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Marine Transport Squadron 152
Marine Transport Squadron 152
	VMR-152 insignia (post-WWII)
Active	1922 - 31 Jan 1959
Country	United States
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Utility/Transport
Role	Assault support
Part of	Inactive
Tail Code	WC
Engagements	World War II; * Battle of Guadalcanal; * New Georgia Campaign; * Battle of Vella Lavella; * Bougainville Campaign; * Philippines Campaign (1944-1945); * Operation Beleaguer; Korean War; * Battle of Chosin Reservoir
Decorations	; Distinguished Unit Citation; ; Navy Unit Commendation
Commanders
Notable; commanders	John P. Coursey
Aircraft flown
Transport	R4D; R5D Skymaster; R4Q Flying Boxcar

Marine Transport Squadron 152 (VMR-152) was an air transport squadron of the United States Marine Corps that was responsible for the movement of personnel, equipment, and supplies. The squadron flew fixed-wing cargo aircraft to include the R4D Skytrain and the R4Q Flying Boxcar. The squadron saw combat during World War II and the Korean War with their most notable contributions coming during the Battle of Guadalcanal and during the Marine breakout during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. The squadron was decommissioned in the late 1950s.

Mission

Provide air transport of personnel, equipment, and supplies, including aeromedical evacuation.

History

World War II

The squadron was originally formed as VJ-6M at Marine Corps Air Station Quantico, Virginia in 1922.^[1] Re-designation as VMJ-1 came on 1 July 1937, and again as VMJ-152 on 7 July 1941.^[3] VMJ-152 became the first Marine Corps squadron to field the new R4D-1 aircraft in the first part of 1942.^[4] The squadron subsequently moved to San Diego a few months later and shipped out to the South Pacific on 10 October 1942. The unit joined Marine Aircraft Group 25 on 25 October 1942, and immediately began flying missions in support of Marines engaged in the Battle of Guadalcanal.^[5]

In November 1942, the squadron became part of the joint-service South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command. Following this they made numerous supply drops during the New Georgia Campaign in 1943. The squadron was re-designated again to VMR-152 on 3 June 1944.^[3] During 1944, the squadron flew in support of operations on Bougainville and remained based there for the remainder of the war. From here the squadron also supported allied forces during the Philippines Campaign (1944–45) and the Battle of Okinawa. Following the surrender of Japan, the squadron flew in support of the 1st Marine Division during their occupation of Northern China from 1945 - 1947. Following their China duty the squadron returned to the United States where they were based at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California.

Korean War & Decommissioning

VMR-152 was assigned to newly reactivated Marine Aircraft Group 25 in 1950, and provided an advance detachment that supported 1st Marine Division operations in Korea. During the war the squadron was based at Itami, Japan.

During the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, a four-engined R5D-2 transport, especially configured to carry a complete tactical air direction center (TADC), controlled all support aircraft as they reported on station, and assigned them to the various forward air controllers, as appropriate for the missions requested.

VMR-153 (VMR-152?) was decommissioned on 31 January 1959.^[2]

Notes

^ ^a ^b Rottman 2002, pp. 441.
^ ^a ^b "Index for 1959 United States Marine Corps Bound Diaries". National Archives Catalog. United States Marine Corps. p. 22. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
^ ^a ^b Sherrod 1952, pp. 459.
^ Shettle 2001, pp. 131.
^ Armstrong 2017, pp. 7.

References

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

Bibliography

Armstrong, William (2017). Marine Air Group 25 and SCAT. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 1467127434.
Rottman, Gordon (2002). U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle - Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939 - 1945.’’. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-31906-5.
Sherrod, Robert (1952). History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Combat Forces Press.
Shettle, M. L. (2001). United States Marine Corps Air Stations of World War II. Bowersville, Georgia: Schaertel Publishing Co. ISBN 0-9643388-2-3.