8. April 7, 1945: Co "C" constructed a C1 #40 D/S Bailey Bridge at HANHOFF, GERMANY. The level of combat detail varies from unit to unit. 294th Engineer Combat Battalion, VII Corps, 1st Army, Bill Adair - Army, Don Scott - Army Air Corps, Bill Garrison - Army Air Corps, Bill Livingstone - Army Air Corps, Clyde Burnette - Army Air Corps, Bill Toombs - Army Air Corps, B.E. Holtum. . Contact was lost with this platoon at 0850 hours. Vaughan and the destroyer O'Brien suffered a second kamikaze attack which killed all three of his hometown pals who served with him on board. From 25 July to 27 July, the 296th supported the 4th Infantry Division at Marigny, France. Division in its drive to the North. Co "C" removed the Infantry support bridge at HUNDHAUSEN. It was the highest bridge constructed by the first army Engineer Combat Battalion in the E.T.O. 37. Troops were divided into groups: one group reached the marshalling camp by truck commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Julian P. Fox Junior, and the second one left by train under Major Wales W. Wallace' s command. Normandy: 6-7 June 1944 Assault Landing. ANTHEE, BELGIUM.11 May 26, 2010 at 2:13 pm. 1. Bn. His father worked as a chef in America and as soon as he became a citizen in 1939, he sent for the rest of the family. moved to a new bivouac in the woods South of EUPEN. Battalion moved to new bivouac in vicinity of CARENTAN. The battalion was used in an effort to block the German advance by deploying landmines, obstacles and establishing roadblocks. He woke in free fall with no idea how he had made it out, and soon he was in German custody. Russel, T/5 Stiedel and Pfc. By the time we finished training, the war in Africa was over. The Deep River boys were Ernie Calamari, George Ressler, Bill Ackerman, Waldon Hartson, Charlie Euston, George Watrous, Harvey Brooks, Doug Carlson, Ray Swain, and Victor Carlson. This society is an independent charitable organization. 11. Division. gave him permission to go see him. They don't realize how wonderful it is to hear and I bet you'd be so happy to have yours back. All Rights Reserved. Shipped out to England to prepare for the Normandy invasion, the eighteen year old got "scared as Hell" when he was briefed on the German defenses. This bridge remained in use until 1955. Individual Deceased Personnel Files (IDPFs), 1st Marine Division Headquarters Battalion, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Third Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division Headquarters Battalion, Jungle Warfare Training Center, Okinawa (TECOM), 4th Marine Divisoin Headquarters Battalion, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 5th Marine Division Headquarters Battalion, Battle of Hellzapoppin Ridge and Hill 600A, Battle of Mount Austen, the Galloping Horse, and the Sea Horse, 131st Armored Ordnance Maintenance Battalion, 137th Armored Ordnance Maintenance Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Observation Battalion, 376th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, 416th Military Police Escort Guard Company, 428th Signal Heavy Construction Battalion, 456th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, 463rd Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, 497th Ordnance Motor Vehicle Assembly Company, 568th Ordnance Heavy Automotive Maintenance Company, 801st Airborne Ordnance Maintenance Company. 23. However, I do rent airplanes and fly and have the other pilot handle the radio. She was also present on that fateful day. 127. As a young airman I hitchiked many times over that road to see my wife in the 1950s. Can't wait to hear more about your time spent in training and your work with the engineers. the goal was to be home by Christmas! RootsWeb is funded and supported by Thank you. Gp. While he was not in the immediate area of the blast he was at the scene of the accident shortly after it occured. I have been back to Sherborne on four occasions. Right away, as the oldest one in the large group, she became the leader on the journey. was attached to the 3rd Armored Division and was given the mission of organizing, occupying, and defending at all cost a road block on the high ground just west of GRAND MENIL, BELGIUM. It took us 21 days from Antwerp to New York. Now you have information on the tragic accident from someone who was there. Find out whether your WWII veteran was awarded valor medals for gallantry in action or for wounds received in the line of duty. While there, there was a German air raid and two planes were shot down. Discover the military campaigns and battles your WWII veteran took part in. ArmyAir Force/A.A.F.Marine CorpsNavyCoast GuardMerchant Marine, If Army Air Forces was your veteran Bn. One engine was shot out. He will never forget the words of General Eisenhower. One of the daughters, Pamela Digby later married Randolph Churchill, Winston's son. It was the day that was going to affect the lives of approximately one thousand men. The remainder of the night was utilized for digging in which was a difficult operation in the frozen ground. On the grounds of the Digby estate was the 228th Station Hospital, which consisted of a bunch of Quonset huts. 121. GAVRAY, FRANCE.6 [2], The 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power) provides oversight on all coalition operating base power projects in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom) and Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom).[3][4][5][6][7]. Gp. 107. 