Model Forum / General / Models / February 2008

It looks like they were just standing up as VMF-211, moved to Ewa, HI,
and were then deployed to Wake Island once combat ready:

http://www.3maw.usmc.mil/MAG13/VMA211/history.asp

on 2/26/2008 8:36 PM mholt@ohiohills.com said the following:

Most had been deployed to Wake Island on November 28, 1941, leaving on
the USS Enterprise.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VMA-211

"In November 1941, VMF-211 flew 12 Wildcats aboard the USS /Enterprise/
</wiki/USS_Enterprise_%28CV-6%29> for movement to Wake Island
</wiki/Wake_Island>, the scene of the squadron's heroic battle. On
December 8 </wiki/December_8>, 1941 </wiki/1941> the Japanese attacked,
destroying seven of the 12 aircraft on the ground. In the next two
weeks, the remaining five planes repelled numerous attacks and inflicted
great losses on the enemy. During the course of the defense, the Marine
ground forces and VMF-211 caused the loss of at least four enemy
warships, the first major Japanese naval vessels sunk during the Pacific
war, and the squadron was credited with 8 aircraft destroyed. After the
loss of its last aircraft, the squadron became a ground unit and fought
until the surrender of atoll. The first Marine airman to be awarded the
Medal of Honor </wiki/Medal_of_Honor> in World War II
</wiki/World_War_II> was VMF-211's Henry T. Elrod
</wiki/Henry_T._Elrod>. A planned operation to reinforce Wake Island was
deemed too dangerous by the fleet command, and on December 25
</wiki/December_25> Wake Island was finally overrun by a numerically
superior enemy.

The squadron's rear echelon at Marine Corps Air Station Ewa
</wiki/Marine_Corps_Air_Station_Ewa> lost all but one of its twelve
F4F-3s during the attack on Pearl Harbor </wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor>,
and even this lone survivor was lost when it was transferred to the Navy
</wiki/United_States_Navy>. Slowly rebuilding as personnel and aircraft
became available, the squadron, now under the command of Major Luther S.
Moore was deployed in May 1942 to Palmyra Atoll </wiki/Palmyra_Atoll> in
the South Pacific </wiki/Oceania> and adopted the name "Avengers" in
memory of those squadron members who were killed or captured on Wake
Island. When first deployed, VMF-211 was equipped with the Brewster
F2A-3 </wiki/Brewster_Buffalo> and it was not until July that sufficient
numbers of Grumman F4F-4 Wildcats </wiki/F4F_Wildcat> became available
to re-equip the squadron. As the Pacific Campaign continued the squadron
transitioned to the F4U Corsair </wiki/F4U_Corsair> for the remainder of
the war. VMF-211 participated in the Treasury-Bougainville Campaign
</wiki/Bougainville_campaign_%281943-45%29>, Battle of the Bismarck Sea
</wiki/Battle_of_the_Bismarck_Sea>, Northern Solomon, Battle of Leyte
Gulf </wiki/Battle_of_Leyte_Gulf> and Southern Philippine campaigns."

Wake Island.

Google "VMF-211"