAW came in August 1942 when forward elements of the Wing arrived on
Guadalcanal and made up the
Cactus Air Force supporting the
1st Marine Division during the
Battle of Guadalcanal.
Korean War At the beginning of the
Korean War, the initial deployment of Marines was a provisional brigade activated on 7 July 1950 — the
1st Provisional Marine Brigade — formed from the
1st Marine Division and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Its core consisted of two units — a regimental combat team from the
5th Marine Regiment and
Marine Aircraft Group 33 (MAG-33). Their job was to provide
close air support, resupply, and
Medevac for Marine ground forces. In late-June 1952, 75 aircraft from 1st MAW participated in the
attack on the Sui-ho Dam which were strikes aimed at the hydroelectric plants in
North Korea. The Wing's Chief of Staff
Frank Schwable was shot down in July 1952 and while a prisoner of war confessed to having participated in germ warfare. He was eventually cleared of all charges, but his case prompted a review of training and expectations of prisoners-of-war. Two 1st MAW aircraft groups, MAG-33 and
MAG-12, and the 1st Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion served during the course of the war. The wing flew 127,496 sorties of which over 40,000 were
close air support and Marine helicopters evacuated more than 9,800 wounded personnel
Taiwan From 6 March – 30 April 1963. The
VMF-114,
VMA-542 and
VMF-235 of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing from Okinawa deployed to
Pingtung Air Base,
Taiwan and with
ROC Air Force participated in "BLUE EAGLE" exercise. While on Taiwan these units were under the control of
United States Taiwan Defense Command.
Vietnam From April 1962, when
HMM-362 flew into the
Mekong Delta to set up operations at the
Sóc Trăng Airfield, through April 1975, when helicopters of
HMM-164 evacuated the last Americans from the
US Embassy, Saigon. While early missions involved Marine helicopters providing logistical support for
South Vietnam, this role quickly expanded when 1st MAW pilots and crewmen were called upon to perform their traditional role of providing
close air support for
Marine combat units as American involvement in the war escalated. Helicopters played an extensive role in air operations in Vietnam, as Marine pilots flew
CH-34s and later
CH-46s and
CH-53s to transport Marines into landing zones near suspected enemy concentrations, and to evacuate the wounded following combat engagements. Helicopters, supplemented by
C-130 transports where there were landing strips, were also used to re-supply Marines in the field at remote outposts. Other Marine pilots flew
UH-1E Hueys and
AH-1 Cobras. Many of these choppers provided reconnaissance and armed air cover for combat air operations. The buildup of American troops resulted in the deployment of the Marine Corps' attack and fighter aircraft including the
Douglas A-4 and the
McDonnell F4B, as well as the maintenance, ordnance, and other support personnel necessary.
Global war on terror HMH 463 has deployed to support the Operation Enduring Freedom Mission in Afghanistan in 2009. ==Current aircraft==