1st Battalion 11th Marines (1/11) is an

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

battalion comprising four firing batteries and a Headquarters battery. The battalion is stationed at the

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by Oc ...

in California. Its primary weapon system is the

M777 The M777 howitzer is a British towed 155 mm artillery piece in the howitzer class. It is used by the ground forces of Australia, Canada, Colombia, India, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, and the United States. It was first used in combat during the US ...

lightweight howitzer. The battalion is under the command of the 11th Marine Regiment, part of the

1st Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). It is the ...

Mission

To provide direct support to the 1st Marine Division in time of conflict. That support may come in the traditional fashion of artillery support to maneuver forces, or by providing batteries to serve as temporary rifle companies. It also has the secondary mission of being the primary providers of

civil-military operations Civil-military operations or CMO are activities of a military force to minimize civil interference on and maximize civil support for military operations. CMO is conducted in conjunction with combat operations during wartime and becomes a central p ...

(CMO). CMO is defined as the activities of the commander that establish, maintain, influence, or exploit relations between military organizations, Government and civilian organizations and the civilian population.

Subordinate units

Headquarters Battery In United States Army units, a Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) is a company (military unit), company-sized military unit, found at the battalion level and higher. Considered one unit, a Headquarters and Headquarters Company is essent ...

Battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

A (Alpha Battery) * Battery B (Bravo Battery) * Battery C (Charlie Battery) * Battery I (India Battery) (attached from 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines)

History

Early years

The 1st Battalion, 11th Marines, was activated together with rest of the regiment on 20 August 1917 at the

Marine Corps Base Quantico Marine Corps Base Quantico (commonly abbreviated MCB Quantico) is a United States Marine Corps installation located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly of southern Prince William County, Virginia, northern Stafford County, and southeaster ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. The battalion underwent intensive infantry training until September 1918, when it was attached to the 5th Marine Brigade and ordered to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The 1st Battalion arrived on October 13 to

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...

, but too late to see combat. The battalion was stationed in the area around the town of

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...

until July 1919. when it was ordered stateside and deactivated at

Norfolk Navy Yard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility tha ...

on 11 August 1919. The 1st Battalion was reactivated on 3 December 1923 at the

, as the 1st Battalion, 10th Regiment. It participated in mail guard duty in the mid-western United States from October 1926 to February 1927. The battalion deployed during April to June 1927 to

Tientsin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

in China and was assigned to the 3rd Marine Brigade. The unit returned during September 1928 to MCB Quantico and was detached from the 3rd Marine Brigade during December 1928. It were re-designated on 10 July 1930 to the 1st Battalion, 10th Marines. The battalion was assigned to the 1st Marine Brigade during September 1935. It was re-designated on 1 September 1940 as the 1st Battalion, 11th Marines. During October 1940, it was deployed to Guantanamo Bay in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. On 1 February 1941, the 1st Marine Brigade was re-designated as the

. The battalion relocated to New River,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

during April 1941.

World War II

1st Battalion, 11th Marines was reassigned during March 1942 to the 3rd Marine Brigade. It was deployed during March 1942 to

Western Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); a ...

. The battalion was again reassigned to the 1st Marine Division in September 1942. The battalion participated in the

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...

and

New Britain New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Dam ...

campaigns; it also carried out operations on Finschhafen,

Peleliu Peleliu (or Beliliou) is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu, along with two small islands to its northeast, forms one of the sixteen states of Palau. The island is notable as the location of the Battle of Peleliu in World War II. H ...

and

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

. After the war the battalion was redeployed in September 1945 to Tientsin, China. It participated in the occupation of North China from September 1945 to January 1947. It was then redeployed during January 1947 to

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

, and detached from the 1st Marine Division. While in Guam, the unit constructed Camp Witek, the 1st Marine Brigade base. The battalion was reassigned during June 1947 to the 1st Marine Brigade. It was deactivated on 1 October 1947.

Korean War

The battalion was reactivated on 1 October 1949 at Camp Pendleton and assigned to the 1st Marine Division. It was then reassigned during July 1950 to the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade. The battalion was then deployed in July and August 1950 to

Pusan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. The battalion participated in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, from August 1950 to July 1953, taking part in the actions at the

Battle of the Pusan Perimeter The Battle of the Pusan Perimeter ( ko, 부산 교두보 전투) was a large-scale battle between United Nations Command (UN) and North Korean forces lasting from August 4 to September 18, 1950. It was one of the first major engagements of the ...

