Officially Licensed USMC VMFA-211 Wake Island Avengers Leather Patch — The Squadron Born From the Ashes of Wake Island
Twelve Wildcats stood against the Japanese Imperial Navy at Wake Island. The Avengers have been avenging them ever since.
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) — the 'Wake Island Avengers' — carries one of the most hallowed names in Marine Corps history. The original VMF-211 was stationed at Wake Island when the Japanese attacked on December 8, 1941, just hours after Pearl Harbor. With only twelve F4F-3 Wildcat fighters, the Marines of VMF-211 defended the tiny Pacific atoll against overwhelming Japanese air and naval forces for over two weeks, sinking the destroyer Kisaragi with a bomb hit from a Wildcat — the first time in the war that a surface warship was sunk by air attack from a defending garrison. When Wake Island finally fell on December 23, 1941, only two Wildcats remained, and the surviving Marines were taken prisoner. The squadron was reconstituted with the 'Wake Island Avengers' name and went on to fight across the Pacific for the remainder of World War II. In the decades since, the Avengers have flown the F-8 Crusader, AV-8B Harrier II, and now the F-35B Lightning II, deploying repeatedly to the Western Pacific, the Middle East, and aboard amphibious assault ships. VMFA-211 made headlines when an AV-8B Harrier pilot was shot down over Libya in 2011 during Operation Odyssey Dawn and was rescued by a Marine Osprey. Now based at MCAS Yuma, Arizona, under MAG-13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, the Wake Island Avengers fly the F-35B — bringing fifth-generation stealth capability to a squadron whose fighting spirit was forged in the desperate defense of Wake Island. This leather patch honors the Avengers and the twelve Wildcats that started it all.
Perfect For: VMFA-211 Wake Island Avengers Marines past and present, F-35B Lightning II and AV-8B Harrier pilots, Wake Island history enthusiasts, MAG-13 and 3rd MAW personnel, MCAS Yuma Marines, and anyone who carries the fighting spirit of the Marines who held Wake Island.
