Marine Aviation Training Support Group 33
A former United States Marine Corps aviation training-support unit that inherited the lineage and honors of Marine Aircraft Group 33.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Marine Aviation Training Support Group 33 (MATSG-33) was a United States Marine Corps aviation training-support organization and the successor, in lineage and honors, to Marine Aircraft Group 33 (MAG-33). Its institutional history began during World War II, when MAG-33 was commissioned at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, on 1 February 1943. The group trained and moved through several American bases before deploying to the Pacific. It reached the Okinawa area in April 1945 and provided close air support during the Battle of Okinawa. Under Colonel Ward E. Dickey, the group was credited with recording 214 air-to-air victories during the Okinawa campaign, according to the unit's historical account. MAG-33 remained on Okinawa through the end of the war and returned to the United States in January 1946, subsequently operating from Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California. The group's most consequential postwar combat role came during the Korean War. In July 1950, following the decision to commit the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, MAG-33 was rapidly rebuilt from a reduced postwar establishment and deployed from California toward the Korean theater. Its aircraft and personnel moved by a combination of transport and escort carriers, with elements staging through Japan. The wartime organization included Marine fighter squadrons VMF-323 and VMF-214 flying F4U Corsairs, VMF(N)-513 operating night-fighter Corsairs and F7F Tigercats, and VMO-6 with observation aircraft and helicopters. Units operated from carrier decks, Japanese airfields, and bases in and around Pusan. MAG-33's first offensive action in Korea took place on 3 August 1950, when VMF-214 conducted a strike near Jinju. The group supported United Nations and Marine ground forces for the remainder of the conflict and was associated with the first Marine aviation units to support the Korean War. Its deployment helped strengthen United Nations defenses during the Battle of the Pusan Perimeter. The later MATSG identity reflected a change from an operational combat-air-group role to an administrative and training-support mission. Marine personnel had been supporting naval aviation training activities at facilities including Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Florida, from the early 1980s. These Marines supported the F/A-18 Hornet Fleet Introduction Team and were administratively connected with Marine Barracks at Cecil Field. The number of Marines assigned to Cecil Field increased over time, including personnel temporarily attending instruction with Navy fleet replacement squadron VFA-106. The 1993 Base Realignment and Closure process determined that relevant aviation training and support activities would move to Naval Air Station Oceana after the planned closure of Cecil Field. In 2000, the Marine Corps redesignated its Marine Aviation Training Support Groups to preserve appropriate unit honors and historical affiliations. MATSG at Cecil Field therefore became MATSG-33 in connection with the reassignment to NAS Oceana, adopting the historical lineage of MAG-33. In its MATSG form, the unit administered and supported Marines serving aboard NAS Oceana, monitored the movement of Marine students through Naval Air Training Command, and delivered Marine Corps discipline and other Marine-specific instruction while students participated in naval aviation training. On 1 July 2006, MATSG organizations were realigned under the Commanding General of Training Command within Marine Corps Training and Education Command. MATSG-33 was formally deactivated at NAS Oceana on 22 June 2016. The name is therefore best understood as a historical Marine Corps aviation unit designation rather than an active commercial brand or operating company.
