The LSUs transported all the tanks and personnel to the USS Fort Marion LSD-22 (a Casa Grande class dock landing ship) where the LSUs ran into the well deck of the LSD and the operation was accomplished in approximately 3 hours without mishap. The LSU was an enlarged version of the WWII built LCT Mk 5s constructed during the late 1940s where the main difference was enlarged crew accommodations. Very few of them had ever fired the 90mm prior to that time.Īt 1345 hours on July 11, all vehicles were loaded aboard beached LSUs, three to a LSU. All the gunners and loaders fired only two rounds to familiarize themselves with their new weapon. Due to the rapid moving situation and limited time for training, two M26 tanks were taken to the tank range at Camp Joseph H. Approval was received and M26 tanks at a Marine storage depot in Barstow, California were given a thorough mechanical check as time permitted prior to shipment to San Diego for embarkation. A request to replace the M4A3s with M26 Pershing tanks was submitted to the Commandant of the Marine Corps and requisitions for spare parts, fording gear and other necessary items were prepared. The attack force included the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 5th Marine Regiment as well as supporting companies from the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Medical Battalion, 1st Motor Transport Battalion, 1st Ordnance Battalion, 1st Service Battalion, 1st Shore Party Battalion, 1st Signal Battalion, 1st Combat Service Group, 1st Amphibian Tractor Company, and the 1st Tank Battalion.Ĭompany A of the the 1st Marine Tank Battalion was activated on July 7 and at the time was equipped with the M4A3(105) intended for infantry support. The organization was a 4,725-man force based around the 5th Marine Regiment and supported by Marine Aircraft Group 33 (MAG-33) including military police, reconnaissance and intelligence companies. The brigade was formed the last time when it was hastily assembled for action in Korea. The brigade saw five brief activation for service over a 40-year span from 1912 to 1950. The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade of the US Marine Corps (USMC) was an ad hoc unit formed for specific operations and was not considered a permanent USMC unit. The UN forces were pushed all the way down to the southeast corner of the Korean peninsula where a pocket around the port of Pusan was formed and became known as the Pusan Perimeter. In their first engagement around Chinji on July 28, all three of the Pershing tanks were abandoned after overheating due to incorrect fan belts. Three M26 Pershing tanks founded in an ordnance depot in Japan were hurriedly rebuilt and sent to Korea. UN air strikes flying from Japan and carriers managed to destroy some of the NKPA armor but it was not enough to stop the invading army. Throughout the month of July, the UN forces withdrew under pressure and it became known as the “bug out” period. The South Korean (ROK) units and the meager US forces were no match against the invading North Korean armor and infantry units. Elements of the US 24th Infantry Division on occupation duty in Japan were airlifted to Korea and M24 Chaffee light tanks based in Japan were hastily sent to Korea. On June 27, US President Truman ordered US forces to South Korea. 109th Tank Regiment (Numbers 300 to 339).203rd Tank Regiment (Numbers 200 to 239).
After the capture of Seoul, the NKPA 105th Armored Brigade was raised to division status. On 25 June 1950, the North Korean Peoples Army (NKPA) spearheaded by ex-Soviet T-34/85 tanks and SU-76M assault guns of the 105th Armored Brigade crossed the 38th Parallel and invaded South Korea. During the war, there were 15 tank-vs-tank actions that involved the 1st Marine Tank Battalion. The battalion participated in the amphibious landing at Inchon, the liberation of South Korean capital Seoul and the amphibious landing at Wonsan where it advanced north supporting the Marines at the Chosin reservoir. Upon arrival, elements of the battalion disembarked at the port of Pusan and immediately went into combat where it was the first unit to engage and defeated the feared T-34 tank. Soon after the outbreak of the Korean War, the US 1st Marine Tank Battalion was one of the armored units ordered to prepare for a rapid deployment to Korea.
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