53rd Transportation Battalion
World War II
In preparation for the July 1943 invasion of Sicily, the amphibious 2 ½-ton truck, known as the DUKW, became available. General Dwight D. Eisenhower considered it, not the Higgins boat, “one of the most valuable pieces of equipment produced by the United States during the war.†He created an amphibious truck battalion out of forces already in North Africa. On 28 May 1943, the 53rd Quartermaster Truck Battalion was constituted in the US Army. It was activated on 22 June 1943 in French Morocco, North Africa, and served in the Tunisia Campaign with personnel and equipment from the previously organized 2637th Quartermaster Truck Battalion (Provisional). It had four lettered companies, “A†through “D.â€
The 53rd Battalion initially received 109 DUKWs and became the first amphibious battalion just in time for the amphibious assault on Sicily. The 53rd Battalion was attached to the 531st Engineer Shore Regiment, 1st Engineer Special Brigade (ESB). By doctrine, each Engineer Special Brigade had one landing craft and one amphibious truck (DUKW) battalion attached to it. The 53rd Quartermaster Battalion subsequently provided the DUKWs for all the landings in the Mediterranean. At Sicily on 9 July 1943, it hauled Rangers forward in night assaults and supplied advancing units until trucks were available. This was the first amphibious landing conducted with DUKWs. The beaches along the Sicilian coast had shallow gradients and sand bars that made landings by amphibians more preferable than landing craft, however, there were not many good beach exits for trucks and DUKWs. The battalion then established the beach dumps, towed guns into firing position.
From then on the US Navy assumed control of the beach landings in the Mediterranean, freeing the 1st ESB to prepare for the Normandy invasion. For that reason, the battalion (minus A Company) was attached to the 36th Infantry Division and landed at Salerno, Italy, on 9 September. The planners determined that the battalion needed 400 DUKWs to sustain the large landing force. By that time the battalion had six DUKW companies attached to it. The battalion assigned 60 DUKWs to land with the artillery pieces and ammunition right behind the assault wave. Because of the difficulty of the infantry to clear the beach, the DUKWs circled out of range of the enemy weapons longer than anticipated. After waiting thirty minutes at Green Beach, the US Navy signaled the DUKWs to go ashore in spite of enemy fire. 30 DUKWs followed the directive but smoke on the shore obscured the land marks making it difficult for the drivers to find their exact landing spot. While the 60 DUKWs circled off Yellow and Blue Beaches, the beach master at Red Beach signaled them to land at his beach. As many as 125 DUKWs ended up circling off shore at Red Beach. They landed sporadically. One DUKW was rammed and sank with a 105mm howitzer and its ammunition. The crew swam to another DUKW and boarded it.
After the initial landings, the 53rd Battalion delivered tanks, heavy weapons and anti-tank pieces with ammunition. From 9 September through 1 October, the amphibians hauled cargo across the beaches until the port of Naples was secure. Then as many as 600 DUKWs conducted ship-to-shore missions at Naples.
To take pressure off of the planned landing at Anzio, the 5th Infantry Division conducted a crossing on the Garigliano River on the night of 17-18 January 1944. DUKWs of the 53rd Battalion ferried two battalions of infantry across near the mouth of the river in assault boats, one battalion crossed in DUKWs and landing craft at the mouth of the river. Only the DUKWs landed at the right location but the troops found themselves in a mine field.
During the rehearsal for the landing for Anzio, 40 DUKWs were lost at sea near Naples. On 22 January 1944, the 53rd Battalion participated in the first assault wave on Anzio. Despite heavy and continuos shelling and strafing, the battalion established a record in the amount of tonnage unloaded. With between 450 and 490 DUKWs, the 53rd Battalion brought the cargo from the Liberty ships, anchored off shore, over the beach. The 540th Engineers, under the command of COL George W. Marvin, assumed control over the operation of the port and beaches.
On 22 May 1944, the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment was redesignated HHD, 53rd Quartermaster Battalion (Mobile) and its companies, A through D, were redesignated the 3337th, 3338th, 3339th and 3340th and followed their separate lineages. Essentially, the battalion headquarters could provide administrative and operational control over any number of companies.
The battalion also participated in the Rome-Arno, Rhineland and Central Europe Campaigns. In Germany it hauled supplies across the Rhine River. On 12 November 1945, the battalion was inactivated in Germany.
The 53rd Quartermaster Battalion received campaign streamers for Tunisia, Sicily (with arrowhead for spearheading an amphibious landing), Naples-Foggia (with arrowhead), Anzio (with arrowhead), Rome-Arno, Southern France (with arrowhead), Rhineland and Central Europe. It may be the only Quartermaster and later transportation Corps battalion ot have earned four arrowheads for amphibious assaults.