VMF-123

Marine Fighter Squadron 123 (VMF-123) was a fighter squadron of the United States Marine Corps during World War II and in the Marine Forces Reserve. Known as the “Flying Eight Balls”, they fought on Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and Okinawa and served as a training squadron for replacement pilots during the Korean War. They were deactivated in the late 1950s and remain in an inactive status today.

World War II
VMF-123 was activated on September 7, 1942 at Naval Air Station San Diego. A large percentage of the squadron’s initial pilots came from the experienced VMF-121 hoping it would require them less time to become combat ready. The squadron left the United States on January 8, 1943 and were operating from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal less than a month later, flying their first combat mission on February 4, 1943. Because they were the last of the Marine fighter squadrons to arrive in the Solomon Islands, VMF-123 was the last of these eight squadrons to transition from the F4F Wildcat to the F4U Corsair.

In August 1943, the squadron moved to the new field at Munda in the Central Solomon Islands and flew their first mission from there on August 14, 1943. The arrival on Munda coincided with the landings on Vella Lavella which were constantly under attack from Japanese aircraft based on Bougainville. VMF-123 was one of many squadrons that fought Japanese aircraft for control of the skies over Vella Lavella. The squadron was split up in September 1943 with half remaining on Munda and the other half moving to a field in the Russell Islands. Their last mission in the South Pacific was flown in November 1943 and the squadron returned to the United States on December 14, 1943.

VMF-123 spent almost all of 1944 resting and refitting. On December 31, 1944, the squadron, along with VMF-112 boarded the USS Bennington (CV-20) for their third combat tour. During this cruise, which last until June 16, 1945, they participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima, took part in the first carrier strikes against Tokyo since the Doolittle Raid in 1942, and participated in the entire Okinawa Campaign. During their cruise on the USS Bennington the squadron had seven pilots killed in action and five permanently listed as missing in action.

Upon their return to the U.S., the squadron was based out of Marine Corps Air Station El Centro where they were teamed with VMTB-623 as they trained for the upcoming invasion of Japan. They were scheduled to deploy on board the USS Saidor (CVE-117) when the war ended. The squadron was deactivated shortly thereafter on September 10, 1945.

Reserve years
In the late 1940s, the squadron was again reactivated as part of the Marine Forces Reserve and were based out of Naval Air Station Los Alamitos. Shortly after the outbreak of the Korean War, the squadron was called to active duty on July 23, 1950, however they did not deploy to combat. Instead, they served as a training squadron for replacement Corsair pilots on their way to the war. Following the war, they transitioned to jet aircraft and were deactivated in the late 1950s.