4th Battalion 10th Marines (4/10) was an

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

battalion in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

that was formed on 11 April 1941 just prior to America's entrance into

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and served until the end of the 1980s. It fought at the

Battle of Tarawa The Battle of Tarawa was fought on 20–23 November 1943 between the United States and Japan on Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, and was part of Operation Galvanic, the U.S. invasion of the Gilberts. Nearly 6,400 Japanese, Koreans, and Am ...

and the

Battle of Saipan The Battle of Saipan was an amphibious assault launched by the United States against the Empire of Japan during the Pacific War, Pacific campaign of World War II between 15 June and 9 July 1944. The initial invasion triggered the Battle of the ...

during

and was sent to

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

during the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis () in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of Nuclear weapons d ...

in case hostilities broke out. The battalion was deactivated for the last time in 1989 and remains in an inactive status today.

Current units

*Headquarters Battery *K Battery *L Battery *M Battery

History

4th Battalion 10th Marines was activated on March 11, 1941, at Marine Corps Base Camp Elliot in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Rottman (2002), p.196. In March 1942 they deployed to Niland, California for six weeks of intensive artillery training at the Marine Corps school that had been established at Marine Corps Barracks Camp Dunlap. Buckner (1981), p.49. They would return to San Diego and eventually deploy on November 3, 1942, on board the SS President Monroe which had just been acquired by the

War Shipping Administration The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the United States needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime C ...

to transport troops and supplies overseas. They arrived in

Wellington, New Zealand Wellington is Capital of New Zealand, the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the List of cities in New Zealand, third-largest city ...

on November 22 and were quickly moved to Camp Judgeford. They would remain there while the rest of the regiment would fight during the

Guadalcanal Campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by the United States, was an Allies of World War II, Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during th ...

. Buckner (1981), p.57. The first combat the battalion would see would come at the

although it would not be much. 4/10 landed on November 23, 1943, the last day of the battle, in time to support 2nd Battalion 6th Marines final assault on the islands that made up the eastern portion of the

Tarawa Atoll Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Kiribati, Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''The World ...

. 4/10 returned to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

along with the rest of the

2nd Marine Division The 2nd Marine Division (2nd MARDIV) is a division of the United States Marine Corps, which forms the ground combat element of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF). The division is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina a ...

after the battle to rest and refit. They would be based out of

Camp Tarawa Camp Tarawa was a training camp located on Hawaii (island), Hawaiʻi Island constructed and used by the 2nd Marine Division (United States), 2nd Marine Division during World War II. The grounds of the camp were situated between the volcanic peak ...

on the northern edge of the

big island of Hawaii Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * ''Big'', a 2023 Taiwanese children's film starring Van Fan and Chie Tanaka * '' Big!'', a Discover ...

. They would remain there and train until May 25, 1944, when the 2nd Marine Division left

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

embarked upon 22 LSTs. Johnston (1948), p.174.

Medal of Honor recipients

The Medal of Honor is the highest

military decoration Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medallion. Civil decorations award ...

awarded by the United States. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself "... conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States ...". The following table contains the name of the man who received the Medal of Honor while serving in 4/10. He is listed in accordance to the "Date of Action" in which the MoH citation was made.

Citations

References

: ;Bibliography * * * Rottman, Gordon L. ''U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle: Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939-1945.'' Greenwood Press, 2002. . ;Web
Battle of Tarawa Order of Battle

{{Refend Military units and formations of the United States Marine Corps in World War II Artillery units and formations

Current units

History

Medal of Honor recipients

See also

Citations

References