[8] By 5 September 2005, the 17th Street Canal breach was closed. moved to a new bivouac in the woods North of ANTHEE. Yours will be another great story for people to see. December 28, 1944: At 0200 hours an enemy Infantry Battalion made an attack in the vicinity of the motor vehicle park and the Battalion FWD. placed in direct support of the 3rd Armd. 2. By October, all of 296th was in Belgium. They lost all of their equipment. Hannah Deutch was a teenager when the Kindertransport rescue effort became her means of escape from Germany. Exactly where the veteran was stationed and locations he visited during WWII. 38. September 15, 1944: The Battalion operated in GERMANY for the first time. Division at approximately 1100 hours. Co "A" occupied road blocks #4 & #5; Co "B" occupied road blocks #1, #2, #3; Co "C" occupied position #11. His training continued on board ship in the Pacific. January 30, 1945: The Battalion moved from ERZEE, BELGIUM to the vicinity of HUY, BELGIUM. 75. This was not surprising since we were constantly working with explosives. This Veterans Day we give THANKS to all who have served our country and continue to recognize those 416 men and women who served Deep River during World War II. moved to 3rd Armd. The history, titled History 296 Engr. Bill Garrison was standing in a chow line when a man up the line suddenly dropped, shot dead by a sniper. At first, there was jubilation, but that turned to fear as he hid in his basement for a week while the battle raged for Arnhem. December 16, 1944: The Ardenne breakthrough begins; there was much aerial activity in vicinity of STOLBURG and DUREN. Bn. Harry Kone says each generation should do the best that they can. The ship cracked across the deck and partly down the hull. Have you already requested personnel records from the archives? 8. Any contribution above basic membership is tax deductible, and is most appreciated. moved to the vicinity of ZWEIFALL, relieved the 294th Engr. As he drove frantically to his hangar on Ford Island, he saw the USS Arizona hit. December 11, 1944: Bn. What are we going to do? The 249th sailed from the United States to England in May 1944, after equipping and preparing for combat, the Unit landed on Utah Beach in August 1944 under the 1137th Engineer Combat Group commanded by Colonel George A. Morris. Bn. This is a free service. Upon arriving to the front, the 249th was assigned to the 26th Infantry Division, already engaged and in defensive positions along the southeast corner of the Bulge. January 21, 1945: Battalion C.P. He thought they were ours until the bombs started falling. Division. Explore military combat reports and casualty records tounderstand the battlefield experiences and sacrifices of your WWII veteran and their military unit. September 28, 1944: The Bn. Bn. Joe Izzillo- 4907 Europa Drive, Naples FL 34105- (239) 262-2778. 20. 128. After a nerve-wracking mission to bomb Tokyo and a typhoon, B.E. 124. The battalion was organized and under the command of only three captains. Division sector; one Battalion of the 60th Inf. 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. WISSEN, GERMANY.12 Near the end of the war, the food supply in Holland had been disrupted and there was widespread hunger. Recon. 54. It was completed on V.E. December 25, 1944: At 1800 hours the Bn. In February 1955, it was activated and assigned to USAREUR and an Engineer Battalion (Combat Heavy). Once they got there, a fierce ten day battle ensued due to the last major German offensive, Operation Nordwind. 29. Considerable confusion resulted. 9. February 5, 1945: The Battalion moved from BELGIUM to STOLEBERG, GERMANY. Rufus Dalton was at the Maginot Line bouncing mortar shells off an old citadel. In many (most) cases, names have been. The battalion was used in an effort to block the German advance by deploying landmines, obstacles and establishing roadblocks. as of 0800 hours. less Co "B" plus Co "C" of the 294th Engr. In the interim my dear, I would be happy to provide you with your own page, as I have done for so many of my other vet friends on the main site. August 15, 1944: Bn. When he went off to college and heard the news about Pearl Harbor, he and his friends began to wonder. 66. 