April 13, 1945: The Battalion moved to DERSCHLAG, GERMANY. Somehow I found this site and yes my Dad who was in the 294th had told me that story many times. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. 11. The ship cracked across the deck and partly down the hull. Power Surge, 249th Engineer Battalion Responds to Electrocutions in Iraq by LTC Paul B. Olsen, P.E. The 249th Engineer Battalion (United States) is a versatile power generation battalion assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that provides commercial-level power to military units and federal relief organizations during full-spectrum operations. At 2330 hours the Battalion bivouac area was bombed by several bombers using anti-personnel bombs. A minefield was laid and wire obstacles were erected. This society is an independent charitable organization. August 6-7, 1944: Bn. It was many years after the war that a local reporter, using the Freedom of Information Act, wrote the true story. 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. 57. His crew shot down a ME 109 just before we got there. December 4, 1944: Co "A" relieved Co "B" of attachment to the 294th Engr. The battalion's motto is "Build, Support, Sustain!". VII CORPS from February 1, 1944 to April 2, 1945. They paid mightily for that shot. November 28, 1944: Co "A" started construction of a Timber Trestle bridge under the Bailey Bridge in VICHT. In October 1943, the battalion left Boston for England and spent months in England training. moved to a new bivouac in the woods North of ANTHEE. Division launched an attack through our positions in the direction of HURTGEN and GEY; Co "B" made a limited attack in front of Post #2 & #3 for the purpose of deceiving the enemy. 59. 107. The Battalion C.P. Later, they were reequipped and went on with the war and a number of the men were killed in later battles, including the Hurtgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge. She was also present on that fateful day. December 3, 1944: Co "A" completed the Timber Trestle Bridge in VICHT, GERMANY. moved to BRISCOL, BELGIUM where the vehicles were parked. Everyone made it out of the plane except George "Danny" Daneau, the nose turret gunner, who went down with the aircraft. July 18, 1944: Bn. January 30, 1945: The Battalion moved from ERZEE, BELGIUM to the vicinity of HUY, BELGIUM. She dissipated his fortune and after he died, she was sued by his children. The daily location of the WWII veterans unit and any movements they made. Gp; Co "C" joined the Battalion at ERZEE, BELGIUM. November 16, 1944: The 4th Inf. April 16, 1945: The Battalion moved to LENNEP, GERMANY. We have six children, thirteen grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. BELLEAU, WOODS, FRANCE.10 Ironically, the wounded were taken to the 228th Station Hospital in Sherborne. Many times there is a daily record of events which shows daily combat details within the company, troop or battery to which the individual WWII veteran was assigned. Wes Ruth was eating breakfast when he saw the planes coming in. This was a Pile Bent Bridge with 3-story trestle bents on the piles, 55 feet high. August 1, 1944: Bn. Kamikazes had broken through the air cover and were headed for the convoy. My first suggestion? As a photo-recon pilot, he was dispatched as soon as the attacks ended to search for the enemy fleet. N/AA pilotEnlisted air crewEnlisted ground crew. His job in the 1st Armored Division was to be out in front with his eyes open, and he was doing just that when a huge amount of enemy was spotted. 136. 249th Engineer Battalion Soldiers and IMA Provide Emergency Backup Power to Hawaii Wastewater Treatment Plant, by Sergeant First Class Christopher P. Woolley and Major Paul B. Olsen, P.E., 249th Engineers Respond to California Wildfires, by SSG Scott Yeager, "249th Engineer Battalion lineage and honors information as of 1 March 2004", Official U.S. Army Prime Power School website, Description of the Coat of Arms and Distinctive Unit Insignia, Bridge to the Past: 249th Engineer Battalion from Combat to Prime Power by COL John K. Addison, Retired, Prime-Power Considerations for Engineer Planners, by Captain Geoff Van Epps, Reflections on Building Great Engineers, COL Paul B. Olsen, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=249th_Engineer_Battalion_(United_States)&oldid=1091887312, Engineer battalions of the United States Army, Military units and formations established in 1943, Military units and formations in Virginia, Articles with dead external links from June 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the United States Army Center of Military History, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Heavy Maintenance Section Fort Belvoir, Virginia, D Company (USAR) Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers support to presidentially declared disasters, Constituted 25 February 1943 in the Army of the United States as the 249th Engineer Combat Battalion, Redesignated 23 March 1948 as the 442d Engineer Construction Battalion and allotted to the Organized, Activated 8 April 1948 with headquarters at, (Organized Reserves redesignated 25 March 1948 as the Organized Reserve Corps; redesignated 9 July 1952 as the Army Reserve), Redesignated 25 June 1952 as the 249th Engineer Construction Battalion, Redesignated 9 December 1954 as the 249th Engineer Battalion; concurrently withdrawn from the Army Reserve and allotted to the, Activated 16 November 1994 