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Marine Col James Cupp.
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"With the Betty gone, the full impact of my situation hit home. I still had a Zero behind me, and he was filling my tail with arrows. ... Home was over 200 miles behind me and turning would give the Zero even more of an advantage... I still had a good engine running, so I just stayed in a gradual turn. ... He gained on me at the end of the turn, but our speed was about equal. He finally pulled off in a chandelle. He'd done his best."
- Capt. Jim Cupp, describing an action at Vella Gulf on July 15, 1943
Jim Cupp was decorated during the Chosin Reservoir campaign while serving with the 1st Marine Division. His work calling in air support greatly assisted the men on the ground and their defense against repeated assault from seven Chinese divisions.
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In March of 1943, VMF-213 arrived in the Solomons, equipped with Wildcats, but re-equipped with Corsairs before entering combat. With 13 kills, Captain Cupp was one of the highest scoring aces of this outfit.
His squadron suffered some early confusion, in the switch-over to Corsairs but they started to operate from Henderson Field on April 1. Their first job was to learn the geography of the Solomons: the islands, The Slot, the location of enemy troop concentrations, the airstrips, etc. Typical missions involved escorting bombers up to Bougainville, a Japanese stronghold in mid-1943. Their CO, Major Britt, drilled them for months on the importance of sticking together in combat. Sometimes Cupp had to work at this because his plane (its engine overdue for an overhaul) had a disconcerting tendency to flood its carburetor and cut out, usually when right over their objective.
VMF-213 took six weeks of R&R in Australia from mid-May through late June.
June 30, a typical day of that period, saw VMF-213 fly an intercept mission to Rendova in the morning and went out again in the afternoon to cover shipping in the same area. They flew for three and a half hours, but could not locate any enemy planes. Others in the squadron (Maj. Weissenberger and Lt. Wilbur Thomas) were more successful, and shot down a number of Zeros.
On an escort mission to Kahili on July 17, he tangled with some Zeros, and finding himself alone, he fell in with a group of returning bombers for protection. He caught up with them while they were playing cat-and-mouse in the clouds with two Zeros. Cupp took advantage of the situation and flamed one of the Zeros.
While on patrol over Vella Lavella on September 17, Cupp and his section intercepted a large group of Vals and Zeros. They took out a few Zeros before attacking thXevalXs. The dive bombers were old and so slow that it was difficult for the Corsairs to get in a good burst before passing over them. It was a "pathetic" battle, as the Marines disintegrated thXevalXs about as fast as they could line them up. They had brought down several when they were jumped by four Zeros. Cupp was hit by a 20mm shell, and he considered ditching, but happily discovered that his Corsair responded well when he shoved the throttle forward, and he ran for home.
The next day, he took off on dawn patrol, to catch "Washing Machine Charlie," the regular Japanese nighttime nuisance bomber. Taking off at 0500, he spotted a Japanese Betty in the distance. After a long chase, he caught up, and approached the plane from his supposedly unprotected belly. To Cupp's astonishment, the bomb bay doors opened up, to reveal a cannon, which instantly hit him three times. His Corsair caught on fire; Cupp was badly burned, and forced to bail out. He was picked up by Americans, and spent the next 18 months in the hospital, undergoing 14 operations.
MOS 9907-Colonel, Naval Aviator/Naval Flight Officer
Base, Station or City MCAS Cherry Point
State/Country North Carolina
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3rd MAW Details
The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing was commissioned on the 167th anniversary of the Marine Corps, Nov. 10, 1942, at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C. with a personnel roster of 13 officers, 25 enlisted men and one aircraft - a trainer.
The Wing's combat history began with the World War II deployment of a bomber squadron on Dec. 3, 1943. A little more than a year later, the Wing deployed a night fighter squadron in support of the war effort.
On Apr. 21, 1944, the Wing boarded three carriers for a voyage to Hawaii and arrived May 8, where it assumed the functions of Marine Air, Hawaii Area.
When the Japanese surrendered, 3rd MAW was decommissioned and its personnel were assigned to other units. The Wing had played an important, but behind-the-scenes, role in defeating the Japanese by giving the best training available to Marine pilots and support personnel.
In 1952, as the Corps again fought in the Far East, the Wing was reactivated at Cherry Point for the Korean War. The main portion of the Wing began moving to the new Marine Corps Air Station Miami, the Marine Corps' first "flying field."
In September 1955, the Wing left Miami for Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, Calif., and was rebuilt again, with the addition of Marine Aircraft Group 15, followed by Marine Aircraft Group 36 with its helicopter squadrons at a nearby Air Station in Santa Ana, CA.
Wing squadrons were detached and deployed to Vietnam as combat action in Southeast Asia flared. At the end of the Vietnam War several units were brought back to the United States and deactivated or redesignated, creating the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing of today.
The Wing saw action again as part of the I Marine Expeditionary Force, conducting operations in Iraq and Kuwait during Operation Desert Shield/Storm/Saber. After the end of hostilities, 3rd MAW aircraft provided support in Operations Provide Comfort and Southern Watch over Iraq. The Wing was once more called into service in Somalia for Operation Restore Hope.
The fall of 2001 would reveal a new type of warfare, the War on Terror, and 3rd MAW answered the call again deploying several detachments in support of the ongoing Operation Enduring Freedom.
In the fall of 2002 the Wing began deploying to Kuwait to prepare for combat operations in Iraq. The Third Marine Aircraft Wing supported I MEF and coalition forces in liberating Iraq and toppling Saddam Hussein during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The 3rd MAW has a well-proven, colorful battle history and today's Marines stand ready and prepared to meet the challenges of the ongoing War on Terror.
