page_title: 4th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion
section_title: Formation, Gitmo and Pearl Harbor
hierarchical_section_title: 4th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion / History / Formation, Gitmo and Pearl Harbor
caption_attribution_description: English: 4TH DEFENSE BATTALION 155MM GUN, emplaced near Barakoma, is prepared to give General McClure's Northern Landing Force seacoast protection. The Marines' eight Long Toms never had a chance to fire at a live target, but were ready to do so if necessary.
context_page_description: The 4th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion was a United States Marine Corps antiaircraft unit that served during World War II. Formed in 1940 as the 4th Defense Battalion, its original mission was providing air and coastal defense of advanced naval bases. It was one of first five defense battalions deployed in support of the color-coded war plans that called for the defense of Hawaii and other outlying United States possessions in the Pacific Ocean. These five battalions were nicknamed the "Rainbow Five." During the war the battalion took part in combat operations during the attack on Pearl Harbor and at Vella Lavella. The battalion was decommissioned on 9 June 1945 before the end of the war.
context_section_description: The 4th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion was commissioned on February 1, 1940 at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina. The original manpower for the battalion came from a cadre from the 3rd Defense Battalion.  The battalion departed the United States in February 1941 bound for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  Upon arrival they immediately established camp at the Deer Point area of the base. The unit did not stay in Cuba long and in October 1941 it boarded ships headed for Hawaii.  The battalion arrived at Pearl Harbor on 1 December 1941 and was present for the attack on Pearl Harbor six days later. Although the battalion did not have any heavy guns operational during the attack it was able to get antiaircraft machine guns operational against Japanese aircraft.  On December 13th the battalion began manning air defense positions around Pearl Harbor.  At the same time that portions of the battalion were manning those new antiaircraft positions a large portion of the battalion was loading onto the USS Tangier (AV-8) as part of the relief force for the garrison on Wake Island.  The ship was loaded by December 13th however it was unable to leave until December 16th because it had to wait for the USS Saratoga (CV-3) to refuel.  The relief expedition did not make it to Wake Island in time and was instead diverted to Midway.  4th Defense Battalion units at Pearl continued to man their positions until February 23, 1942 when they were relieved in order to prepare for movement to the South Pacific.
caption: 155 mm Long Tom gun "Scorpion" of the 4th Marine Defense Battalion at Barakoma Airfield on Vella Lavella in the South Pacific.
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