 On March 1, 1942, VMF-221, VMF-222, VMSB-241, and their headquarters units formed Marine Aircraft Group 22 commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Ira L. Kimes.The squadron’s first taste of combat came on March 10, 1942, when four of its pilots recorded the first aerial victory flying F2A-3's downing an enemy Kawanishi H8K "Emily" flying boat.By late May, the squadron had been augmented with the arrival of additional aircraft.