1st Provisional Marine Brigade
1st Provisional Marine Brigade | |
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Negro Rebellion
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Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Lemuel C. Shepherd Edward A. Craig |
The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade was a marine brigade of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) that existed periodically from 1912 to 1950. It was an ad hoc unit formed for specific operations and not considered a "permanent" USMC unit.
The brigade saw five brief activations for service over a 40-year span. First created in 1912 for duty in
The brigade was formed again in 1950 when it was hastily assembled for service in the
Organization
The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade varied in size and structure each time it was created.
Component units varied considerably as well. In its first iteration in 1912, the brigade had only 1,200 men in two provisional
The brigade's
In each of its iterations, the brigade was not organized as a permanent formation. Typically it was created only as a temporary front-line unit while larger United States Marine units were formed. The brigade would then merge with these to form a Marine
History
Cuba
The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade was first created in 1912 for occupation duties in
Differentiation with other "1st Marine Brigades"
A second "1st Marine Brigade" was created in 1935, serving in Cuba in 1940, before being expanded and redesignated as the 1st Marine Division in 1941.[13] This brigade was originally created in 1913 as the 1st Advance Force Brigade.[14] However, the 1st Advance Force Brigade, and its descendants, was not considered a "provisional" unit. The brigade served in Puerto Rico and Mexico in 1914, as well as in the Dominican Republic (1916), and maintained a permanent establishment in Haiti from 1915 until its deactivation in 1934.[15] It was reactivated in 1935 as the 1st Brigade before redesignation as the 1st Marine Brigade. The 1935 vintage 1st Marine Brigade was considered a separate unit and it has no lineal relationship to the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade. Additionally, yet a third "1st Marine Brigade" was created in 1956, later becoming the 1st Marine Amphibious Brigade in 1985 and the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade (1st MEB) in 1988. The 1st MEB is also a separate organization for purposes of lineage and shares no historical relationship with the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade.
World War II
Iceland
During
Under the command of
The British commanders distributed the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade throughout camps around the Reykjavik area,[18] to act as an emergency force which could quickly counter any German invasion.[25] The British gave their division patch to the brigade, and it was worn for the remainder of the Marines' time in Iceland.[26] The Marines were joined by units of the U.S. Army and Army Air Corps in August 1941.[27] The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade troops spent much of their time in Iceland building infrastructure and bases to fortify Iceland against potential German attack.[28] On 22 September, the British division departed Iceland and command was assumed by the United States Army.[18][29] During the winter of 1941–1942 the brigade saw no combat and spent much of its time attempting to construct fortifications and drill for combat, hampered by a lack of supplies, communications equipment, transportation, and good weather.[30] Aside from the occasional German reconnaissance aircraft, no German forces came to Iceland.[31]
Following the 7 December
Guam
On 18 April 1944, the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade was again activated, this time at
On 21 July at 08:32
By 28 July, the 3rd Marine Division and 77th Infantry Division had formed a continuous flank and were advancing north. On 6 August, the brigade joined them on the left, western flank. Here, Japanese forces staged
On 9 September 1944, the brigade was disbanded and its elements were moved to Guadalcanal where the new 6th Marine Division was forming. That division was activated on 25 September 1944.[52] Most of the Provisional Marine Brigade units were transferred to the command of the 6th Marine Division.[53] The 29th Marine Regiment was added to form the division.[54] The 53rd CB was the directly assigned to III Amphibious Corps.
After the war
The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade was briefly re-formed in the post-war era on 1 June 1947, by enlarging the 1st Battalion, 11th Marines.[55] The force served as a contingency force for the Pacific Ocean area, based in Camp Witek, Guam. However, as post-war military spending was drastically cut, the brigade at this time was far undermanned, and considered only a "paper unit".[56] It was again "downsized" and re-designated the 1st Provisional Artillery Battalion on 1 October 1947.[55]
Korean War
The USMC, which had been drastically reduced in size after World War II, was unprepared at the outset of the
Task Force Kean
The brigade was immediately moved to
General Walker and the Eighth Army began preparing a counteroffensive, the first conducted by the UN in the war, for 6 August. It would kick off with an attack by the U.S. reserve units on the Masan area to secure
Task Force Kean kicked off its attack on 7 August, moving out from Masan.
