|
[1]
SIAIMR_120120_002.JPG
 |
[2]
SIAIMR_120120_005.JPG
 |
[3]
SIAIMR_120120_012.JPG
![Birth and Growth: 1912-1940:
Beginnings:
From the arrival of Lt. Alfred A. Cunningham for flight training at Annapolis, Maryland, in 1912 until American entered World War I, the Marine Corps experimented with the airplane in a limited way.
By 1917, Cunningham and his fellow Marine aviators had created an "Aeronautic Company" of 10 officers and 40 men. When the Marine Corps commandant offered a brigade of Marines to fight in France, Cunningham pushed to have his aviators join the fight.
World War I:
The growth of Marine aviation during World War I was remarkable. The 1st Aeronautic Company, stationed in the Azores, flew Curtiss float planes and flying boats to search for German submarines. The four squadrons of the First Marine Aviation Force, which had trained at the newly created Marine Flying Field near Miami, Florida, flew their de Havilland light bombers as part of the Navy's Northern Bombing Force in France.
By war's end, Marine pilots had defeated German fighters, dropped supplies to surrounded Allied troops, and engaged in both day and night bombing missions. Marine aviation had proven that it could successfully fly and fight.
The Interwar Years:
Marine aviation struggled through the interwar years. Funding was limited, and two-thirds of all Marine squadrons existed only on paper. The small fleet of Marine aircraft was heavily committed domestically and overseas. Deployments to Haiti, Nicaragua, and China strained the force to the breaking point.
Still, the Corps found new and innovative uses for attack and transport aircraft and forged the foundations of the Marine air-ground team that remains in place today. Newer aircraft slowly replaced World War I aircraft. Through service in the field, record long-distance flights, aerial demonstrations, and air race victories, Marine aviators roved that, through their professionalism and "do more with less" attitude, they could achieve great things.
"It is fully realized that the only excuse for [Marine] aviation... is its usefulness in assisting the troops on the ground to successfully carry out their operations."
-- Maj. Alfred A. Cunningham, USMC, 1920](/Graphlib/GraphData12.nsf/Images/2012_DC_SIAIR_Marines_0160/$File/SIAIMR_120120_012.JPG) |
[4] SIAIMR_120120_027.JPG
 |
[5] SIAIMR_120120_029.JPG
 |
[6] SIAIMR_120120_033.JPG
 |
[7] SIAIMR_120120_039.JPG
 |
[8] SIAIMR_120120_043.JPG
 |
[9] SIAIMR_120120_046.JPG
 |
[10] SIAIMR_120120_051.JPG
 |
[11] SIAIMR_120120_056.JPG
 |
[12]
SIAIMR_120120_059.JPG
 |
[13] SIAIMR_120120_063.JPG
 |
[14] SIAIMR_120120_068.JPG
 |
[15] SIAIMR_120120_072.JPG
 |
[16] SIAIMR_120120_078.JPG
 |
[17]
SIAIMR_120120_081.JPG
 |
[18] SIAIMR_120120_083.JPG
 |
[19]
SIAIMR_120120_087.JPG
 |
[20] SIAIMR_120120_096.JPG
 |
[21] SIAIMR_120120_101.JPG
 |
[22] SIAIMR_120120_108.JPG
 |
[23] SIAIMR_120120_121.JPG
 |
[24] SIAIMR_120120_126.JPG
 |
[25] SIAIMR_120120_131.JPG
 |
[26] SIAIMR_120120_134.JPG
 |
[27] SIAIMR_120120_136.JPG
 |
[28] SIAIMR_120120_140.JPG
 |
[29] SIAIMR_120120_143.JPG
 |
[30] SIAIMR_120120_149.JPG
 |
[31]
SIAIMR_120120_154.JPG
 |
[32] SIAIMR_120120_161.JPG
 |
[33] SIAIMR_120120_164.JPG
 |
[34]
SIAIMR_120120_168.JPG
![New Challanges, New Capabilities: 1946-1962
A New Doctrine for a New Era:
Thanks to its great success in World War II, the Marine Corps seemed to have a secure future. But the spread of atomic weapons made large-scale amphibious landings, such as those at Iwo Jima, no
longer possible against a nuclear-armed foe.
So the Marines embraced a new technology, the helicopter, and created the doctrine of "vertical envelopment" -- moving Marines ashore by air. The Korean War provided Marine aviation the chance to highlight the potential of its new doctrine and its helicopters.
The Korean War:
In Korea, the Marine air-ground team reached its full combat potential for the first time. Operating from austere air fields and small escort carriers, Marine fighters, helicopters, and transports provided round-the-clock support to Marines fighting to repel the North Korean forces.
