In November 1944 VMSB943 was a replacement training squadron based at El Toro. Its primary equipment was the Grumman TBF-1, and indeed on the 20th of that month it was redesignated VMTB943. However, a few SB2C-1As were received in November and transferred the following month. In early 1945 it operated a small number of SB2C-3s and -4s alongside its TBF-1s, TBF-1Cs and TBM-3s