Heavy fighting continued in the area for three days. By 9 August, Task Force Kean was poised to retake Chinju.
At the end of the counteroffensive on 14 August, Task Force Kean had failed in its two objectives of diverting North Korean troops from the north and reaching the Chinju pass.[78][79] The NK 6th Division had been reduced to 3,000 or 4,000 and had to replenish its ranks with South Korean conscripts from Andong.[80] Fighting in the region continued for the rest of the month.[81]
First Naktong Bulge
Immediately north on the line, the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade was desperately needed to break a stalemate between the
Repeated American attacks resulted in a stalemate.
The NK 4th Division had in the meantime constructed underwater bridges of sandbags, logs and rocks, finishing the first one the day before.[85][91] It moved trucks and heavy artillery across the river over this bridge, as well as additional infantry and a few tanks.[91][92] By the morning of 10 August close to two full North Korean regiments were across the river and occupying fortified positions.[82] After a series of unsuccessful counterattacks,[86][93] the threat to Yongsan necessitated more U.S. reinforcements.[94][95] As U.S. casualties mounted, a frustrated Walker ordered the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade to the area.[68][96] They mounted a massive offensive on Cloverleaf Hill and Obong-ni[97] beginning at 08:00 on 17 August,[98] unleashing all available heavy weapons: artillery, mortars, M26 Pershing tanks, and airstrikes.[99]
At first, tenacious North Korean defense halted the Marines. Heavy indirect fire forced the North Koreans out of their positions before the Marines and Task Force Hill overwhelmed them, one hill at a time.[100] The Marines approached Obong-ni first, destroying resistance on the slope with an airstrike and a barrage from U.S. tanks, but strong resistance caused heavy casualties, and they had to withdraw.[101] The 18th North Korean Regiment, in control of the hill, mounted a disastrous counterattack in hopes of pushing the Marines back.[95][102] The division's previously successful tactics of cutting off supplies and relying on surprise failed in the face of massive U.S. numerical superiority.[103]
By nightfall on 18 August, the North Korean 4th Division had been annihilated; huge numbers of deserters had weakened its numbers during the fight, but by that time, Obong-ni and Cloverleaf Hill had been retaken by the U.S. forces.[102] Scattered groups of North Korean soldiers fled back across the Naktong, pursued by American planes and artillery fire. The next day, the remains of 4th Division had withdrawn across the river.[104][105] In their hasty retreat, they left a large number of artillery pieces and equipment behind which the Americans later pressed into service.[106]
The battle caused heavy casualties for both sides. By the end of the fight, the NK 4th Division had only 300 or 400 men in each of its regiments. Of its original 7,000 men, the division now had a strength of only 3,500, having suffered over 1,200 killed.[102] Several thousand members of the division deserted during the fight. Most of these men were South Korean civilians forcibly conscripted into the North Korean army. The NK 4th Division would not recover until much later in the war.[107] The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade reported 66 Marines dead, 278 wounded, and one missing.[105] In total, American forces suffered around 1,800 casualties during the battle, with about a third of those killed.[108]
Second Naktong Bulge
By 1 September, the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade was down to 4,290 men, having suffered 500 casualties in its month of Korean service,
At the same time, the 1st and 2nd Regiments of the
On the morning of 1 September, with only the shattered remnants its E Company at hand, the U.S. 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, had virtually no troops to defend Yongsan.