126. I do not know how current the info is, but it's worth trying first: Unfortunately I do not have anymore info at the present time. Often the military records will show the duties a WWII veteran held during the war. December 2, 1944: The Battalion moved from FRIESENRATH, GERMANY to VICHT, GERMANY. Frank Capuozzi was a rifleman who rode in a jeep ahead of the guns as they pushed across France. Then fate intervened in the form of an ambulance without a driver. Neither of these show up on his DD-214. Waiting for the main part of his unit to catch up, he told soldiers he thought were sleeping to "Get up! This incident was also kept secret until many years after the war when a local resident told of seeing hundreds of bodies being buried on the beach. Harry Kone says each generation should do the best that they can. Co "B" remains attached to 297th Eng. Commenced landing on UTAH and OMAHA Beaches in NORMANDY on June 9, 1944 and moved into an assembly area in the vicinity of St MARIE-DU-MONT. LA VICTOIRE, FRANCE.9 146th engineer combat battalion 185th Combat Engineer Battalion 238th Engineer (Combat) Battalion 250th Engineers Combat Battalion Roster 263rd ENGINEER COMBAT BATTALION 299th Engineer Combat Battalion 309th Engineer (Combat) Battalion 320th Engineer Battalion 331st Engineer 335th Engineer Regiment 340th Engineer Regiment 389th Engineers . June 24, 1944: Co "C" constructed a Class 40 timber trestle bridge at St MARTIN-DE-AUDOVILLE. This bridge remained in use until 1955. March 14, 1945: The Battalion moved to DUISDORF, in the vicinity of BAD GODESBERG, GERMANY in preparation for the crossing of the RHEIN RIVER. October 13, 1944: The enemy penetrated our lines between Post #9 and the Infantry on our right during the afternoon - one Co. of the 47th Infantry Regt. John Souther was on reconnaissance patrol when he nosed his halftrack up over the edge of the gully in the Tunisian desert. 2. Are you stuffed from all that turkey and fixings? Lawrence Snowden remembers that, though it was an easy victory, valuable combat experience and important lessons were imparted on the Marines. moved to vicinity of LE HORPS. You can literally trace the steps of your WWII veteran! Those do give us a better feel for the area and the time period. Maneuvers in England completed all the training the young men would get. They made a desperate run for Brussels, which had been liberated. B-24 flight engineer Bill Toombs was over Germany when bad went to worse. 98. August 13, 1944: Bn. moved from ANDENNE, BELGIUM to RAEREN, GERMANY. 9TH INFANTRY DIVISION Bill Elias' WWII Story: 258th Engineer Combat Battalion. All men returned safely. July 21, 1944: Bn. December 30, 1944: The Battalion was relieved of the defensive position at 1800 hours by a re-enforced Co. of Infantry of the 75th Inf. March 24, 1945: The Battalion was relieved of the ferrying operations on the RHINE RIVER and moved to KONIGSWINTER, GERMANY. In March of 1943, fourteen young men from Saybrook enlisted in the army and left by bus for Fort Devens. We would like to share just a few words about another of Deep Rivers WWII veterans. Army Superior Unit Award for 2005 (Hurricanes Katrina, This page was last edited on 7 June 2022, at 00:05. moved to HANS BACKHEIM in the vicinity of MANHEIM, GERMANY. October 5, 1944: At 0400 hours an enemy patrol of about 5 men approached Post #2 carrying teller mines; men from Co "C", who were occupying the position, opened fire at close range, exploding the mines and obliterating the enemy patrol. 123. Division now driving in the direction of PERIERS - St LO Highway. 14. September 18, 1944: The Battalion moved to a new bivouac at ROTGEN, GERMANY. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. Loss of equipment was heavy; however, casualties were light. Kamikazes had broken through the air cover and were headed for the convoy. He thought they were ours until the bombs started falling. The story was put out that two German saboteurs had set off an explosion. Two fold-out maps from the unit history are stored separately in an oversize box. Co "B" sent a five (5) man patrol to investigate enemy positions during the afternoon. After the emergency was over, plans called for the canal to be drained and the wall repaired. August 12, 1944: Co "A" replaced flooring on Bailey Bridge at St. BEAUDELLA. Please consider making a donation to DRHS. Sewer & water board, electric utility and the 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power) were completing pump house inspection. August 16, 1944: Bn. December 22, 1944: Bn. I get so tired of hearing some complain day in and day out about how it's too hot or too cold, or how they had to drive 15 miles to pick up a wife's prescription, or You get the drift. April 3, 1945: Liaison was established with the XVIII Airborne Corps and the 78th Infantry Division. August 31, 1944: Bn. Co "B" operated LCVP ferry service, Co "C" operated Heavy Ponton Rafts. 44. August 26, 1944: Co "A" constructed reinforced Infantry Support Bridge 504 ft. in length across the SEINE RIVER at MELUN in 5 hours. About a week after the explosion on March 20th, I was taken to a General Hospital in Taunton, Somerset for further treatment. Our mission was to provide close Engineer support to 78th Infantry Div. 71. The first operation for the 4th Division was the landing on Roi-Namur. 53. 58. THE BATTALION WAS ATTACHED TO THE FOLLOWING UNITS AT VARIOUS TIMES: 135. The Battalion C.P. Robert James was propped up against a bulkhead, going in and out of consciousness. 1st insignia of 90th Light Div. Part 2 of 2. 46. 50. By 1630 hours all units of the Battalion had been relieved - the Battalion moved back to RAEREN. She worked as a secretary at the 228th while I was there. 87. 131. C.P. moved at 1630 hours and reached the destination at 2030 hours. Considerable confusion resulted. The Battalion detrucked and marched into position, arriving at 2300 hours. Duties in France included repairing roads, removing mines, disposing of a bomb, and removing, repairing, and constructing bridges.