at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. I remember walking in snow up to my crotch in Belgium. Division at approximately 1100 hours. Part 2 of 3. Official 249th Engineer Battalion website, Civil engineering and infrastructure repair in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, United States Army Center of Military History, "249th Engineer Battalion Responds to Terrorist Attacks", Prime Power Lights Up Anaconda by Sgt. In the North Atlantic in January, they said that we would have lasted only about five minutes in that cold water. July 5, 1944: Co. "B" repaired damaged bridge at BAUPTE under artillery fire. For more information, please contact the . The Captain said that in 25 years at sea he had never seen such a storm. When he went off to college and heard the news about Pearl Harbor, he and his friends began to wonder. Bn. 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). March 6, 1945: The Co "C" C.P. moved to the vicinity of PHILIPVILLE - an Advance C.P. All Rights Reserved. This is a free service. The men of the 299th Combat Engineer Battalion were "First on Omaha Beach" with overwhelming casualties on D-Day. After practicing law for 55 years, I'm sure you have more than a few stories to tell. 9. 129. 108. 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 . 137. Division begining [sic] at 1500 hours. January 9, 1945: Co "A" completed the continuous Bailey Bridge in DURBEY. January 3, 1945: Co "C" attached to the 4th Cav. alerted for movement with the VII Corps to the ARDENNE Sector. In many (most) cases, names have been. Considerable confusion resulted. The North portion of the position was reached but the foxholes were found empty. Russel, T/5 Stiedel and Pfc. 14. Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans. After Pearl Harbor, he was drafted and became a citizen in the Army before he shipped out to Europe. 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. There are two plaques on the south side of Sherborne Abbey with the names of the 29 men who were killed on March 20, 1944. I was taken to the 228th for treatment. (Coast Guard Photo 2343), 1st Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment, Headquarters, Special Troops, 1st Infantry Division, 4th Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment, Headquarters, Special Troops, 4th Infantry Division, 456th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, 80th Airborne Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion, 782d Airborne Ordnance Maintenance Company, Military Police Platoon, 82d AirborneDivision, 90th Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment, Headquarters, Special Troops, 90th Infantry Division, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, 81st Airborne Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion, 101st Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment, Military Police Platoon, 101st Airborne Division, 4th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, Mechanized, Photographic Interpreter Team No.10 (Provisional), Prisoner of War Interrogation Team No.11 (Provisional), Hqs, 17th Field Artillery Observation Battalion, 24th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, Mechanized, Photographic Interpreter Team No.32 (Provisional), 38th Engineer General Service Regiment (less Band), 102d Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, Mechanized, 110th Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion, 116th Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion, Troop B, 125th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, Mechanized, 197th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, Company A, 203d Quartermaster Gas Supply Battalion, 205th Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment (Provisional), 207th Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment (Provisional), 320th Antiaircraft Artillery Balloon Barrage Battalion, 397th Antiaircraft Artillery AutomaticWeapons Battalion(Provisional), Military Intelligence Interpreter Team No.407 (Provisional), 413th Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion, Military Intelligence Interpreter Team No.416 (Provisional), Military Intelligence Interpreter Team No.419 (Provisional), 428th Military Police Escort Guard Company, 447th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 457th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 467th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 474th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, Company A and B, 507th Military Police Battalion, Company C, 509th Military Police Battalion, 535th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 603d Quartermaster Graves Registration Company, 606th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company, Battery B, 980th Field Artillery Battalion, 3466th Ordnance Medium Automotive Maintenance Company, 3497th Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company, 3565th Ordnance Medium Automotive Maintenance Company. October 23, 1944: Co "A" relieved from attachment to 297 Engr. Bob Darino Germany weather house cherry farm pie Berlin Telefunken Eisenhower concentration camp Governor's Island souvenir P-38 Zeiss Ikon subway. 