This is a letter I received from my friend, Captain John Fallon of the 36th Combat Engineers.
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I just got a nice long EMail from Colonel Brooks and he too is pleased that they can again wear the Seahorse Patch. He is sending me some material to be used at our reunion and if he can get them enough copies of our desert patch for the fellows at Lebanon. I asked for a picture of him and his RSM in front of their HQ and I'll have it blown up for display. Did you know that they are with the 3rd Infantry Division, the very best Infantry Division of WWII and I am very pleased about that too because during the war we got along very very well.
Reservations are coming along nicely!!
36 Engineers are rugged......John Fallon II. Capt. USA Ret.
Thanks for the 3rd Inf Div praise. We always had great respect for the combat engineers. Only thing is if I remember correctly we didnt seem to have the same C.E.
Bns. or groups all the time. Then again, maybe I am wrong. Having taken basic combat engineer training at Ft. Belvoir in WW 2 prior to our unit and many units going
into the Infantry with 6 weeks AIT as casualtiy replacements for Infantry units I hold
a deep feeling for the combat engineers. I still recall when they brought up the boats
for the Rhine River crossing and quickly built a bridge to get our 756 th Bn. tanks to cross after the "floating Shermans" proved to be death traps. Prior to this bridge crossing for our tanks and T.D.'s we were in deep trouble without tank support.. This is only one occasion we relied on them out of many times we had their help.
No your memory serves you right and you are correct. The 3rd did have their permanent engineer unit, the 10th Engineers, then there were also attached independent engineer groups such as the 540th and the 36th CE's.
Just to give you an idea, these are the units that the 540th were in direct support of, or attached to during the ETO. Please note that your 7th Inf Reg is listed below.
9th Infantry Division - 47th & 60th Infantry Regiments
1st Division - 18th Infantry Regiment
2nd Armored Division
82nd Airborne
Darby's Rangers
3rd Infantry Division - 7th & 30th Infantry Regiments
36th Infantry Division - 141st, 142nd, & 143rd Infantry Regiments
British 5th Division
14th Armored Division - 62nd Armored Infantry Battalion & 125th Armored Engineer Battalion
117th Cavalry
45th Infantry Division - 179th Infantry Regiment
Hello, I am searching for anyone who might have knowledge of the 125th Armored Engineer Battalion.
My father, 1st LT K A McClary, was attached to battalion headquarters and want to find out as much as possible over and above what we were told by our father.
Thanks and I welcome any and all information.