First squadron to land at Chu Lai was VMA-225 (pre-arranged) 1 June 1965 along with VMA-311 arriving simultaneously. No A-4 Squadrons at that time were All Weather. VMA-225 was equipped with the A-4C model, and VMA-311 with the A-4E.
History
A wave of amphibious landing craft heads for Chu Lai beachhead on 24 June 1965.A VMA-121 A-4E making an arrested landing at Chu Lai, March 1967Two VMA-211 A4-Es refuel at Chu Lai, 12 July 1967
At first, only a "short airfield for tactical support (SATS)" was installed. The SATS consisted of a 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) runway with an aluminum surface of interlocking lightweight metal alloy planking, a catapult and a carrier deck-type arresting gear. It also included a tactical airfield fuel dispensing system.
The base of soft sand at Chu Lai caused much difficulty with the installation of the SATS, but the first landing of an Douglas A-4 Skyhawk was made on 1 June 1965, by Colonel John D. Noble, Commanding Officer of MAG-12 from Marine All- Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242 (VMA-225) landed. On the same day, the first combat mission was flown, led by Lieutenant Colonel R. W. Baker, CO of VMA-225. The aircraft took off using jet-assisted takeoff rockets on the partially completed runway as the Seabees continued lengthening the runway. It was involved in Operation Starlite on 18 August 1965, when the Marines made a pre-emptive strike on gathering Viet Cong forces who were preparing to attack the base.[2][3]
By mid-October 1965, the base was home to more than 80 A-4 Skyhawks from MAG-12.
On the night of 27 October 1965 the Viet Cong penetrated the air base destroying 2 A-4s and severely damaging a further six. The Marines killed 15 of the attacking 20-man sapper squad.[1]: 125
In September 1966, a new 10,000 feet (3,000 m) runway, with taxiways, was completed, just west of the SATS strip.[4] With the opening of the new runway, Marine Aircraft Group 13 with three McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II squadrons arrived at Chu Lai[5] and remained until September 1970.
In April 1967, Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 533 (VMA(AW)-533), equipped with the Grumman A-6A Intruder all-weather attack aircraft, arrived to provide air support for Marines in I Corps, and to deliver ordinance on targets in North Vietnam under all weather conditions.[6]
On the morning of 31 January 1968 as part of the Tet Offensive, the Viet Cong attacked the base with rockets and mortars triggering an explosion in the bomb dump. MAGs 12 and 13 suffered three aircraft destroyed and 23 damaged.[7]
The last Marine sorties were flown from Chu Lai by aircraft from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 (VMFA-314) on 11 September 1970.[8]
^ abShulimson, Jack (1978). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Landing and the Buildup. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. pp. 29–35. ISBN978-1494287559.
^"Battle of Chu Lai". The official archives, records, documents, and files of the United States Marine Corps' participation in the Vietnam War from 1960 to 1975. Archived from the original on 15 June 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
^Shulimson, Jack (1982). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: An Expanding War 1966. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. p. 261. ISBN978-1494285159.
^Telfer, Gary (1984). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Fighting the North Vietnamese 1967. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. p. 203. ISBN978-1494285449.
^Shulimson, Jack (1997). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: 1968 The Defining Year. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. p. 155. ISBN0-16-049125-8.