, at

Inchon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

and the

Chosin Reservoir The Chosin Reservoir (), formally known as Lake Changjin () is a lake located in Changjin County, North Korea. It is most famously known for being the site of the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, which was an important battle in the Korean War. ...

. Personnel also saw action on the East-Central and Western Fronts. 1st Battalion, 11th Marines participated in the occupation of the

Korean Demilitarized Zone The Korean Demilitarized Zone (Korean: ; Hanbando Bimujang Jidae) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in ha ...

from August 1953 to March 1955. It returned to Camp Pendleton in April 1955.

Vietnam War

The battalion deployed during August 1965 to Camp Hansen,

and redeployed during January 1966 to

Chu Lai Chu Lai is a seaport, urban and industrial area in Núi Thành District, Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam. The city is served by Chu Lai International Airport. It is also the site of the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone (Vietnamese: ''Với Khu Kinh T� ...

, in the

Republic of Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

. It was reassigned to the

3rd Marine Division The 3rd Marine Division is a division of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Courtney, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan. It is one of three active duty infantry divisions in the Marine Corps and together with th ...

. During March 1966, the unit was reassigned to the 1st Marine Division. The battalion operated from Chu Lai,

Da Nang Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one ...

, Quang Tri, Phu Bai,

Con Thien Con Thien (Vietnamese: Cồn Tiên, meaning the "Hill of Angels") was a military base that started out as a U.S. Army Special Forces camp before transitioning to a United States Marine Corps combat base. It was located near the Vietnamese Demi ...

, Ca Lu,

Khe Sanh Khe Sanh is the district capital of Hướng Hoá District, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam, located 63 km west of Đông Hà. During the Vietnam War, the Khe Sanh Combat Base was located to the north of the city. The Battle of Khe San ...

, Cua Viet,

Dong Ha Dong or DONG may refer to: Places * Dong Lake, or East Lake, a lake in China * Dong, Arunachal Pradesh, a village in India * Dong (administrative division) (동 or 洞), a neighborhood division in Korea Persons *Queen Dong (1623–1681), prince ...

and Quang Nam from January 1966 to March 1971. It was reassigned during 1971 to the 3rd Marine Amphibious Brigade; it returned during March 1971 to Camp Pendleton and reassigned to the 1st Marine Division. Alpha Battery 1st Battalion 11th Marines was known as Alpha North in early 1966. On the night of 18 April 1966 Alpha North was overrun. It suffered 5 marines killed and 28 wounded. All of the howitzers received damage. The battery moved to the 1-1 compound at Hoi An.

Gulf War and the 1990s

1st Battalion, 11th Marines participated in

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

from September 1990 to March 1991. Elements participated in

Operation Sea Angel Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

from May to June 1991. Elements also participated in

Operation Restore Hope The Unified Task Force (UNITAF) was a United States-led, United Nations-sanctioned multinational force which operated in Somalia from 5 December 1992 until 4 May 1993. A United States initiative (code-named Operation Restore Hope), U ...

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

from December 1992 to March 1993.

Global War on Terror

In January 2003 the battalion deployed in support of

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

. After participating in the

invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Ba'athist Iraq, Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one mont ...

it returned to Camp Pendleton in July 2003. Individual firing Batteries have continued to support the MEU cycle in the war on terror since 2003. The battalion HQ deployed to Anbar Province Iraq with Battery A, Battery C, and Battery K as a provisional infantry battalion in June 2007. The unit returned to Camp Pendleton in late April 2008. In April 2010 the battalion deployed to Helmand Province, in Afghanistan, in support of

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...

10.1. The battalion was attached to the 1st Marine Division (Forward) Task Force Leatherneck. The battalion was reinforced, comprising three gun batteries (Bravo, India 3/12, and Lima 3/12) and a HiMARS rocket Battery (Tango 5/11, later Sierra 5/11). 1/11 was assigned an artillery tactical mission of General Support to Task Force Leatherneck. The battalion returned from Afghanistan in November 2010 and began fielding the Expeditionary Fire Support System (EFSS).

Notes

References

: ;Bibliography ;Web
1/11's official website
{{1stMarDiv Artillery battalions of the United States Marine Corps 1st Marine Division (United States) Articles containing video clips