Létající mariňáci – Šnajdr Miroslav (2015)

The history of the deployment of the United States Marine Corps aviation during World War II is essentially the history of the Pacific War against Imperial Japan. Pearl Harbor, Wake, Midway, Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Rabaul in New Britain, the Gilbert Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Marianas, the Carolines, the Philippines, Iwo Jima, Okinawa. Each name is a concept and also a place of combat deployment for Marine aviators. In aerial combat, USMC aviation pilots shot down a total of 2,355 Japanese aircraft during World War II, with combat losses of 573 aircraft. The USMC aviation is sometimes perceived as the 'second' naval aviation. To what extent this view is justified is described in the first part of this publication. It captures the birth and development of Marine Corps aviation during World War I and in the following two peaceful decades. It also describes foreign interventions in Haiti, Nicaragua, and China. The introductory part of the publication culminates in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and especially the epic struggle of a handful of men from squadron VMF-211 in the defense of Wake Atoll. The second part is dedicated to the role of USMC fighter pilots organized in fighter squadron VMF-221 during the pivotal confrontation of the Pacific War, the battle...