| Original caption: “Five-inch rockets being loaded under the wing of an F4U of MAG-33. Just before take-offs, the safety pins are removed and the rockets are ready for charging.” The 5-inch (130 millimeter) Forward-Firing Aircraft Rocket (FFAR) combined a 5-inch antiaircraft shell with a 3.5-inch (89 millimeter) rocket motor entered service in December 1943. It was too heavy for the motor, and because of limited performance, was quickly replaced in production by the High Velocity Aircraft Rocket (HVAR) which had a uniform 5-inch appearance due to the more powerful motor. Marine Aircraft Group 33 (MAG-33) arrived off Okinawa and eventually based out of, what is today, Kadena Air Base. They served throughout the Battle of Okinawa, providing close air support for the Marines and Soldiers on the ground. The group remained on Okinawa for the remainder of the war. Under the command of Colonel Ward E. Dickey (August 11, 1903 – October 12, 1945), MAG-33 made 214 air-to-air kills on Okinawa, setting the highest record. The FFAR was used by the Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber, the Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger torpedo bomber and the Vought F4U Corsair fighter-bomber. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2157.jpg |
| Image Size | 867.16 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2752 x 2892 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Marine Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | June 1, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | Okinawa |
| Country | Ryukyus |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-127-N-126413 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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