During the march to and from the Chosin Reservoir in the winter of 1950, Marine aviators served as a lifeline to thousands of Marines, soldiers, and civilians fighting their way through overwhelming numbers of Communist Chinese. At no point had the bond between Marine aviators and their fellow Marines on the ground been strong.
Transforming the Force:
Marine aviation underwent a great transformation between 1946 and 1962. The vertical envelopment doctrine led to the restructuring of the entire Marine Corps into a force that was lighter, more airmobile on the battlefield, and more dependent on air power. It discarded many fixed-wing aircraft in favor of helicopters, and such beloved propeller-driven fighters as the Corsair gave way to newer jet-powered aircraft.
"The Chosin Reservoir thing was the proudest I had ever been of Marine aviation... because those guys were just flying around the clock, everything that would start and move. And [Marine] aviation's mood and commitment to that division [1st Marine Corps Division], my God, it was total. There was nothing that would have kept them off those targets -- nothing!"
-- Lt. Gen. Leslie E. Brown, USMC](/Graphlib/GraphData12.nsf/Images/2012_DC_SIAIR_Marines_0160/$File/SIAIMR_120120_168.JPG) |
[35] SIAIMR_120120_173.JPG
 |
[36] SIAIMR_120120_176.JPG
 |
[37] SIAIMR_120120_180.JPG
 |
[38] SIAIMR_120120_183.JPG
 |
[39] SIAIMR_120120_187.JPG
 |
[40] SIAIMR_120120_192.JPG
 |
[41] SIAIMR_120120_195.JPG
 |
[42] SIAIMR_120120_200.JPG
 |
[43] SIAIMR_120120_205.JPG
 |
[44]
SIAIMR_120120_209.JPG
![The Long War in Vietnam: 1962-1975:
Proving the Doctrine:
The Vietnam War proved the value of the Marines' vertical envelopment doctrine and the helicopter. Marine aviators engaged in action over Vietnam from Operation Shufly in April 1962 through the evacuation of Saigon in April 1975.
Because of the nature of this sustained conflict, Marine aviation focused less on air superiority missions and more on the direct application of air power in support of Marines and allied ground forces. Places such as Da Nang, Chu Lai, Marble Mountain, and Khe Sahn became irrevocably linked to Marine aviation.
A Relentless, Grueling Pace:
By 1967, half of all Marine aviation units were supporting operations in Vietnam. During their 13-month tours, Marine helicopter pilots averaged over 1,000 sorties and often flew more than 15 hours a day. The never-ending need for fresh helicopter pilots led to extended combat tours, quicker rotations back to Vietnam, and even the forced transition of fixed-wing pilots to helicopters.
Marines had to find creative solutions to the ongoing maintenance and logistical challenged of sustained round-the-clock flight operations. Ordnance shortages led to using bombs left over from previous wars. Training units were stripped of every available aircraft to replace combat losses.
Fighting to the Bitter End:
Marine fighters and attack aircraft flew thousands of close air support missions, sometimes delivering ordnance just yards from friendly troops. Marine electronic warfare aircraft supported Air Craft and Navy operations over the heavily defended skies of North Vietnam. Marine helicopters moved troops, supplies, and equipment across South Vietnam and, for a brief time, into Laos. Crews routinely flew during horrendous weather and into heavy enemy fire.
Marine aviators and the enemy played an ongoing game of tactical cat and mouse. The Marines developed innovative flight formations and deployed fixed-wing and helicopter gunships to suppress anti-aircraft fire and cover transport helicopters into and out of landing zones. In the end, Marine helicopters lifted the last remaining American forces out of the country.
"When it had to be truly light support I ALWAYS sought out Marine aircraft because I [knew] they could lay it in tight."
