Subordinate units
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- Headquarters Battalion
- 14th Marine Regiment
- 23rd Marine Regiment
- 24th Marine Regiment
- 25th Marine Regiment
- 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion
- 4th Combat Engineer Battalion
- 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
- 4th Reconnaissance Battalion
- 4th Tank Battalion
- Anti-Terrorism Battalion
- 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company
- 4th Force Reconnaissance Company
- 3rd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO)
- 4th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO)
History
World War II
This division was formed by the organization and redesignation of several other units. The 23rd Marine Regiment began as infantry detached from the 3rd Marine Division in February 1943, the same month that an artillery battalion of the 12th Marines became the genesis of the 14th Marines and engineer elements of the 19th Marines formed the nucleus of the 20th Marines. In March the 24th Marine Regiment was organized, and then in May it was split in two to supply the men for the 25th Marines.
This war-time shuffling provided the major building blocks for a new division. The units were originally separated, however, with the 24th Marines and a variety of reinforcing units (engineer, artillery, medical, motor transport, special weapons, tanks, etc.) at Camp Pendleton in California. The rest of the units were at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. This East Coast echelon moved to Pendleton by train and transit of the Panama Canal in July and August. When all the units were finally together, the 4th Marine Division was formally activated on 14 August 1943, with Major General Harry Schmidt in command.
After intensive training, it shipped out on 13 January 1944, and in 13 months made four major amphibious assaults, in the battles of Kwajalein (Roi-Namur), Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima, suffering more than 17,000 casualties. It was awarded two Presidential Unit Citations and a Navy Unit Commendation, and then deactivated 28 November 1945.
In February 1966, it was reactivated as the lead division in the Marine Forces Reserve, and major units later served with distinction in the Persian Gulf.