43. On 24 December 1944, Brigadier General Harlan Harkness, the assistant division commander, ordered the battalion to advance and secure the towns of Arsdorf and Bigonville to the north of the 26th Infantry Division, near the area of operations of the 4th Armored Division, in order to relieve the occupied towns so the division could advance and attack the enemy line. On 19 March 1945, the unit was assigned to the engineer task force charged with crossing the Rhine at Oppenheim. Part 1 of 5. Regt. moved to a new bivouac in the woods South of EUPEN. At 2300 hours U.P. The men of the 299th Combat Engineer Battalion were "First on Omaha Beach" with overwhelming casualties on D-Day. From 25 July to 27 July, the 296th supported the 4th Infantry Division at Marigny, France. Stan found a glider made in Deep River and removed the ID plate from a glider made by Pratt Read & Co. One of the most difficult experiences was the cold that winter says, Stanley. 107. THE HISTORY OF THE 298TH ENGINEER COMBAT BATTALION IN EUROPE JUNE 9, 1944 - MAY 8, 1945 C O N T I N U E D THE BATTALION SUPPORTED THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AT VARIOUS TIMES: 4TH INFANTRY DIVISION 9TH INFANTRY DIVISION 75TH INFANTRY DIVISION 3RD ARMORED DIVISION 5TH ARMORED DIVISION THE BATTALION WAS ATTACHED TO THE FOLLOWING UNITS AT VARIOUS TIMES: On this day, two German E-boats came out of the fog and fired their torpedoes and escaped back to France. He relates what he found out while hiding beneath Japanese planes. Along with thousands of others, he was forced to surrender and was facing the prospect of joining what would become known as the Bataan Death March. Bn. The Battalion was subsequently inactivated on 28 November 1945 at Camp Kilmer, NJ. November 28, 1944: Co "A" started construction of a Timber Trestle bridge under the Bailey Bridge in VICHT. How should we contact you? March 1, 1945: Co "A" started construction of a large box CULVERT just west of DUREN. October 10, 1944: Co "A" occupied newly established blocks No's #6 - #7 - #8 - #9, as of 1300 hours. 87. Does your father-in-law remember the hospital and was he involved in the building of the road from the port of Weymouth prior to and for D-Day? 101. 24. With his radio, he began spotting artillery on their position, under fire the entire time. Group. His C.O. August 6-7, 1944: Bn. Gp. Robert James was propped up against a bulkhead, going in and out of consciousness. 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. 9th Infantry Division made an attack to restore Post #4; the surrounded platoon was found still in position and in good shape. However, I strongly suggest that you contact the Army Corps of Engineers to see if they have a file on his unit. Thanks so much for taking the time to write all this down. Your Name (required) Phone Number (required) . He was awarded the Silver Star for this action. Companies cleared abaties from roads in the vicinity of EUPEN and MONSCHU. was set up in the village of ANTHEE. Often the military records will show the duties a WWII veteran held during the war. Division heading for COUPTRAIN and PRE-EN-PAUL. Chow detail going to Post #1 was ambushed by a 6 man patrol; the enemy patrol withdrew after a short fire fight. 62. 112. January 5, 1945: Co "A" started construction of a continuous Bailey Bridge across the L'OURTHE RIVER in DURBEY, BELGIUM. Well I for one will be one of the first in line to read and buy your memoirs. June 21, 1944: Battalion moved to new bivouac in the vicinity of MONTEBURG. 4. This bridge remained in use until 1955. I went to visit him and he was cursing a blue streak in German. I believe my father-in-law was in A Company. 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 . March 14, 1945: The Battalion moved to DUISDORF, in the vicinity of BAD GODESBERG, GERMANY in preparation for the crossing of the RHEIN RIVER. Keywords : Support bridge which was across the MEUSE RIVER North of DINANT. August 16, 1944: Bn. 69. returned to Battalion. 15. Organized by type of material, then chronologically, The collection contains a unit history and photographs regarding the 296th Engineer Combat Battalion of the United States (U.S.) Army during World War II. (Error Code: 100013) 3:33 | At the end of the war, combat engineer Bob Darino went from sampling delicious cherry pies in German farm country to experiencing the horrifying spectacle of concentration camps. vehicles were withdrawn to an assembly area at MILLEY. This was a Pile Bent Bridge with 3-story trestle bents on the piles, 55 feet high. QUETTEHOU, FRANCE.16 I understand that this was done because placing a hospital near explosives was a violation of the Geneva Convention. February 13, 1945: Co "B" constructed a C1. 