On August 20, 1942, the squadron became part of the Cactus Air Force. and flew SBD Dauntlesses from Guadalcanal's 3,000-foot dirt runway Henderson Field. The Red Devils became the first Marine dive bomber squadron to fly against the Japanese. They left Guadalcanal on October 12, 1942, and headed for Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California, where they were redesignated yet again as Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 232 (VMTB-232), flying newly acquired Grumman TBF Avengers. They returned to the Pacific in July 1943 when they were originally based in Espiritu Santo. From there they moved to Munda in order to support allied forces during the Bougainville landings in November 1943.