1st Provisional Marine Brigade

1st Provisional Marine Brigade
Several men carry a man on a stretcher through a field of grass
Members of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade carry a wounded man on a stretcher during the Battle of Pusan Perimeter in 1950.
ActiveMay–July 1912
14 July 1941 – 25 March 1942
18 April – 9 September 1944
1 June – 1 October 1947
7 July – 13 September 1950
Country United States of America
Allegiance United States Marine Corps
BranchActive duty
TypeMarines
RoleAmphibious warfare
Anti-tank warfare
Armoured warfare
Artillery observer
Cold-weather warfare
Combined arms
Counter-battery fire
Force protection
Fire support
Indirect fire
Jungle warfare
Maneuver warfare
Military intelligence
Military supply-chain management
Patrolling
Raiding
Reconnaissance
SizeBrigade
Nickname(s)"Fire Brigade"
EngagementsNegro Rebellion

World War II

Korean War

Commanders
Notable
commanders
John Marston
Lemuel C. Shepherd
Edward A. Craig

The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade was a marine brigade of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) that existed periodically from 1912 to 1950. It was an ad hoc unit formed for specific operations and not considered a "permanent" USMC unit.

The brigade saw five brief activations for service over a 40-year span. First created in 1912 for duty in Cuba following the Negro Rebellion, the brigade was not activated again until 1941 when it was hastily constructed from the 6th Marine Regiment to garrison Iceland after British forces occupied the country during World War II. The brigade saw service once more in the war during the Battle of Guam in the Pacific War, conducting an amphibious landing on that island's southern sector and subduing resistance from Japanese forces. It was activated once more in a brief organizational shift after the war.

The brigade was formed again in 1950 when it was hastily assembled for service in the Korean War. The brigade participated in a counterattack at Masan before reinforcing United States Army units during the Battle of Pusan Perimeter, and at the First and Second Battles of Naktong Bulge along the Naktong River. The brigade was deactivated for the last time when it was merged with the 1st Marine Division.