43. Then the battalion was stationed at Gerszewski Barracks, Knielingen, Karlsruhe, Germany, under the command of the 18th Engineer Brigade, where it provided construction support to USAREUR elements stationed in Germany for the Cold War. 54. How should we contact you? It was disgusting down below in the Queen Mary so Newton Riess went up on deck to escape the smell. His unit joined the forces ordered into the Battle of the Bulge, where he had to get some help when he was frozen in a foxhole. Yours will be another great story for people to see. September 22, 1944: Co "C" started constructing a Class #40 Timber Trestle bridge under the Bailey Bridge in VICHT. Your Name (required) Phone Number (required) . of a sector of the front line in the Hurtgen Forest. That is a very good idea to write your memiors, and I do want to read them and will be in line myself, behind Marion of course. August 12, 1944: Co "A" replaced flooring on Bailey Bridge at St. BEAUDELLA. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. I know Colin will be tickled pink to read this. The Official (DECLASSIFIED) Files of the 298th Engineer Combat Battalion during World War II Activation of the 298th Engineer Combat Battalion March 18, 1943 and Reorganization November 3, 1944 Journal for August 1943 Journal for September 1943 Journal for October 1943 Journal for November 1943 Diary 1943 One of the daughters, Pamela Digby later married Randolph Churchill, Winston's son. Heavy rains and the overflowing ROTGEN DAM caused failure of timber trestle bridges at ROTT, MULARTSHUTTE, and VICHT. Bn. While he was not in the immediate area of the blast he was at the scene of the accident shortly after it occured. The force withdrew under heavy mortar fire. September 18, 1944: The Battalion moved to a new bivouac at ROTGEN, GERMANY. Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community. 96. Discover the military campaigns and battles your WWII veteran took part in. Our expertise enables us to reconstruct the service history of your individual WWII veteran and to give you a glimpse of the experiences that he or she had during the war-even if their military service records were lost in the fire. 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. Division. Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters had dropped over 200 sand bags, with approximately 125 sandbags breaking the surface of the water. 31. January 4, 1945: Co "B" dismantled steel treadway bridge at NOISEUX, BELGIUM. January 21, 1945: Battalion C.P. April 15, 1945: The Battalion moved to WIPPERFURTH, GERMANY. 131. Bill Adair may have been the luckiest man in the Bataan Death march. Companies A and C were ordered into the town of Arsdorf where the battalion was engaged in fierce combat for two days. Those do give us a better feel for the area and the time period. 1944 to engage the 236th and another battalion of combat engineers, the . The 249th deployed teams to the Gulf Region under Joint Task Force Katrina, working with contractors, and local and state entities to assess, they helped install and maintain emergency generators at critical facilities. Then, began the grim task of collecting the personal belongings of the dead and preparing them for burial at sea. The Digby family were living in the relatively new castle at the time. 78. In 1994, the battalion was reactivated and designated as the 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power), stationed at Fort Belvoir, VA. Learn when and where a WWII veteran was wounded or killed in action (we can often show you exactly how a veteran was wounded or killed in action). One platoon of Co "C" was sent to clear the situation at Post #4; they killed one German. April 6, 1945: Co "B" constructed Steel Treadway Bridge at DREISEL, GERMANY across the SIEG RIVER. ", Robert G. Sherrard Jr. collection 1930-1931, 1943-1957, 1967, circa 1986- 2003, Leonard R. Boyd collection, 1916-1946 (bulk 1918-1929), 1262nd Engineer Combat Battalion collection, 1944-1946, undated, World War, 1939-1945 -- Engineering and construction, World War, 1939-1945 -- Prisoners and prisons, American, World War, 1939-1945 -- Regimental histories, Robinson, Edward G.,. 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. WISSEN, GERMANY.12 Destroyers came alongside and were able to rescue all the men on board. Understand what your WWII veteran experienced while assigned to specific infantry units, ships or squadrons. About a week after the explosion on March 20th, I was taken to a General Hospital in Taunton, Somerset for further treatment. P.S. Recon. Bill Elias' WWII Story: 258th Engineer Combat Battalion. We traveled by train down to Sherborne in Dorset. It was a fierce week long battle for the city of Heilbronn. The 296th landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy 20 days after D-Day. 91. 81. 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. 67. DERSCHLAG, GERMANY.10 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. I came back from Germany to get married on August 4, 1945. Many years after the war, I found out that the 294th went up to Wales and from there sailed to Normandy in the Susan B. Anthony to Utah Beach on June 7, 1944. We spent the night shifting the ballast, which was sand, from the stern, forward of the crack in the hull, to try to lift the stern higher out of the water. Learn more. Please tell Michael Brodhead that I sent you. The other patients and I raced outside and we saw the carnage. was across the river without tanks and anti-tank guns and it was being counterattacked by SS troops using flame-throwing tanks. 115. Co "B" constructed a Class #40 D/S Bailey Bridge at KLUPPLEBURG, GERMANY. 