-- Lt. Col. Wayne C. Anderson, USMC airborne forward air controller at Khe Sahn, 1968](/Graphlib/GraphData12.nsf/Images/2012_DC_SIAIR_Marines_0160/$File/SIAIMR_120120_209.JPG) |
[45] SIAIMR_120120_213.JPG
 |
[46] SIAIMR_120120_219.JPG
 |
[47] SIAIMR_120120_224.JPG
 |
[48] SIAIMR_120120_227.JPG
 |
[49] SIAIMR_120120_231.JPG
 |
[50] SIAIMR_120120_236.JPG
 |
[51] SIAIMR_120120_240.JPG
 |
[52] SIAIMR_120120_245.JPG
 |
[53] SIAIMR_120120_248.JPG
 |
[54] SIAIMR_120120_251.JPG
 |
[55] SIAIMR_120120_254.JPG
 |
[56] SIAIMR_120120_258.JPG
 |
[57] SIAIMR_120120_262.JPG
 |
[58] SIAIMR_120120_266.JPG
 |
[59] SIAIMR_120120_270.JPG
 |
[60] SIAIMR_120120_273.JPG
 |
[61] SIAIMR_120120_278.JPG
 |
[62] SIAIMR_120120_281.JPG
 |
[63] SIAIMR_120120_291.JPG
 |
[64] SIAIMR_120120_294.JPG
 |
[65] SIAIMR_120120_298.JPG
 |
[66] SIAIMR_120120_302.JPG
 |
[67] SIAIMR_120120_307.JPG
 |
[68] SIAIMR_120120_310.JPG
 |
[69]
SIAIMR_120120_313.JPG
!["No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy": 1976-2012:
Myriad Missions:
Marine aviation emerged from Vietnam to face a tumultuous period of budget cuts and technological change. Their missions became more diverse. Whether rescuing American citizens and dependents, enforcing United Nations mandates, or providing emergency relief to the victims of natural disasters, Marine aviation had become a vital component of American foreign policy.
Marines responded to many crises, both manmade and natural, in California, Haiti, Grenada, Beirut, Bosnia, Somalia, Liberia, Pakistan, and elsewhere.
In the summer of 1990, more than half of the Marine Corps deployed to the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Desert Shield. As coalition forces repelled the Iraqi army from Kuwait, Marine helicopters closely supported the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force's drive to Kuwait City, while Marine attack aircraft struck Iraqi units behind the line of battle.
Afghanistan and Iraq:
Since October 2001, Marine aviation has supported operations against the Taliban and its allies in Afghanistan, where Marine units operate across large distances, often without mutual support and at the end of long and tenuous supply lines. The unique capability of Marine aviation to provide aerial support day and night for extended periods, while operating from basic forward bases, had proven crucial.
In Iraq, as American-led forces removed Saddam Hussein from power, Marine aviation covered the 1st Marine Division [Reinforced] as it advanced into Baghdad. It then found innovative ways to face the challenges posed by the Iraqi insurgency.
In both Afghanistan and Iraq, Marine aviation's ability to deliver humanitarian aid and enable local government officials to reach distance villages has been an effective weapon against terrorist forces.
Modernizing the Fleet:
Over the past four decades, Vietnam-era aircraft operated by the Marine Corps have been retired or modernized. New and more capable aircraft have entered the fleet, including the F/A-18 fighter-bomber; the AV-8A Harrier, the first American combat aircraft that can take off and land vertically; and the advanced AV-8B Harrier II. After a long and difficult development program, the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor made its first combat deployment in 2007.
"The Marine Corps' ability to serve as our nation's Expeditionary Force in Readiness is built on a century of achievements in naval aviation. From our first forays into the skies to today. Marines have done what we always do: We respond to today's crisis, with today's forces, today!"
-- Gen. James F. Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps](/Graphlib/GraphData12.nsf/Images/2012_DC_SIAIR_Marines_0160/$File/SIAIMR_120120_313.JPG) |
[70] SIAIMR_120120_318.JPG
 |
[71] SIAIMR_120120_322.JPG
 |
[72]
SIAIMR_120120_326.JPG
 |
[73] SIAIMR_120120_329.JPG
 |
[74] SIAIMR_120120_335.JPG
 |
[75] SIAIMR_120120_340.JPG
 |
[76] SIAIMR_120120_345.JPG
 |
[77] SIAIMR_120120_348.JPG
 |
[78] SIAIMR_120120_355.JPG
 |
[79] SIAIMR_120120_358.JPG
 |
[80] SIAIMR_120120_363.JPG
 |
[81] SIAIMR_120120_367.JPG
 |
[82] SIAIMR_120120_371.JPG
 |
[83] SIAIMR_120120_377.JPG
 |
[84] SIAIMR_120120_381.JPG
 |
[85] SIAIMR_120120_387.JPG
 |
[86] SIAIMR_120120_395.JPG
 |
[87]
SIAIMR_120120_400.JPG
 |
[88] SIAIMR_120120_404.JPG
 |
[89] SIAIMR_120120_407.JPG
 |
[90] SIAIMR_120120_413.JPG
 |
[91] SIAIMR_120120_418.JPG
 |
[92] SIAIMR_120120_422.JPG
 |
[93] SIAIMR_120120_428.JPG
 |
[94] SIAIMR_120120_431.JPG
 |
[95] SIAIMR_120120_439.JPG
 |
[96] SIAIMR_120120_441.JPG
 |
[97] SIAIMR_120120_444.JPG
 |