42. (C) Bn. Eight assault teams of the 299th Combat Engineer Battalion landed on OMAHA beach (Easy Red, Fox Green, Fox Red) with the mission of clearing eight 50-yard gaps in the underwater obstacles. Formatting (inconsistent in original) such as capitalization, underlining, punctuation, use of quotes, etc. January 3, 1945: Co "C" attached to the 4th Cav. Bn. It's rotten losing men at any point in the juncture, but so sad that all these men were killed in training. 32. This was the beginning of a painful journey to healing. August 30, 1944: Bn. Was searching the internet for my father-in-law who was a member of 294th Engineer Combat Battalion during WWII and found your web site. March 30, 1945: The Battalion moved to HERBORN, GERMANY. As a professional researcher and World War II historian, Bill Beigel provides research services to genealogists, historians, authors, and civilians who are looking for information found in WW2 military unit records. One of the pilots was brought into our hospital and had his legs amputated. 63. Stan left by bus from East Hampton, CT with 13 other boys from Deep River and entered active service in the Army on March 8, 1943, in Hartford, CT. There were three 42" mobile pumps staged and two 42" and two 30" pumps were placed at the sheet pile closure. 57. 4TH INFANTRY DIVISION Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community. The daily location of the WWII veterans unit and any movements they made. Holtum. moved to ERZEE, BELGIUM. The unit was assigned to V Corps, First U.S. Army. December 2, 1944: The Battalion moved from FRIESENRATH, GERMANY to VICHT, GERMANY. 31. (C) Bn. This society is an independent charitable organization. Their job was to prepare housing for the advancing units. - the enemy attacked with small arms, mortar and artillery fire. We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the World War II Operations Reports, 1940-1948 in the Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1917-1985 (Record Group 407) that may include records of the 111th Engineer Combat Battalion, 36th Infantry Division during WWII. November 29, 1944: Co "C" completed the timber trestle bridge at ROTT. In 1994, the battalion was reactivated and designated as the 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power), stationed at Fort Belvoir, VA. Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans. September 16, 1944: Co "C" was served doughnuts and coffee by VII Corps Red Cross girls - believed to be the first Red Cross girls to serve troops on GERMAN soil in World War II. moved to CHATEAU MODAVE then on to CHATEAU ENGLE BERMONT. LENNEP, GERMANY.2 Growing up in Baltimore, Harry Kone used to hang around the docks watching the cargo ships unload. Bn. location of the Company HQ on a map. moved 100 miles on the night of August 24 - 25th to the vicinity of LA LUPE, arriving at 0830 hours on the morning of August 25th. As an aside, many of you, I am sure, have heard about the Slapton Sands incident. 1st Engineer Combat Battalion, 1st Infantry Division: 603rd Tank Company: 1st Engineer Regiment, 1st Division: 603rd Tank . and was given the mission of defending two roadblocks. The other officers that were supplied to the unit were second lieutenants from the 1943 class of West Point. We could not launch the life boats because of the high seas and the Coast Guard told us later that if we sank they would have tried to rescue as many as they could. Date 1944-09-29. June 23, 1944: Battalion given the Infantry mission of clearing the North East corner of the Cotentin penisula [sic] of scattered enemy troops - liberated the French towns of QUETTEHOU and St VAAST LA HOUGE. B-24 flight engineer Bill Toombs was over Germany when bad went to worse. April 6, 1945: Co "B" constructed Steel Treadway Bridge at DREISEL, GERMANY across the SIEG RIVER. 115. November 21, 1944: The rains came! was relieved by 246 Engr. By the time we finished training, the war in Africa was over. From 1955 until 1960, the 249th Engineer Battalion (Construction) was stationed at Kleber Kaserne, ((Kaiserslautern, Germany)). #1 of Companies A, B & C arrive at bivouac area in vicinity of St MARIE-DU-MONT. 22. Even though they were only delaying the inevitable, the Germans weren't beat, yet. 502nd Quatermaster Port Battalion: 6th Engineer Special Brigade: Colonel Paul W. Thompson (WIA 6 June 44) 147th Engineer Combat Battalion: 149th Engineer Combat Battalion: 203rd Engineer Combat Battalion: 293rd Joint Assault Signal Co.: 60th Medical Battalion: 7th Naval Beach Bn (attached): Commander L. C. Leever : 74th Ordnance Battalion: Four German fighters pounced on the B-24 and it was engulfed in flame