History
The lineage associated with MATSG-33 began with the commissioning of Marine Aircraft Group 33 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, on 1 February 1943. The group relocated to Marine Corps Auxiliary Field Bogue later that year and moved to Marine Corps Air Station Eagle Mountain Lake, Texas, in April 1944 for additional training. In August 1944 it transferred to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, to prepare for overseas deployment. MAG-33 departed California in September 1944 and passed through a sequence of Pacific staging points before reaching Espiritu Santo on 29 November. The group arrived off Okinawa on 2 April 1945 and operated from the Okinawa area, including the airfield that later became associated with Kadena Air Base. Its principal wartime function was tactical aviation support, especially close air support for Marine and Army forces during the Battle of Okinawa. The group remained there for the rest of World War II. Its historical account credits MAG-33 with 214 air-to-air victories during the Okinawa campaign while commanded by Colonel Ward E. Dickey. In January 1946, the organization returned to the United States and was based at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in California. The Korean War quickly brought the group back into combat. After the Joint Chiefs of Staff approved the commitment of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade on 2 July 1950, MAG-33 was selected as a principal Marine aviation component. The group had been reduced substantially after World War II, so personnel and equipment from across 1st Marine Aircraft Wing were used to rebuild it. Marine personnel and equipment sailed from Terminal Island aboard USS General A. E. Anderson and USS Achernar, while aircraft and aircrews embarked aboard USS Badoeng Strait. MAG-33 sailed for Korea on 14 July, only twelve days after receiving its warning order. After staging through Kobe, Japan, the group included VMF-323 and VMF-214 with F4U Corsairs, VMF(N)-513 with night-fighter Corsairs and F7F Tigercats, and VMO-6 with OY-2 observation aircraft and HO3S-1 helicopters. VMF-323 operated from USS Badoeng Strait, VMF-214 from USS Sicily, VMF(N)-513 from Itazuke under Fifth Air Force control, and VMO-6 from Pusan. VMF-214 carried out MAG-33's first offensive action on 3 August 1950 in the Jinju area. The group supported United Nations forces during the defense of the Pusan Perimeter and continued operations in Korea for the rest of the war. Its deployment also included one of the earliest uses of a United States combat helicopter. The organization later evolved away from an operational aircraft-group structure. Beginning in January 1982, Marine officers and enlisted personnel supported Light Attack Wing One and participated in the F/A-18 Hornet Fleet Introduction Team at Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Florida. By 1984, approximately 195 Marines of different grades were assigned permanently to Cecil Field, with additional Marines temporarily present for instruction with VFA-106. The 1993 Base Realignment and Closure decision to close Cecil Field led to the planned relocation of VFA-106, the Naval Aviation Maintenance Group detachment, and the Marine aviation training-support organization to Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. On 4 May 2000, the Commanding General of Marine Corps Combat Development Command issued a redesignation message intended to preserve the honors and history of former Marine Aircraft Groups within the MATSG structure. The Cecil Field training-support organization became MATSG-33 in connection with its reassignment to NAS Oceana and assumed MAG-33's lineage. Its mission was administrative rather than primarily operational: it supported Marines aboard NAS Oceana, tracked their progression through Naval Air Training Command, and provided Marine Corps discipline and service-specific training. On 1 July 2006, all MATSG units were placed under Training Command, part of the Marine Corps Training and Education Command. MATSG-33 was deactivated during a ceremony at NAS Oceana on 22 June 2016.
- 2016
Deactivation
[1]MATSG-33 held its deactivation ceremony at NAS Oceana on 22 June.
- 2006
Training Command realignment
[1]MATSG units were realigned under Training Command within the Marine Corps Training and Education Command structure.
- 2000
MATSG-33 designation adopted
[1]The Marine Corps redesignated the training-support organization as MATSG-33 and assigned it the honors and history of MAG-33.
- 1993
Cecil Field relocation decision
[1]The Base Realignment and Closure process selected Cecil Field for closure and directed the relocation of related aviation training activities to NAS Oceana.
- 1982
Marine personnel begin support at Cecil Field
[1]Marine personnel were assigned to Light Attack Wing One and supported the F/A-18 Hornet Fleet Introduction Team.
- 1950
Korean War deployment
[1]MAG-33 sailed for Korea on 14 July as part of the Marine aviation response supporting the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade.
- 1946
Return to the United States
[1]The group returned to the United States in January and was based at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro.
- 1945
Okinawa operations
[1]MAG-33 arrived off Okinawa on 2 April and provided close air support during the campaign.
- 1944
MAG-33 completes continental training and deploys toward the Pacific
[1]The group moved through Bogue, Eagle Mountain Lake, and Miramar before departing California for Pacific staging areas in September.
- 1943
Marine Aircraft Group 33 is commissioned
[1]MAG-33 was established at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, on 1 February.
Products and positioning
A Marine Corps aviation organization positioned first as an operational aircraft group and later as a specialized administrative and training-support command for Marines participating in naval aviation training.
Military training support · 2000
Aviation training administration
MATSG-33 administered and supported Marines assigned to Naval Air Station Oceana while they progressed through naval aviation training. The work included monitoring student movement through Naval Air Training Command and coordinating the Marine Corps aspects of an otherwise Navy-centered training environment.