On 2 September,
Counteroffensives
A conference was held that afternoon at the U.S. 2nd Division command post, attended by leaders of the U.S. Eighth Army, 2nd Division, and 1st Provisional Marine Brigade.[121] A decision was reached that the Marines would attack west at 08:00 on 3 September astride the Yongsan–Naktong River road,[122] and U.S. Army troops would attack northwest above the Marines and attempt to re-establish contact with the U.S. 23rd Infantry,[121] while the 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion with remnants of the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry, and elements of the 72nd Tank Battalion would attack on the left flank, or south, of the Marines to reestablish contact with the 25th Division.[123]
The troops holding this line on the first hills west of Yongsan were G Company, 9th Infantry, north of the road running west through Kogan-ni to the Naktong; A Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, southward across the road; and, below the engineers, F Company, 9th Infantry.[124] Between 03:00 and 04:30 on 3 September, the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade moved to forward assembly areas.[122] The 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, assembled north of Yongsan, the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, south of it. The 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, established security positions southwest of Yongsan along the approaches into the regimental sector from that direction.[121][124]
Fighting began the night of 2 September,
North of the road the 2nd Battalion had a harder time, encountering heavy North Korean fire when it reached the northern tip of Hill 116, 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Yongsan.[122] The North Koreans held the hill during the day, and at night D Company of the 5th Marines was isolated there.[125] In the fighting west of Yongsan, Marine armor knocked out four T-34 tanks, and North Korean crew members abandoned a fifth.[123] That night the Marines dug in on a line 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Yongsan. The 2nd Battalion had lost 18 killed and 77 wounded during the day, most of them in D Company. Total Marine casualties for 3 September were 34 killed and 157 wounded. Coordinating its attack with that of the Marines, the 9th Infantry advanced abreast of them on the north.[125]
Just before midnight, the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, received orders to pass through the 2nd Battalion and continue the attack in the morning.[122] That night torrential rains made the troops miserable. The North Koreans were unusually quiet and launched few patrols or attacks. The morning of 4 September, the weather was clear.[125][126] The counterattack continued at 08:00 on 4 September, at first against little opposition.[127] North of the road the 2nd Battalion quickly completed occupation of Hill 116, from which the North Koreans had withdrawn during the night. South of the road the 1st Battalion occupied what appeared to be a command post of the NK 9th Division. Tents were still up and equipment lay scattered about. Two abandoned T-34 tanks in excellent condition stood there. Tanks and ground troops advancing along the road found it littered with North Korean dead and destroyed and abandoned equipment. By nightfall the counterattack had gained another 3 miles (4.8 km).[125]
That morning, 5 September, after a 10-minute artillery preparation, the American troops moved out in their third day of counterattack.
The American counteroffensive of 3–5 September west of Yongsan resulted in one of the bloodiest and most terrifying debacles of the war for a North Korean division, according to historians.[125] Even though remnants of the NK 9th Division, supported by the low strength NK 4th Division, still held Obong-ni Ridge, Cloverleaf Hill, and the intervening ground back to the Naktong on 6 September, the division's offensive strength had been spent at the end of the American counterattack.[131] The NK 9th and 4th divisions were not able to resume the offensive.[125]
Deactivation
During the previous night, at 20:00 on 4 September, Walker had ordered the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade released from operational control of the 2nd Division effective at midnight, 5 September.
Walker had protested in vain against releasing the brigade, believing he needed it and all the troops then in Korea if he were to stop the North Korean offensive against the Pusan Perimeter.
Other "1st Marine Brigades"
The original "1st Marine Brigade" was the
A new permanent Marine brigade, designated as the 1st Marine Brigade was formed in Hawaii in 1956. In 1985, it was redesignated as the 1st Marine Amphibious Brigade (1st MAB), and in 1988 as the
Unit awards
Though not considered a "permanent" unit, the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade was awarded campaign streamers for each of its missions, creating a lineage for the unit.[139] Those streamers include:
Streamer | Award | Year(s) | Additional Info |
---|---|---|---|
Presidential Unit Citation Streamer | 1950 | Pusan Perimeter | |
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation Streamer
|
1950 | Pusan Perimeter[139] | |
Navy Unit Commendation | 1944 | Guam, Marianas Islands[140] | |
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Streamer
|
1944 | Guam[141] | |
World War II Victory Streamer | 1945 | Pacific War[142] | |
National Defense Service Streamer | 1950 | Korean War[143] | |
Korean Service Streamer | 1950 | Korean War[144] |
Notes
- ^ a b c Rottman 2001, p. 242
- ^ Rottman 2001, p. 236
- ^ Varhola 2000, p. 111
- ^ Fredriksen 2011, p. 25
- ^ Caporale 2003, p. 35
- ^ a b Donovan 1992, p. 5
- ^ Bogart, Charles H., "Fifth Marine Defense Battalion in Iceland", Coast Defense Journal, Vol. 29, Issue 3, August 2015, Coast Defense Study Group, Inc.
