2d Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion
military unit
The 2d Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion (2d AAA Bn) was a United States Marine Corps antiaircraft unit that served during World War II. Formed in 1940 as the 2d Defense Battalion, its original mission was to provide air and coastal defense for advanced naval bases. During the war the battalion defended Hawaii, Tutuila in American Samoa and Guam and took part in combat operations at Tarawa Atoll and Okinawa. The battalion returned to the United States after the war and was decommissioned at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California on 28 November 1945.
History
History
Formation and early training
The 2d Defense Battalion was commissioned on March 1, 1940, at San Diego, California. Lieutenant Colonel Bertram A. Bone was the first commanding officer of the battalion. Because of the Marine Corps' rapid growth beginning in 1939, there was a great deal of movement amongst leadership as the institution struggled to keep pace. This led to the battalion having five commanding officers by the time the war began in December 1941. The battalion was the only defense battalion still stateside when war broke out. It deployed to Hawaii in December 1941 and quickly prepared for follow on tasking. The battalion arrived in American Samoa in January 1942 to assist the 7th Defense Battalion with air and coastal defense of the region.
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