Military training support · 2000
Marine Corps peculiar training
The unit provided Marine Corps discipline and training specific to Marines serving in the naval aviation training pipeline. This complemented technical and flight instruction delivered by naval aviation organizations.
Combat aviation · 1943
Combat aviation support
During its MAG-33 lineage period, the organization conducted and coordinated fighter, observation, helicopter, and close-air-support operations in the Pacific during World War II and in Korea during the Korean War.
Marketing campaigns
- 1950Korean War and Battle of the Pusan Perimeter
Korean Peninsula · Japan
MAG-33 deployed rapidly with the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade and supported United Nations forces in Korea. Its component squadrons operated from aircraft carriers, Japanese airfields, and Pusan, conducting fighter, night-fighter, observation, helicopter, and close-support missions.
Outcome. The group's aviation support helped stabilize United Nations positions around the Pusan Perimeter, and MAG-33 continued combat operations in Korea for the remainder of the war.
- 1945Battle of Okinawa
Okinawa
MAG-33 provided close air support to Marine and Army ground forces after arriving in the Okinawa area on 2 April 1945. The group remained on Okinawa through the end of World War II and was credited in its unit history with 214 air-to-air victories.
Outcome. The group completed the Okinawa campaign and stayed in the theater until the war ended.
Brand decisions
2016
Deactivation of MATSG-33OtherBackground
After its period of aviation training-support operations at NAS Oceana, the Marine Corps ended the unit's active existence.
Action taken
MATSG-33 conducted a formal deactivation ceremony on 22 June 2016.
Aftermath
MATSG-33 became a historical designation rather than an active Marine Corps command.
2006
Realignment under Training CommandStrategyBackground
The Marine Corps reorganized the reporting relationships of its Marine Aviation Training Support Groups.
Action taken
MATSG units were placed under the Commanding General of Training Command, part of Training and Education Command.
Aftermath
The realignment placed MATSG-33 within the Marine Corps training and education chain of command until its deactivation.
2000
Adoption of the MATSG-33 designationStrategyBackground
The Marine Corps sought to preserve the honors and historical identities of former Marine Aircraft Groups within its aviation training-support structure.
Action taken
The training-support organization associated with Cecil Field was redesignated MATSG-33 when it was reassigned to NAS Oceana, inheriting the lineage of MAG-33.
Aftermath
MATSG-33 operated as an administrative and Marine-specific training-support command rather than as a conventional deployable aircraft group.
1993
Relocation from Cecil Field to NAS OceanaStrategyBackground
The 1993 Base Realignment and Closure process determined that Naval Air Station Cecil Field would close, requiring associated aviation training and support organizations to move.
Action taken
The Marine aviation training-support organization, together with related naval aviation activities, was designated for reassignment to Naval Air Station Oceana.
Aftermath
The move provided the institutional setting for the subsequent MATSG-33 designation.
Recent events
- 2016
MATSG-33 conducts its deactivation ceremony[1]
Other
MATSG-33 was formally deactivated at Naval Air Station Oceana on 22 June, ending the unit's active existence under that designation.
- 2006
Marine aviation training-support groups are realigned under Training Command[1]
Other
The Commandant directed that MATSG organizations fall under the Commanding General, Training Command, within the Marine Corps training and education structure.
- 2000
MATSG-33 is redesignated at Naval Air Station Oceana[1]
Leadership change · Other
A Marine Corps redesignation program attached historical honors to aviation training-support groups. The Cecil Field organization became MATSG-33 in association with its move to NAS Oceana.
- 1950
MAG-33 deploys to Korea with the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade[1]
Other
The group was rapidly reconstituted after the outbreak of the Korean War and sailed from California in July as part of the initial Marine aviation response.
- 1945
MAG-33 supports the Battle of Okinawa[1]
Other
The group arrived in the Okinawa area on 2 April and provided close air support for Marine and Army ground forces through the campaign and the end of the war.
- 1944
Marine Aircraft Group 33 deploys to the Pacific for World War II operations[1]
Other
MAG-33 moved through Pacific staging locations, including the Marshall Islands and Espiritu Santo, in preparation for operations against Japanese forces.
Sources1 sources
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