- ^ a b Rottman 2001, p. 338
- ^ a b c Appleman 1998, p. 258
- ^ Varhola 2000, p. 106
- ^ a b c Simmons 2003, p. 85
- ^ Caporale 2003, p. 15
- ^ Fredriksen 2011, p. 108
- ^ a b 1st Marine Division: Lineage. http://www.1stmardiv.marines.mil/About/Lineage/. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ Fredriksen 2011, p. 101
- ^ a b Donovan 1992, p. 1
- ^ Donovan 1992, p. 2
- ^ a b c d Simmons 2003, p. 123
- ^ Donovan 1992, p. 3
- ^ Donovan 1992, p. 4
- ^ Caporale 2003, p. 26
- ^ Donovan 1992, p. 6
- ^ Donovan 1992, p. 7
- ^ Donovan 1992, p. 8
- ^ Donovan 1992, p. 9
- ^ Donovan 1992, p. 11
- ^ Donovan 1992, p. 15
- ^ Donovan 1992, p. 16
- ^ Donovan 1992, p. 17
- ^ Donovan 1992, p. 28
- ^ Donovan 1992, p. 14
- ^ Donovan 1992, p. 29
- ^ Donovan 1992, p. 30
- ^ Caporale 2003, p. 27
- ^ a b Donovan 1992, p. 32
- ^ Rottman 2001, p. 233
- ^ a b Simmons 2003, p. 158
- ^ a b c Rottman 2002, p. 391
- ^ Rottman 2001, p. 255
- ^ Rottman 2001, p. 319
- ^ Rottman 2001, p. 337
- ^ O'Brien 1994, p. 2
- ^ Rottman 2001, p. 339
- ^ Simmons 2003, p. 159
- ^ O'Brien 1994, p. 11
- ^ O'Brien 1994, p. 13
- ^ a b O'Brien 1994, p. 15
- ^ a b Simmons 2003, p. 160
- ^ a b Rottman 2002, p. 392
- ^ O'Brien 1994, p. 28
- ^ O'Brien 1994, p. 41
- ^ Rottman 2001, p. 241
- ^ Rottman 2001, p. 257
- ^ Simmons 2003, p. 178
- ^ a b Rottman 2001, p. 199
- ^ Rottman 2002, p. 393
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 259
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 266
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 126
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 265
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 267
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 269
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 127
- ^ Alexander 2003, p. 128
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 270
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 271
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 272
- ^ a b c Fehrenbach 2001, p. 127
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 273
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 274
- ^ Alexander 2003, p. 129
- ^ Catchpole 2001, p. 24
- ^ Alexander 2003, p. 130
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 275
- ^ a b Appleman 1998, p. 276
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 277
- ^ a b Catchpole 2001, p. 25
- ^ Alexander 2003, p. 131
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 287
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 288
- ^ Alexander 2003, p. 132
- ^ a b c Gugeler 2005, p. 30
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 293
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 294
- ^ a b c Fehrenbach 2001, p. 121
- ^ a b c Alexander 2003, p. 136
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 296
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 299
- ^ Fehrenbach 2001, p. 122
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 300
- ^ a b Appleman 1998, p. 301
- ^ Fehrenbach 2001, p. 124
- ^ Gugeler 2005, p. 31
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 302
- ^ a b Catchpole 2001, p. 26
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 307
- ^ Fehrenbach 2001, p. 130
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 312
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 313
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 314
- ^ Fehrenbach 2001, p. 132
- ^ a b c Fehrenbach 2001, p. 134
- ^ Alexander 2003, p. 139
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 317
