VMF-313 was commissioned at Marine Corps Air Station El Centro on 1 October 1943.

In July 1944, the squadron flew to Emirau in the Solomon Islands and began to attack Japanese shipping in the area around Kavieng.

They arrived at Tacloban Airfield on Leyte on 3 December 1944 as part of Marine Aircraft Group 12.

[2] In one notable incident while in the Philippines, Major Theodore Olsen, took off in a plane that had over 300 patches from earlier missions.

[4] The squadron was reactivated following World War II becoming part of the Marine Forces Reserve and were based out of New York state.