Official VMF-222 War Diaries

These daily squadron activity reports were compiled by the squadron's intelligence and photo officer whose duties were to brief pilots about their objectives, and sundry information before their combat missions and immediately upon their return, to interview them to find out about their successes and their observations about the enemy's responses.

The reports were in turn reviewed by the commanding officer and then promptly sent to the fighter group's intelligence officer where all of the squadrons' information were compiled.

VMF-222's reports cover from its inception in March, 1942 until Japans's surrender in September, 1945, some 31 months. In this iteration we cover only the beginning through their transfer to the Philippines in middle January, 1945. Unfortunately, some of the early period diaries are missing but the combat months are extant.

Accompanying the diaries are believed to be most, if not all, of the more narrative "Combat Reports" from the first three tours (Sept. '43- Apr. '44) followed by the more formal "Aircraft Action Reports". Each format however gives a glimpse of what the daily work load was for a Marine fighter pilot in the Solomon Islands.