V Amphibious Corps

V Amphibious Corps

Active	25 August 1943 – 15 February 1946
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Marine Air-Ground Task Force
Role	Expeditionary combat force
Part of	Inactive
Engagements	World War II * Battle of Tarawa * Battle of Makin * Battle of Kwajalein * Battle of Eniwetok * Battle of Saipan * Battle of Tinian * Battle of Iwo Jima

The V Amphibious Corps (VAC) was a formation of the United States Marine Corps which was composed of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions in World War II. The three divisions were the amphibious landing force for the United States Fifth Fleet and were notably involved in the battles for Tarawa, Saipan, and Iwo Jima, during the war. The V Amphibious Corps was commanded by General Holland 'Howlin Mad' Smith followed by General Harry Schmidt.

History

The V Amphibious Corps (formerly Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet; ACPF) was formed on 25 August 1943 at Camp Elliot, California. In September 1943, it moved to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Structure

The structure of a United States Marine Corps' amphibious corps by 1945, was broken down into four major subordinate commands with each of them having numerous sub-elements:

The first major element of the Corps was three reinforced Marine infantry divisions.
The second was the Corps artillery, which was composed of a field artillery group made of three battalions of 155mm howitzers, three battalions of 155mm guns, and an Antiaircraft Artillery Group made of three antiaircraft artillery battalions.
The third was the Amphibian Tractor Group, which was made up of four amphibian tractor battalions and an armored amphibian tractor battalion.
The fourth was the Corps Troops, which was composed of a headquarters and service battalion, administrative command, signal battalion, medical battalion, motor transport battalion, engineer battalion, reconnaissance battalion, and military police battalion.^[1]

Subordinate units

The US Marine Corps and US Army commands that served under the V Amphibious Corps in World War II include:^[2]

Marine Corps

2nd Marine Division
3rd Marine Division
4th Marine Division
5th Marine Division
22nd Marine Regiment
Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion [formerly "Company"]

Army

Marine Corps commanders

General Holland M. Smith: 25 August 1943 – 11 July 1944
General Harry Schmidt: 12 July 1944 – 15 February, 1946 (Deactivation)

Unit awards

Presidential Unit Citation: V Amphibious Corps, (Reinforced), Assault Troops, 19-28 February 1945, Iwo Jima ^[3]
Navy Unit Commendation: V Amphibious Corps, (Reinforced), Support Troops, 19-28 February 1945, Iwo Jima.^[3]

Notes

↑ Rottman USMC WWII OOB, p.102.
↑ Rottman USMC WWII OOB, p. 111.
1 2 https://www.mcu.usmc.mil/historydivision/Pages/Frequently_Requested/BattleHonors_6Mar_WWII.aspx

References

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

Arens, Major Mark P., USMCR (1995). "Chapter 2: V Amphibious Corps". V [Marine] Amphibious Corps Planning for Operation Olympic and the Role of Intelligence in Support of Planning (Marine Corps Staff and Command College). Retrieved 13 May 2007. Written in fulfillment of a requirement for the Marine Corps Staff and Command College.

Rottman, Gordon L. (2002). U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle – Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939 – 1945. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-31906-5.

Drez, Ronald J. and Stephen E. Ambrose (2003). Twenty-Five Yards of War: The Extraordinary Courage of Ordinary Men in World War II. Hyperion. p. 227. ISBN 978-0-7868-8668-5. This three division Marine force was the largest ever committed to a single battle in the history of the Corps. It would bear the title V Amphibious Corps or VAC.

Rottman, Gordon L. and Mike Chappell (1995). US Marine Corps 1941–45. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-85532-497-0.

United States Marine Corps

Leadership	Secretary of the Navy Under Secretary of the Navy Commandant of the Marine Corps Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Marine Corps generals United States Congress House Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Senate Subcommittee on Seapower

Major commands	Organization of the Marine Corps Headquarters Marine Corps Marine Forces Command II Marine Expeditionary Force Marine Forces Pacific I Marine Expeditionary Force III Marine Expeditionary Force Marine Forces Reserve Fleet Marine Force Atlantic Pacific

Structure	Marine Air-Ground Task Force Bases Battalions Regiments Brigades Divisions MEF/Corps Marine aviation Marine expeditionary unit Special Operations Marine Raider Regiment Recon Force Division

Personnel and training	Personnel Rank insignia MOS Notable Marines Historical Marines Criminal Investigation Division Judge Advocate Division Chaplain of the Marine Corps Hispanic Marines Associated organizations Training Recruit Training School of Infantry Officer Candidates School The Basic School Martial Arts Program

Uniforms and equipment	Uniforms Awards Badges Weapons Vehicles and aircraft Individual equipment

History and traditions	History Culture Acronyms and terms Birthday Ball Eagle, Globe, and Anchor Marine Band Drum and Bugle Corps Service Numbers Marine Corps War Memorial Flag Marine One Marines' Hymn National Museum Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima Rifleman's Creed Semper Fidelis Silent Drill Platoon History of Hispanics in the USMC Toys for Tots

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