2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion
2nd AAV's Insignia
Active	March 18, 1942 - present
Country	United States
Branch	USMC
Type	Mechanized battalion
Role	Amphibious assault
Part of	2nd Marine Division II Marine Expeditionary Force
Garrison/HQ	Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Nickname	2nd Tracks
Battles/wars	World War II * Battle of Guadalcanal * Battle of Tarawa * * Battle of Saipan * Battle of Tinian * Battle of Okinawa Operation Desert Storm Operation Iraqi Freedom

2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion is a mechanized battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Their primary weapon system is the Amphibious Assault Vehicle and they are part of the 2nd Marine Division and the II Marine Expeditionary Force. The unit is based out of the Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

1 Mission
2 Current units
3 History
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Mission

Land the surface assault element of the landing force and their equipment in a single lift from assault shipping during amphibious operations to inland objectives; to conduct mechanized operations and related combat support in subsequent operations ashore.

[edit] Current units

Headquarters and Services Company
Alpha Company
Bravo Company
Charlie Company
Delta Company

[edit] History

[edit] World War II

The Battalion organization was activated on March 18, 1942 at Marine Barracks San Diego, California. The "Second Amphibian Tractor Battalion" was an Organic unit of the 2nd Marine Division, composed of a Headquarters and Service Company and three letter companies, all equipped with the Landing Vehicle Tracked-1 (LVT-1).

In 1942, the Battalion set sail from San Diego, CA with the 1st Marine Division to meet the Japanese tide sweeping across the South Pacific. Elements of the 2nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion participated in assaults on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Spain, Tinian and Okinawa. After the surrender of Japan in August of 1945, the battalion returned to the United States and deactivated on 29 November 1945. The 2nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion was reactivated on 1 May 1946. The Battalion was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina where it participated in peace time training with the 2nd Marine Division. During this time the Battalion was equipped with the LVT-3 and consisted of a Headquarters and Service company and four letter companies. As a result of the economy program, the Battalion was once again deactivated on 16 October 1949.

[edit] Vietnam War

In 1966, the battalion transferred 260 Amphibian Tractor Crew men to Vietnam. Throughout the war, the 2nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion supported routine deployments and provided training support to the 2nd Marine Division.