On 1 July 1937, VF-4M was re-designated Marine Fighting Squadron 2 (VMF-2) and by the end of the year, had completely reequipped with Grumman F3F-2s which replaced their F3F-1s and a few even older F2F-1s.

The squadron participated in annual Fleet Problems while at San Diego and even played a part in the making of the movie Dive Bomber.

Several future Medal of Honor recipients served with the squadron during this period, including Henry Elrod, Robert Galer, and Gregory Boyington.

In January 1941, the squadron moved to Marine Corps Air Station Ewa, Hawaii and was re-designated VMF-211 on 1 July 1941.

[3] During the course of this defense, the Marine ground forces and VMF-211 caused the loss of at least four enemy warships, including the first major Japanese naval vessels sunk during the Pacific war.

After World War II, VMF-211 participated in the occupation of China where they would eventually provide cover for American forces evacuating the country before the Communist takeover in December 1948.

[7] In 1957, the squadron received its first A4D-1 Skyhawks and subsequently moved to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan in 1958.

In September 1987, the squadron celebrated an aviation milestone when it passed 30 years of flying the McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk.

The Avengers participated in Operation Enduring Freedom, flying combat missions against targets in Afghanistan from January to March 2002.

From January til August 2009, the squadron again deployed as part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit on board USS Essex.

In April 2012, the Avengers deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, moving from Kandahar Airfield to British-run Camp Bastion in July.

On 30 June 2016, VMA-211 was redesignated as VMFA-211, becoming the second fleet squadron in the Marine Corps to operate the F-35B Lightning II as their primary aircraft.

[13] On 27 September 2018 an F-35B from Essex carried out an air strike using a precision-guided bomb against a Taliban position in Afghanistan, marking the first US combat use of the F-35.