The 13th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion (13th AAA Bn) was a United States Marine Corpsantiaircraft unit that served during World War II. Formed in 1942 as the 13th Defense Battalion, its original mission was to provide air and coastal defense for advanced naval bases. During the war the battalion defended Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Hawaii. The battalion was the first Defense/AAA Battalion to be decommissioned during the war officially folding its flag on September 7, 1944.
The 13th Defense Battalion was commissioned on September 25, 1942 at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba.[1] The battalion's Headquarters and Service Battery was formed by the re-designation of the Marine Barracks, Naval Operating Base, Guantanamo Bay. The rest of the battalion's personnel were later joined from training units in North Carolina.[2] The battalion remained at Guantanamo Bay. Cuba providing air and coastal defense until March 5, 1944 when it embarked on the SS George Washington bound for the United States. The battalion arrived in New Orleans on March 11, 1944 with follow on travel to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Beginning in 1944 the Marine Corps removed coastal artillery from the defense battalions in order to form additional heavy artillery units for the Fleet Marine Force.[3] Because of the divestiture of the coastal defense mission, the battalion was re-designated as the 13th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion on April 15, 1944.[4] In July 1944 the battalion travelled to the West Coase and sailed for Pearl Harbor, arriving on August 14, 1944. The 13th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion was decommissioned on September 7, 1944 making it the first of the Defense/AAA Battalions to be decommissioned.
Unit awardsedit
A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation. The 13th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion has been presented with the following awards:
Rottman, Gordon L. (2002). U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle: Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939–1945. Greenwood Press. ISBN0-313-31906-5.
April 13, 2024
13th, antiaircraft, artillery, battalion, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, s. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources 13th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message The 13th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion 13th AAA Bn was a United States Marine Corps antiaircraft unit that served during World War II Formed in 1942 as the 13th Defense Battalion its original mission was to provide air and coastal defense for advanced naval bases During the war the battalion defended Guantanamo Bay Cuba and Hawaii The battalion was the first Defense AAA Battalion to be decommissioned during the war officially folding its flag on September 7 1944 13th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion13th Defense Battalion InsigniaActive25 Sep 1942 1 17 Sep 1944Country United States of AmericaBranchUnited States Marine CorpsTypeAir Defense Coastal DefenseSize 1100 menEngagementsWorld War IICommandersCurrentcommanderN A Contents 1 History 1 1 Organization 2 Unit awards 3 See also 4 Citations 5 ReferencesHistory editOrganization edit The 13th Defense Battalion was commissioned on September 25 1942 at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base Cuba 1 The battalion s Headquarters and Service Battery was formed by the re designation of the Marine Barracks Naval Operating Base Guantanamo Bay The rest of the battalion s personnel were later joined from training units in North Carolina 2 The battalion remained at Guantanamo Bay Cuba providing air and coastal defense until March 5 1944 when it embarked on the SS George Washington bound for the United States The battalion arrived in New Orleans on March 11 1944 with follow on travel to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune North Carolina Beginning in 1944 the Marine Corps removed coastal artillery from the defense battalions in order to form additional heavy artillery units for the Fleet Marine Force 3 Because of the divestiture of the coastal defense mission the battalion was re designated as the 13th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion on April 15 1944 4 In July 1944 the battalion travelled to the West Coase and sailed for Pearl Harbor arriving on August 14 1944 The 13th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion was decommissioned on September 7 1944 making it the first of the Defense AAA Battalions to be decommissioned Unit awards editA unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation The 13th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion has been presented with the following awards Streamer Award Year s Additional Info nbsp World War II Victory Streamer 1941 1945See also editMarine Defense Battalions List of United States Marine Corps aviation support unitsCitations edit a b Rottman 2002 pp 212 The History of Guantanamo Bay The Indian Guantanamo Bay Cuba United States Navy 1952 12 27 p 3 Retrieved 2022 01 03 Rottman 2002 pp 216 Rottman 2002 pp 216 217 References editBibliographyRottman Gordon L 2002 U S Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War 1939 1945 Greenwood Press ISBN 0 313 31906 5 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 13th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion amp oldid 1216414815, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
