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Marine Aircraft Group 53
Active	1 April 1943 - 31 May 1947
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Role	Training
Commanders
Notable commanders	Frank Schwable Marion M. Magruder

Marine Aircraft Group 53 (MAG-53) was a United States Marine Corps night fighter training group that was commissioned during World War II. It was the first night-fighter group in the Marine Corps. During the course of the war the group trained eight night fighting squadrons and sent seven of them into combat. The group was decommissioned after the war during the post-war drawdown of forces.

History

Marine Night Fighting Group 53 (MAG(N)-53) was formed on 1 April 1943, at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. It was the first night fighter group in the Marine Corps and was responsible for the training of all VMF(N) squadrons. The group trained in Vero Beach, Florida in the spring and summer of 1944 and moved to Marine Corps Air Station Eagle Mountain Lake, Texas in November 1944. MAG(N)-53 was re-designated Marine Night Fighter Group 53 (MNFG 53) in April 1945. The group remained in Texas until the end of the war.

The group moved back to MCAS Cherry Point in February 1946 and changed its name again, this time to Marine Aircraft Group 53 (MAG-53) in November of that year. The group was decommissioned on 31 May 1947.

See also

• United States Marine Corps Aviation
• List of United States Marine Corps aircraft groups

Notes

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the United States Marine Corps.

1. ^ Wygant, William C. (13 June 1947). "MAG-53 Dies After Four Years Varied Service" (PDF). The Windsock. Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
2. ^ Sherrod 1952, pp. 447.
3. Porter & Hammel 1985, pp. 183.
4. 3d MAW General Order 36-1943 - Commissioning MAG-53, VMSB-344, AWS-6 & AWS(AT)-10
5. Rottman 2002, pp. 437.
6. 9th MAW Special Order 8-1946 directing MAG-53 Movement to MCAS Cherry Point, NC.

References

Bibliography

• Porter, R. Bruce; Hammel, Eric (1985). Ace! - A Marine Night-Fighter Pilot in World War II. Pacifica, California: Pacifica Press.
• Rottman, Gordon L. (2002). U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle: Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939-1945. Greenwood. p. 449. ISBN 9780313319068.
• Sherrod, Robert (1952). History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Combat Forces Press.

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