VMA-311 Tomcats AV-8B (WL-20) Model, Mahogany, 1/30th scale, Marines For Sale

Fly with the Topcats again of VMA-311 in this wooden AV-8b model. Each model is carefully carved and painted to provide a piece you\'ll love!

• Length - 18 inches
• Made from Mahogany
• US Veteran Owned Business
• The product is not intended to be used by children 12 years and younger.

Marine Attack Squadron (VMA)-311 was initially commissioned a fighter squadron on Dec. 1, 1942, at Cherry Point, N.C., flying the SNJ Texan trainers. In April 1943, they received the new Vought F4U-1 Corsair and entered the Pacific Theater where they served with distinction until the end of World War II.

On Oct. 6, 1943, the squadron catapulted from the deck of the USS Nassau to Samoa Naval Air Station, in one of the earliest catapult operations of the F4U. Two days later, VMF-311 flew to Wallis Island and remained there until January 1944.

During America\'s \"Island Hopping\" campaign across the Pacific, the squadron\'s mission was to isolate Japanese forces on the bypassed islands, deny their escape and prevent their use of airstrips. The squadron continued strafing and bombing missions until moving to Okinawa in March 1945, and was the first Marine squadron to use fighter aircraft for dive bombing missions. The squadron, now flying the F4U-1C (a modification which include four 20mm cannons and pylons for 5-inch rockets), downed its first aircraft on April 7, 1945. Combat air patrols were the predominant mission until the war ended.

After the war, VMF-311 moved to Yokosuka, Japan, as part of the occupational forces. The nickname \"Hell\'s Belles\" was adopted by the squadron during World War II but was seldom used.

In April 1948, \'311 received the first jet aircraft to be introduced to Marine aviation, the F-80A Shooting Star, followed in September by the F9F2 Panther. It was during this time that the squadron acquired the letters \"WL\" as its tail designator, or \"William Love\" in the phonetic alphabet used at the time. The evidence suggests that it was this nickname which inspired the heart on the squadron insignia.

Korea

With the outbreak of war in Korea, the squadron moved to Pusan, where it flew the first Marine jet combat mission on Dec. 10, 1950, providing close air support for 8th Army units near the Chosin Reservoir. Similar missions were flown despite inclement weather, maintenance problems, and enemy antiaircraft fire. In two and a half years, the squadron amassed 18,851 combat sorties.
Even after the armistice was signed, VMF-311 continued to fly training missions to maintain readiness. It was early in 1957 that VMF-311 began to be referred to as the \"Tomcats.\" This period also brought the new Grumman F9F-8 Cougar, thus upgrading the squadron\'s capabilities.

On June 1, 1957, the unit was redesignated Marine Attack Squadron-311. This didn\'t create any organizational problems as the emphasis was simply placed on a mission the squadron had so aptly performed during World War II and Korea. In the summer of 1958, VMA-311 began receiving the Douglas A4D2 Skyhawks, later redesignated the A-4B. The Tomcats began receiving the new A-4Es in mid-1963 and in March 1965 deployed to Japan with 20 A-4Es.