The 4th Engineer Amphibian Brigade was activated at Fort Devens on 1 February 1943, with the 534th, 544th and 594th Engineer Amphibian Regiments assigned. The brigade moved to Camp Edwards, where it was redesignated the 4th Engineer Special Brigade on 10 May, with the three regiments becoming engineer boat and shore regiments. The brigade moved to Camp Gordon Johnston in September 1943, and then staged at Camp Stoneman, California, on 21 April 1944, before departing the San Francisco Port of Embarkation for New Guinea on 28 April. Its commanding general throughout its lifetime was Colonel Henry Hutchings, Jr., who was promoted to brigadier general on 15 January 1944.
The 4th Engineer Amphibian Brigade arrived at Oro Bay on 18 May 1944, where its headquarters opened on 23 May. Most of the rest of the brigade arrived in the area over the next few weeks, and participated in amphibious training with the 31st Infantry Division. The Boat Battalion of the 534th Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment was sent to the Bulimba Boat Yards in Brisbane, where it was engaged in assembling landing craft. It participated in the assaults on Morotai in the Netherlands East Indies on 15 September 1944, and Lingayen Gulf on Luzon in the Philippines on 9 January 1945. It was inactivated in Japan on 15 April 1946.
UNITS:
Brigade Headquarters
Medical Detachment
534th Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment
544th Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment
594th Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment
564th Engineer Boat Maintenance Battalion
264th Medical Battalion
164th Ordnance Maintenance Company
199th Quartermaster Gasoline Supply Company
289th Signal Company
694th Truck Company
3492nd Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company
4th Engineer Amphibian Brigade Band
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