Marine Aircraft Group 14

  March 1942 to February 1946

  United States of America

TYPE: US Navy unit

IATA/ICAO CODES: Nil

HEADQUARTERS: Camp Kearny, CA (1942), Henderson Field, Solomon Islands (1942-1943), Auckland, New Zealand (1943), Munda, Solomon Islands (1943-1944), Green Islands, Papua New Guinea (1944-1945), Philippines (1945-1946), MCAA Oak Grove, NC (1946)

FORMER NAME: Nil

SUBSEQUENT NAME: MAG-14 (when reactivated)

MAG-14 was formed at Camp Kearny, CA on 1 March 1942. The nucleus for the new aircraft group came from MAG-11 which had just arrived from MCAS Quantico, VA following the attack on Pearl Harbor. MAG-14 trained at Camp Kearny until it deployed to the Southwest Pacific Theater in October 1942. The group initially relieved MAG-23 at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal on 16 October 1942, becoming part of the "Cactus Air Force". From there, it took part in the Battle of Santa Cruz 10 days later, to the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November 1942, and to continuing fighting over the island until 4 April 1943. The group was sent to Auckland, New Zealand to rest and refit.

MAG-14 returned to the Solomon Islands in August 1943 and set up the Fighter Command at Munda. The next month part of the group was moved to Ondonga and later on more units were sent to Vella Lavella. From these locations it supported Allied soldiers during the Battle of New Georgia and the Battle of Bougainville. On 15 February 1944, New Zealand troops captured the Green Islands north of Bougainville, and MAG-14 started operating from there to keep pressure on the isolated Japanese garrisons of Rabaul and Kavieng. By 24 January 1945, four fighter squadrons from MAG-14 were operating from Guiuan, Philippines. During fighting in the Philippines, the group was responsible for covering convoys and supporting Army and Filipino guerillas on the islands of Negros, Mindanao, Cebu and Leyte.

After the war, MAG-14 returned in February to MCAA Oak Grove, NC (an auxiliary field to MCAS Cherry Point, NCMCAS Cherry Point, NC) and was deactivated.

October 1945* to February 1946

• Curtiss R5C-1 Commando: 39582