- ^ a b Catchpole 2001, p. 27
- ^ Alexander 2003, p. 140
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 318
- ^ Ecker 2004, p. 26
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 382
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 453
- ^ a b Millett 2000, p. 532
- ^ Catchpole 2001, p. 33
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 459
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 460
- ^ a b Alexander 2003, p. 184
- ^ a b c Appleman 1998, p. 462
- ^ a b Millett 2000, p. 534
- ^ Catchpole 2001, p. 36
- ^ Fehrenbach 2001, p. 147
- ^ Catchpole 2001, p. 35
- ^ a b c Fehrenbach 2001, p. 150
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Alexander 2003, p. 185
- ^ a b c d Millett 2000, p. 535
- ^ a b c Appleman 1998, p. 463
- ^ a b c d e f g h Appleman 1998, p. 464
- ^ Fehrenbach 2001, p. 151
- ^ Millett 2000, p. 536
- ^ Millett 2000, p. 537
- ^ a b c d e Appleman 1998, p. 465
- ^ a b Alexander 2003, p. 186
- ^ a b c d Fehrenbach 2001, p. 154
- ^ Alexander 2003, p. 187
- ^ Fehrenbach 2001, p. 158
- ^ Appleman 1998, p. 496
- ^ Varhola 2000, p. 108
- ^ Hawaii Marine Brigade Renamed, Reorganized http://articles.latimes.com/1985-08-31/news/mn-24168_1_marine-amphibious-brigade. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ Hoffman, Jon T. USMC: A Complete History. Marine Corps Association, Quantico, VA. 2002. pp. 512, 527, 541, 545, 634, and 641.
- ^ Simmons 2003, p. 288
- ^ a b Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual (PDF), Department of the Navy, August 22, 2006, p. 194, archived from the original (PDF) on July 22, 2011, retrieved July 26, 2011
- ^ Navy 1953, p. 24
- ^ Navy 1953, p. 147
- ^ Navy 1953, p. 161
- ^ Navy 1953, p. 220
- ^ Navy 1953, p. 240
References
- ISBN 978-0-7818-1019-7
- Appleman, Roy E. (1998), South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu: United States Army in the Korean War, ISBN 978-0-16-001918-0, archived from the originalon 2014-02-07, retrieved 2010-12-21
- Caporale, Louis G. (2003), U.S. Marine Corps Tactical Force Development: Provisional Landing Parties to Corps Level from the American Revolution Through Vietnam, ISBN 978-1-57638-204-2
- Catchpole, Brian (2001), The Korean War, ISBN 978-1-84119-413-4
- Donovan, James A. (1992), Outpost in the North Atlantic: Marines in the Defense of Iceland, ISBN 978-0-7881-3524-8
- Ecker, Richard E. (2004), Battles of the Korean War: A Chronology, with Unit-by-Unit United States Casualty Figures & Medal of Honor Citations, ISBN 978-0-7864-1980-7
- ISBN 978-1-57488-334-3
- Fredriksen, John C. (2011), The United States Marine Corps: A Chronology, 1775 to the Present, ISBN 978-1-59884-542-6
- Gugeler, Russell A. (2005), Combat Actions in Korea, ISBN 978-1-4102-2451-4
- Millett, Allan R. (2000), The Korean War, Volume 1, ISBN 978-0-8032-7794-6
- O'Brien, Cyril J. (1994), Liberation: Marines in the Recapture of Guam, ISBN 978-0-16-049374-4
- Rottman, Gordon L. (2001), U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle: Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939–1945, ISBN 978-0-313-31906-8
- Rottman, Gordon L. (2002), World War 2 Pacific Island Guide, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, ISBN 978-0-313-31395-0
- Simmons, Edwin Howard (2003), The United States Marines: A History, ISBN 978-1-55750-868-3
- ISBN 978-1-882810-44-4
- Navy (1953), Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual NAVPERS 15 790, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy