(https://www.thehistoryreader.

com)

MENU
Home (http://www.thehistoryreader.com/) » Military History (https://www.thehistoryreader.com/category/military-history/) » Major Pappy Boyington:
Commander of the Black Sheep Squadron

Major Pappy Boyington: Commander of the

Black Sheep Squadron
(https://www.thehistoryreader.com/military-
history/pappy-boyington/)
Posted on September 12, 2016

Michael E. Haskew
One of the legendary fighting units to emerge from the Solomon Islands Campaign, and more broadly from World War II in the Pacific, was
Marine Fighter Squadron 214 (VMF-214), popularly known as the Black Sheep Squadron. The commander of VMF-214, Major Gregory Pappy
Boyington, gained lasting fame.

The Black Sheep Squadron begins

VMF-214 was formed on June 1, 1942, at Ewa Naval Air Station on the Hawaiian island
of Oahu. Originally known as the Swashbucklers, the squadron completed a tour of
duty based at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal and then disbanded. VMF-214 was
reconstituted in August on the island of Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides, and its 27
pilots came under Pappy Boyington’s command at that time.

When he reached the Solomons, Pappy Boyington was already a combat veteran,
having flown with the famed Flying Tigers of the American Volunteer Group in China,
where he claimed six aerial victories. The pilots nicknamed Boyington “Pappy”
because at the age of 31 he was a decade older than most of his subordinates. They
also chose the name Black Sheep—not because of their somewhat mythical hijinks
on the ground, but due to the circumstances under which the squadron had been
formed.

Pappy Boyington shines Pappy Boyington. Image is in the public domain via Wikimedia.com

The Black Sheep Squadron flew from bases in the southern Solomons and then
deployed to a forward airfield at Vella Lavella, amassing an impressive service record during a brief period from September 12, 1943, to
January 3, 1944. During its first two weeks of operation and flying the Vought F4U Corsair fighter, VMF-214 shot down 23 Japanese planes
and claimed another 11 probable victories while five of its own pilots were lost. Pappy Boyington was well on his way to becoming the top
Marine Corps ace of World War II, ending the conflict with 28 victories.

The flamboyant Pappy Boyington instilled an aggressive attitude among the young pilots of VMF-214.  During 84 days of combat the
squadron shot down 100 enemy aircraft and destroyed a like number on the ground. In October 1943, the pilots publicized an appeal to
major league baseball teams, offering to shoot down a Japanese plane for every cap forwarded to them.

The St. Louis Cardinals sent 20 caps, and the hotshot Marine pilots returned 20 stickers, each representing a kill.
Boyington became famous for his brash leadership style, and one incident recounts his leading 24 Corsairs in a sweep over the Japanese
airfield at Kahili where 60 enemy fighters were based, goading them into the air. The Black Sheep Squadron shot down 20 of these
Japanese planes and incurred no losses of their own, and Boyington received the Medal of Honor for the exploit.
(https://www.thehistoryreader.com)

Boyington receives the Medal of Honor

MENU
On October 4, 1943, Pappy Boyington and
his Black Sheep Corsairs escorted a
flight of Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-
bombers on a mission over Bougainville.
In the space of a single minute, he shot
down three Zero fighters.

When Boyington was awarded the Medal

of Honor, it was originally thought to be
posthumous. On January 3, 1944, he shot
down his 28th enemy plane and was
himself downed. Pulled from the Pacific
by a Japanese submarine crew, he
spent the last 20 months of the war in a
prison camp.

Five days after he was shot down, the

F4U-1 Corsair of 1st Lt Rolland N. Rinabarger of VMF-214. By USMC. Image is in the public domain via Wikimedia.com Black Sheep Squadron concluded their
second combat tour in the Solomons
and the squadron was disbanded. The
pilots were assigned to other squadrons, and the legend of VMF-214 took on a life of its own. Boyington retired from the Marines with the
rank of colonel, and died at the age of 75 on January 11, 1988.

Michael E. Haskew is the editor of WWII History Magazine and the former editor of World War II Magazine . He is the author of a number of
books, including THE MARINES IN WORLD WAR II (http://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250101167). The Sniper at War and Order of Battle.
Haskew is also the editor of The World War II Desk Reference with the Eisenhower Center for American Studies. He lives in Hixson,
Tennessee.

Tags: Black Sheep Squadron (https://www.thehistoryreader.com/tag/black-sheep-squadron/), Boyington (https://www.thehistoryreader.com/tag/boyington/), Marine Corps

(https://www.thehistoryreader.com/tag/marine-corps/), MarineMonday (https://www.thehistoryreader.com/tag/marinemonday/), Michael E. Haskew (https://www.thehistoryreader.com/tag/michael-e-
haskew/), second world war (https://www.thehistoryreader.com/tag/second-world-war/), US Marines (https://www.thehistoryreader.com/tag/us-marines/), World War II
(https://www.thehistoryreader.com/tag/world-war-ii/)

To search, type and hi

Home (/index.php) Historical Figures (https://www.thehistoryreader.com/category/historical-figures/)

U. S. History (https://www.thehistoryreader.com/category/us-history/) World History (https://www.thehistoryreader.com/category/world-history/)

Military History (https://www.thehistoryreader.com/category/military-history/) Cultural History (https://www.thehistoryreader.com/category/cultural-history/)

Historical Fiction (https://www.thehistoryreader.com/category/historical-fiction/)

© 2021 Copyright The History Reader.

PRIVACY NOTICE (https://us.macmillan.com/privacy-notice) • TERMS OF USE
(https://us.macmillan.com/terms-of-use)