There was not enough time in most instances for weapons familiarization training. Company A of the 1st Tank Battalion had been accustomed to the M4A3 Medium tank with either the 75-mm. gun or the 105-mm. howitzer. Activated on 7 July for service with the Brigade, the unit was equipped with M-26 “Pershing” tanks and 90-mm. guns. Captain Gearl M. English, the commanding officer, managed to snatch 1 day in which to take his men to the range with 2 of the new machines. Each gunner and loader was limited to 2 rounds, and the 90-mm. guns were never fired again until they were taken into combat in Korea.[66]
[66] 1st Tank Bn Special Action Report (SAR), 7 Jul-29 Aug 50, in 1st Provisional Marine Brigade (Brig) SAR, 2 Aug-6 Sep 50.
Support battalions were cut down to company size, generally speaking, for service with the Brigade. Thus Company A of the 1st Motor Transport Battalion numbered 6 officers and 107 men; and Company A of the 1st Engineer Battalion (reinf.) totaled 8 officers and 209 men.
The largest unit of the ground forces, of course, was the 5th Marines with 113 officers and 2,068 men commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Raymond L. Murray. Next came the 1st Battalion (reinf.) of the 11th Marines, numbering 37 officers and 455 men under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Ransom H. Wood.
Altogether, according to a report of 9 July 1950, the Brigade ground forces reached a total of 266 officers and 4,503 men.[67]
[67] CinCPacFlt disp to CINCFE, 9 Jul 50.
On this same date, the Brigade’s air component amounted to 192 officers and 1,358 men. The principal units were as follows:
VMF-214 29 officers, 157 men, 24 F4U4B aircraft. VMF-323 29 officers, 157 men, 24 F4U4B aircraft. VMF(N)-513 15 officers, 98 men, 12 F4U5N aircraft. VMO-6 15 officers, 63 men, 8 OY and 4 HO3S-1 aircraft.[68]
Adding the ground force and air figures gives a grand total of 6,319--458 officers and 5,861 men--on 9 July 1950. Before sailing, however, the activation of third rifle platoons and the last-minute attachment of supporting troops brought the strength of the Brigade and its air components up to 6,534.
Most of the equipment came from the great Marine supply depot at Barstow in the California desert. Here were acres of “mothballed” trucks, jeeps, DUKW’s and amphibian tractors dating back to World War II. It has been aptly remarked, in fact, that “there were more veterans of Iwo and Okinawa among the vehicles than there were among the men who would drive them.”[69]