The working titles of this film were Flying Devil Dogs (also spelled Devildogs) and Devil Dogs of the Air. The film's opening credits conclude with the following dedication: "Dedicated to the United States Marine Corps, and especially to Marine aviation. Appreciation is gratefully acknowledged for their participation and assistance which made this picture possible." Voice-over narration is heard intermittently throughout the film.
       In Sep 1950, LAT announced that both Montgomery Clift and Tim Holt were considering roles in the picture. According to the Var review, the picture contains rare color footage of "battle action in the Pacific...blended with studio shots....Scenes from Guadalcanal, air strikes at enemy fleets, Kamakazi strikes at U.S. ships, are among real sequences cut in...." An Aug 1950 HR news item announced that Flying Leathernecks would be the first Hollywood feature to incorporate "actual scenes of the present Korean conflict" and noted that editor Robert Belcher had reviewed footage shot by cameramen with the U.S. Marine Corps Air Wing. According to a Sep 1950 HR item, Belcher selected sequences from combat footage taken at Guadalcanal. In Jan 1951, HR reported that producer Edmund Grainger had received several thousand feet of film from Korea, depicting infantry battles with air support from land and carrier-based planes. The inclusion of Korean footage in the final film has not been confirmed, however.
       In Jun 1950, following meetings with Grainger, Marine Corps officials in Washington, D.C., granted the production permission to use its facilities. However, because of the fighting in Korea, the Navy reneged on its agreement to allow the filmmakers' use of the carrier Bataan for filming at sea, but did provide several planes, according to a Nov 1950 DV item. As noted by reviews, most of the picture was shot at Camp Pendleton and El Toro Marine Air Station in Southern California. Production was threatened with delay when crew members from I.A.T.S.E. and other unions balked at accepting lodgings at Camp Pendleton, declaring the officers' quarters unfit. After legal arbitration in the matter, however, production resumed. Grainger replaced director Nicholas Ray for a few days when Ray fell ill with the flu.
       Flying Leathernecks marked Grainger's first producing effort for RKO. Modern sources note that director Rodney Amateau , a friend of Ray, helped Ray organize the shooting script and acted as a dialogue director on the production. HR announced in May 1951 that the picture would have its first screening in Korea for Marine Corps airmen. In Jul 1951, HR reported that General C. B. Gates had declared the film the "best service picture made to date" and that the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff had requested a "command performance" screening. A Dec 1953 DV news item noted that RKO was holding up the release of the picture in Japan at the request of the State Department, out of concern that the story was "too sharp a reminder of World War II."
       The film marked the first time that actor John Mallory, brother of actor Robert Mitchum, was billed under the surname Mallory. Previously he had been billed as John or Jack Mitchum. He changed his name back to John Mitchum in 1953 and was billed under that name from that time on. On 24 Sep 1951, John Wayne, Robert Ryan and Howard McNear presented scenes from Flying Leathnecks as part of Lux Radio Theatre's broadcast Movie Time, U.S.A..