and going down. The battalion served at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, England, France, Belgium, and Germany Contains the following type (s) of material: memoir, unit histories Available on site only On March 20, 1944, I was lying in bed when there was a huge explosion and I was blown off my bed. RootsWeb is funded and supported by After a successful landing there, where he picked up some shrapnel, Tunisia was next. So how about it? Unfortunately, because of my profound deafness, I am not permitted to fly. Co "B" operated LCVP ferry service, Co "C" operated Heavy Ponton Rafts. moved from PLOMION to the vicinity of MARIEMBOURG, BELGIUM. An uneventful Christmas Eve for the 298th Engr. On 16 July 1965, the 299th Engineer Battalion was alerted for movement overseas to the Republic of Vietnam. March 15, 1945: Reconnaissance was made in the afternoon of sites on the RHEIN RIVER in the vicinity of REMAGEN for launching Naval Landing Craft; sites were picked. 21. Personnel losses were as follows: Capt. Stanley Stopa enlisted at the age of 19 years in the U.S. Army. He was grateful when someone gave him some morphine to ease the pain from multiple shrapnel wounds. EmailPhone, Research A World War II Veteran (WWII WW2). 12. June 25, 1944: Battalion moved to new bivouac in vicinity of VALOGNES. By 1630 hours all units of the Battalion had been relieved - the Battalion moved back to RAEREN. November 25, 1944: Co "B" was attached to 294th Engr. the goal was to be home by Christmas! 46. Co "C" (-) 1 Platoon relieved from attachment to 297th Engr. The unit was discharged on December 19, 1945, from Fort Devens, MA. Corporate Information | Privacy | Terms and Conditions | CCPA Notice at Collection, Activation of the 298th Engineer Combat Battalion March 18, 1943 and Reorganization November 3, 1944, After/After Action Reports 26 July - 1 Dec 1944, Journal of 1128th Engr Gp Sep 44 thru Aug 45, Excerpts from the U.S. Army in World War II Series, More Excerpts from the U.S. Army in World War II Series, The documents below were kindly shared by Marc Shafer (whose father was a 298th member). October 4, 1944: At 0810 hours an enemy force of approximately one Platoon approached Post #1; a brisk fire fight ensued and the enemy force withdrew leaving 5 dead krauts. January 23, 1945: Co "C" relieved of attachment to the 4th Cav. The 249th Engineer Combat Battalion was constituted on 5 May 1943 at Camp Bowie, Texas. . October 23, 1944: Co "A" relieved from attachment to 297 Engr. Please see my link on where to go for help. 50. Co "B" was given the mission of cleaning the streets and Co "C" was given the mission of removing the railroad and building the road. Bn. The truck disappeared and 29 men were torn apart and their bodies were scattered through the trees. 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. I am now a Captain in the Civil Air Patrol of the United States Air Force Auxiliary. 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. Bn. February 26, 1945: The Battalion moved to GURZENICH. March 6, 1945: The Co "C" C.P. The first operation for the 4th Division was the landing on Roi-Namur. 18. 64. She was also present on that fateful day. We did all of our training with mines and bridges on the property formerly owned by Sir Walter Raleigh, and now owned by the Digby family. July 2, 1944: Battalion moved to new bivouac in vicinity of Ste MERE-EGLISE. Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community. September 17, 1944: One Platoon of Co "C" demolishing pillboxes in the vicinity of ZWEIFALL, one platoon of Co "C" maintaining ford in MONSCHU. It was many years after the war that a local reporter, using the Freedom of Information Act, wrote the true story. understand the battlefield experiences and sacrifices of your WWII veteran and their military unit. The other patients and I raced outside and we saw the carnage. Division whose mission was to seize and hold the west bank of the ROER RIVER south of DUREN. As a photo-recon pilot, he was dispatched as soon as the attacks ended to search for the enemy fleet. Group. Their mission was accomplished. (with 4th Cav. 4. . Engineer Special Brigades were amphibious forces of the United States Army developed during World War II.Initially designated engineer amphibian brigades, they were redesignated engineer special brigades in 1943.The 1st, 5th, and 6th Engineer Special Brigades were assigned to the European Theater of Operations.The 1st Engineer Special Brigade participated in the landings in Sicily and Italy .
