1st Marine Aircraft Wing

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=1st Marine Aircraft Wing


caption=1st MAW insignia
dates= *July 7, 1941 - present
country=United States
allegiance=
branch=USMC
type= Marine Aircraft Wing
role= Conduct air operations in support of the Fleet Marine Forces
size=
command_structure= III Marine Expeditionary Force
current_commander= BrigGen Raymond C. Fox
garrison= Marine Corps Air Station Futenma
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname= 1st MAW
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles= World War II
* Battle of Guadalcanal
* Philippines campaign (1944–45)
Korean War
Vietnam War
notable_commanders= Louis E. Woods
Roy Geiger
Duane D. Thiessen
George J. Trautman, III
anniversaries=

The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps and are headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on the island of Okinawa, Japan. The wing serves as the Aviation Combat Element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force.

Mission

Conduct air operations in support of the Fleet Marine Forces to include offensive air support, antiair warfare, assault support, aerial reconnaissance including active and passive electronic countermeasures (ECM), and control of aircraft and missiles. As a collateral function, the Wing may participate as an integral component of Naval Aviation in the execution of such other Navy functions as the Fleet Commander may direct.

Subordinate units

:"See also: List of United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons".

1st MAW consists of 5 subordinate groups, a headquarters squadron and a liaison group:
* Marine Aircraft Group 12 (MAG-12)
* Marine Aircraft Group 24 (MAG-24)
* Marine Aircraft Group 36 (MAG-36)
* Marine Air Control Group 18 (MACG-18)
* Marine Wing Support Group 17 (MWSG-17)
* Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 1 (MWHS-1)
* Marine Wing Liaison Kadena (MWLK)

Due to a re-organization within Marine aviation, 1st MAW will be adding a light attack squadron in 2009. The new squadron is set to be named Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 (HMLA-469) and its location is still to be determinedcite paper
author = LtGen John Castellaw
title = 2007 Marine Aviation Plan
version =
publisher = Headquarters Marine Corps
date= 2007
url = http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/AVN/Documents/Signed%20AvPlan.pdf
format =
accessdate = 2007-11-18 ] .

Locations

Units of 1st MAW are located in the Pacific Region at the following bases:
*Marine Corps Air Station Futenma
*Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
*Marine Corps Air Facility Kaneohe Bay.

History

WW 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 July 7, 1941. The First Marine Aircraft Group which was the largest east coast aviation unit in the Marines at the time, became its first component [DeChant] . Although a new wing, it is considered an unofficial descendant of the "Northern Bombing Group" of World War I [Rottman "USMC WWII OOB", p. 430.] .

Following the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the wing transferred to Naval Air Station San Diego, California on December 10, 1941 and then to Camp Kearny on December 31. The first deployment for 1st MAW came in August of 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 [Sherrod "History of Marine Corps Aviation", p. 438.] . .

Korean War

At the beginning of the Korean War, the initial deployment of Marines was a provisional brigade activated on July 7, 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 stikes aimed at the hydroelectric plants in North Korea. [cite web
last =Field Jr.
first = James A.
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Part 2. March 1952—February 1953: Stalemate
work = History of United States Naval Operations: Korea
publisher = Department of the Navy - Naval Historical Center
date = 2000-06-21
url = http://www.history.navy.mil/books/field/ch12b.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-12-19]

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 and evacuating more than 9,800 wounded personnel [Mersky "USMC Aviation", p. 191.]

Vietnam

From April 1962, when HMM-362 flew into the Mekong Delta to set up operations at the Soc Trang airfield in, through April 1975, when helicopters of HMM-164 evacuated the last Americans from the U.S. embassy in 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 build up 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.

Gulf War and the 1990s

Global War on Terror

Current aircraft in use

Fixed wing aircraft

* F/A-18 Hornet
* AV-8B Harrier II
* KC-130 Hercules
* C-12 Huron

Rotary wing aircraft

* AH-1W SuperCobra
* UH-1N Huey
* CH-46 Sea Knight
* CH-53 Sea Stallion

ee also

* List of United States Marine Corps aircraft wings
* United States Marine Corps Aviation

References

:Marine Corps;Notes

;Bibliography
*cite book
last = De Chant
first = John A.
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Devilbirds
publisher = Harper and Brothers Publishers
date= 1947
location = New York
url =
doi =
id =
*cite book
last = Mersky
first = Peter B.
coauthors =
year = 1983
chapter =
title = U.S. Marine Corps Aviation - 1912 to the Present
publisher = Nautical and Aviation Publishing Company of America
location =
id = ISBN 0-933852-39-8
*cite book
title=U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle - Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939 - 1945.’’
author=Rottman, Gordon L.
date=2002
publisher=Greenwood Press
id=ISBN 0-313-31906-5
*cite book
last = Sherrod
first = Robert
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1952
chapter =
title = History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II
publisher = Combat Forces Press
location = Washington, D.C.
id =
*cite book
last = Simmons
first = Edwin H.
authorlink =
title = The United States Marines: A History, Fourth Edition
publisher = Naval Institute Press
date= 2003
location = Annapolis, Maryland
doi =
id = ISBN 1-59114-790-5

;Web
* [http://www.1maw.usmc.mil/history.asp?unit='1st%20MAW' 1MAW official history]
* [http://firstmaw.homestead.com/page4.html First Marine Aircraft Wing Association - Vietnam Service] , association of 1st MAW veterans who served in Vietnam
* [http://www.korean-war.com/USMarines/us-marines.html "United States Marine Forces"] , in "Korean War Order of Battle", Brown Mouse Publishing. URL accessed December 27, 2005.

External links

* [http://www.1maw.usmc.mil/ 1st MAW's official website]