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. An Engineer Combat Battalion (ECB) was a designation for a battalion -strength combat engineer unit in the U.S. Army, most prevalent during World War II. In late 1954, the Black Lion Battalion was withdrawn from the Reserves and assigned to the Regular Army. September 4, 1944: Co "C" constructed Class 40 D/S Bailey Bridge in MARIEMBOURG. 33. But the highlight for every guy in the outfit was building the largest bridge in the European Theater. Part 2 of 2. August 13, 1944: Bn. crossed the BELGIUM border with the 9th Inf. By 1630 hours all units of the Battalion had been relieved - the Battalion moved back to RAEREN. Welcome sir. . May 26, 2010 at 2:13 pm. March 16, 1945: Co "C" moved to OBERWINTER at 1700 hours and started construction of Heavy Ponton Rafts. 112. . The Battalion C.P. The battalion was organized and under the command of only three captains. The Battalion arrived at WEYMOUTH, DORSET, ENGLAND on the morning of February 1, 1944, where it entrucked for a short trip to SUTTON POYNTZ and CHALET CAMPS. 19. The 296th crossed the Rhine River south of Bonn. And even better that you got the chance to visit with Jean Treasure. I have been flying since 1963. August 3, 1944: Co "B" constructed Class 40 Ponton trestle bridge across SIENNE River at GAVRAY. (C) Bn. Bn. The other officers that were supplied to the unit were second lieutenants from the 1943 class of West Point. December 17, 1943 was the big day. He thought they were ours until the bombs started falling. Bn. ANTHEE, BELGIUM.11 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. I am an amateur artist and I just had a one-man show with 40 paintings. July 25, 1944: The Battalion witnessed the "Carpet Bombing" of the breakthrough zone by 2,000 U.S. Copyright 2023 Witness To War. Available for both RF and RM licensing. December 10, 1944: Co "C" completed the Timber Trestle Bridge at MULARTSHUTTE. Division sector; one Battalion of the 60th Inf. 47. Bn. November 10, 1944: The Battalion was relieved of attachment to the 3rd Armored Division and attached to the 4th Infantry Division. ArmyAir Force/A.A.F.Marine CorpsNavyCoast GuardMerchant Marine, If Army Air Forces was your veteran My guess is he was in another unit prior to his service in the 257th. Access WWII personnel records showing your veterans enlistment, draft, honorable discharge, serial numbers, promotions, military training, ranks, military duties and enlistment photographs. 35. The training was in preparation for the anticipated crossing of the RHINE RIVER. 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. Stanley Stopa enlisted at the age of 19 years in the U.S. Army. He heard some firing from another gun and turned around just in time to see a horrifying sight. His unit was suddenly pulled and sent to take Patton's place in the line after the general was summoned to the Bulge. Army Superior Unit Award for 2005 (Hurricanes Katrina, This page was last edited on 7 June 2022, at 00:05. moved to a new bivouac East of ESNEUX. It wasnt all work as they had opportunities to play ball and see shows by Bob Hope and company. Sewer & water board, electric utility and the 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power) were completing pump house inspection. It's rotten losing men at any point in the juncture, but so sad that all these men were killed in training. A typo is noted by the use of [sic] other errors are probably my own. Now that's what I call getting the REAL SCOOP! 117. I went to visit him and he was cursing a blue streak in German. 51. was given the mission of straightening up the line. less Co "B" plus Co "C" of the 294th Engr. Five (5) men were killed and 25 injured. He woke in free fall with no idea how he had made it out, and soon he was in German custody. Forums World War II WWII ENGINEERS . At 1130 hours the Commanding officer of Co "B" with two Platoons of Co "A" and one Platoon of light tanks made an attack to contact the surrounded platoon. The main difference lies in the divisional structure. Work was resumed at 0800 hours on July 16 and the bridge was completed at 1400 hours. The kamikaze had destroyed the starboard gun mounts and there were many dead and wounded. . Loss of equipment was heavy; however, casualties were light. vehicles were withdrawn to an assembly area at MILLEY. He bunked with regular B-17 crew members, but Bill Livingstone was a gunnery instructor who was there to keep skills sharp. The 294th Combat Engineers were training at the same time at Camp Gordon. It was the day of activation of the 284th Engineer Combat Battalion. How very nice to hear from you. column. This was the beginning of a painful journey to healing. When he had to bail out, Jim Wicker was literally sucked from the cockpit when he released the canopy because of his high rate of speed. June 24, 1944: Co "C" constructed a Class 40 timber trestle bridge at St MARTIN-DE-AUDOVILLE. He was just a hundred miles inland a few days after D-Day and the Germans caught him almost immediately. The remainder of the night was utilized for digging in which was a difficult operation in the frozen ground. Co "C" attached to 297th Engr. The 296th received campaign credit for Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe, Normandy, Northern France, and the Rhineland, Contains the following type(s) of material: unit histories, photographs, Wartime journey to Berlin : the 296th Engineer Combat Battalion, The ArchiveGrid website uses HTTP
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