During the war the battalion spent significant time defending Nukufetau and took part in combat operations at Tarawa and Tinian.

[5] It was one of two airdrome battalions formed by the Marine Corps specifically to defend airfields in the China Burma India Theater.

Those airfields were overrun by the Japanese before the battalions deployed so the Marine Corps quickly changed their tasking to missions in the Pacific Theater.

[6] The 2d Airdrome Battalion departed the United States near the end of May 1943 onboard the USS Henderson (AP-1) and SS Cape Clear (AK-5039).

On August 14, 1943 the battalion embarked on the USS Ormsby (APA-49) and the SS Whistler and sailed west for the Ellice Islands.

During this time, it conducted routine patrols and took a number of Japanese prisoners of war remaining on the island after the battle.

The battalion was guarding the airfield on August 6, 1945, when the Enola Gay launched to drop the first ever nuclear weapon against Hiroshima in mainland Japan.

[15] The battalion sailed back to the United States and was officially decommissioned on December 6, 1945, at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California.