What is a Marine Special Weapons Battalion?

[ColdWarRules]

Most particularly the 2nd Special Weapons of the 2nd Marine Division? Time frame WWII.

 

-Nick

 

 

[cplnorton]

Sometimes on ancestry you can see what their MOS was if you look at the actual documents. But I've had a few uniforms that were special weapons and when I research them they were like 75mm gunners or anti air craft or something along that lines.

[Kurt Barickman]

Agreed, most often they were put out as infantryman on some operations which the islands were smaller such as Tarawa. On larger islands such as Guadalcanal or Saipan they were deployed with their anti-tanks guns, halftracks, etc.

 

Kurt

[devildog34]

They were responsible for manning 1/2 tracks as well as 37mm weapons and were a sort of predecessor to the Weapond company

[uplandmod]

Once again Devil Dog beat me to the punch.

 

Recently I wrote to the 6th MarDiv website and talked with the president who was a 6th MarDiv vet in the Special Weapons Battalion at The Battle of Okinawa. My 6th MarDiv coat is ID to a Marine in the 6th MarDiv Special Weapons Battalion at Okinawa as well. His reply was priceless information:

 

 

LEN..I DID NOT KNOW XXXXXXXX....HE SHOWS AS DUTY NUMBER 521 ON OUR ROSTER WHICH IS TANKS...HERE IS WHAT REGIMENTAL WEAPONS COMPANY MAKEUP WAS.

AOUBT 200 PLUS MARINES...UNDER REGIMENTAL COMMAND AND NOT ASIGNED TO A SPCIFIC BN...THE OPERATD INDEPENDENTLY UNDER HQ ASIGNMENT THRU OUR C.O. A CAPTAIN PETRIE.

M--7 TANKS...9 OF THEM..THESE WERE FITTED WITH 105MMS AND NOT THE USUAL75MM. THESE TANKS HAD NOT TURRETS AND WERE 'OPEN TOP'.

3 PLATOOONS OF 37MM ANTI TANK GUNS, WHEELED....THESE WERE 4 37'S TO A PLATOON OF 30 SOME MEN. A LT HEADED THE PLATOON AND ONE GUNNY SGT.

FOUR 50 CAL MACHINE GUNS.

4 30 CAL MGS' ONE TO EACH 37MM..

3 BAZOOKAS TO A PLATOON OF 37MMS

EACH 37MM HAD A 4X4 TRUCK ASSIGNED PERMANENTLY TO THE GUN.

THE GUN WAS WHEELED UP TO POSITIONS WITH THE TRUCK REMAINING FAR BEHIND...MANY TIMES THE GUN WAS TUGGE, ROPED, HAULED ETC OVER NARROW PATHS, AND UP TOP OF RIDGES.

I WAS A GUNNER ON A 37MM.

THERE ARE XLNT VIDOES AVAILABE AS WELL AS THE HISTORY OF THE SIXTH MARINE DIV. WITH PHOTOS OF WEAPONS LISTED ABOVE.

IF I CAN HELP FURTHER LET ME KNOW.

BILL PIERCE

PR CHAIRMAN

 

Hope that helps, I am sure the makeup wasn't much different than the other MarDivs. I do know that at Iwo Jima, the Special Weapons Battalions had Half Tracks attached to them.

 

Leonardo

[patches]

M--7 TANKS...9 OF THEM..THESE WERE FITTED WITH 105MMS AND NOT THE USUAL75MM. THESE TANKS HAD NOT TURRETS AND WERE 'OPEN TOP'.

Hmmm.I do believe the Tanks he's talking about is the Priest, The 105mm Self Propelled Artillery Vehicle. Here's one from the 1st Marine Division.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[uplandmod]

Awesome! Thanks! my weakest knowledge of WWII is vehicles and Tanks.

 

LF

[firefighter]

The Marines had a Special Weapons patch durn WW2.It was the 1st MAC patch and the diamond center had a half track.Very rare patch.Of course I can't find an image of it.Awhile back I bought a U.S. made one of that patch.It's the smaller version on twill.

[medalcollector]

i think this is the halftrack patch firefighter mentioned.