Marine Aircraft Group 24

  March 1942 to present

  United States of America

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TYPE: US Navy unit

IATA/ICAO CODES: Nil

HEADQUARTERS: MCAS Ewa, HI (1942-?), Beiping, China (1945-1947), Guam, Marianna Islands (1947-1949), MCAS Cherry Point, NC (from 1949)

FORMER NAME: Nil

SUBSEQUENT NAME: Nil

MAG-24 was activated along with MAG-23 at MCAS Ewa, HI on 1 March 1942 and attached to MAW-2 (which had only been activated in Jan 1941). The intended use of MAG-24 was to fill the need of dive-bombers in combat areas. MAG-24 was first commanded by Maj I.L. Kimes and consisted of only two squadrons (VMF-211 and VMF-212), mostly on paper.  Both MAG-24 and MAG-23 struggled along without aircraft for several months as almost all available assets were diverted to Midway or elsewhere. The only aircraft available to both MAGs were a few overhauled SBD-1s and SBD-2s. The activation of MAG-24 and MAG-23 were the result of a major organizational overhaul of Marine Aviation which included the activation of MAG-11, 12, and 14 at Camp Kearny, CA, MAG-13 at NAS San Diego, CA and MAG-22 at Midway.

During World War II, MAG-24 saw extensive action throughout the Pacific theater, and in particular in the Bougainville Campaign and the campaign to liberate the Philippines. Following the war, MAG-24 was deployed as part of the III Amphibious Corps to Peiping in Northern China to take part in the occupation that lasted from October 1945 until April 1947. In April 1947 they were relocated to Guam. In 1949, MAG-24 moved to MCAS Cherry Point, NC and remained there for the next twenty years.

June 1946 to April 1948

Commandos were probably used marginally by MAG-24, in its service squadron.

• Curtiss R5C-1 Commando: 39521, 50715, 50719