Hello everyone. My name is Kevin Meehan and my grandfather, CPL Howard Meehan, landed at Omaha and fought in St Lo during the war. I'm looking for contact with anyone who knew him so I can gather information about his service before a family trip to Normandy and St Lo this spring. Thank you.

Kevin Meehan

Posting this for someone who contacted me about a week ago...

Hi,

My name is Heather Stewart, and I am working on research on my grandfather's service in WWII. Unfortunately, his records were destroyed by fire in St. Louis. Unfortunately, my family cannot be a source of much information on his service and circumstance of his passing.

His name was Garth E. Howard, TEC4, Service #37543941. Apparently he was assigned to the 1050th Engineer Construction and Repair Group, and died Nov. 26, 1943. He is interred in the U.S. military cemetery at Nettuno, Italy.

He was a resident of northwest Iowa, but enlisted or was drafted into service at a station in Minnesota. He was a farm kid, just 19-20 years old at the time he joined the Army. I wonder if it was because of his experience with equipment that he was assigned to the Engineers. I do know he was sent to training at Fort Screven, at Tybee Island, Georgia in the summer of 1942, before being sent to the European theater.

I believe that he spent a short period of time in France before August 1943, before his death in Italy in late November 1943.

I cannot find any information about the 1050th, and what type of work they were specifically doing, and the circumstances of his passing. I wonder if the 1050th was actually part of another group, and if you have any information on that. Also, do you have any other suggestions on how I might be able to find more information?

His passing was quite traumatic to my grandmother who was widowed at age 21 with a newborn daughter at the time. While she kept many momentos of him, the oral history of his service and his passing was never spoken about, mainly because her 2nd husband was extremely jealous of her posthumous affections and memories of her 1st husband, my grandfather. A tragic loss, really.

I would truly appreciate your help in piecing together whatever information can be found to paint a more complete picture.

With hopes to hear from you,

Heather Stewart

Hi Everyone,

The attached picture shows a memento that was among my father's WWII things. It says Anzio and 1040 within a horseshoe. As you can see, its almost the size of his Seahorse patch. Would anybody out there know what this object symbolizes? I can only guess that it might have something to do with a horse race or horseshoe throwing contest on the Anzio beachhead.

Thanks,

Peanuts

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My free time today was spent taking a short break from the 24th, and spending time working on the first unit I researched. It was not as thorough as the 24th though.

These are of a grouping in my collection from the C/O of 1/504 PIR, John Berry.

He joined the 504 just in time for the Market Garden jump, and was the XO of 1st Battalion at the time. He made the 2nd wave of the WAAL River crossing.

He became the C/O at somepoint after Market, and stayed with the Battalion till the parade in NYC. He and his men were also the first American unit to "blunt" the advance of Piepers armor, and received a PUC for that action.

I have his BS, PUC W/OLC, and picture of the Tucker Tumbler. It is the original of the picture used in the 82nd Airborne history book.

Let me know if you guys want a clearer close up of something.

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I was given information about a book titled "Photographs of work of the 157th Engineer Combat Battalion" and after several emails, and a lot of waiting, I was able to track it down! I knew the book was 1000 miles away from where I live so I asked if I could see it via an inter-library loan but I was told I could not due to the fragile condition of the book. Fortunately, they were happy to scan the book for me and send me a digital copy! While I prefer to do my own scanning, they did a good job and last night I received the first of likely three installments.

This first batch was 25 pages long and had approximately 39 photographs and needless to say, I have poured over them! The photographs do not appear to be in chronological order and the labels, which seem to have been an afterthought, that were included in the book do not give the best information. I added dates and additional information where I could and I hope to find the information for the other photographs soon.

The first pages were labeled "Putting extra transoms on bridge to strengthen to Class 70" These are from the Seine RIver Bridge at Mantes Glassicourt, Fance. There is a lot written about this bridge as it was the first time that a Bailey Bridges was used in this way: four river barges were used to support the Bailey Bridge. One of the gentlemen, T/5 Richard Purcell, who was in Company C with my grandfather said that the night before the work began on the bridge, Company C unloaded 29 truckloads of Bailey Bridge. After finishing unloading in the early morning, Mr. Purcell was told to get some chow and some sleep. He opted for the sleep but as soon as he laid down, he was told to get up as it was time to start the construction of the bridge. Mr. Purcell has some great stories about this bridge, partly due to the fact that his birthday is August 21st, the same day construction of the bridge began.

This is also where my Grandfather was shot through the leg by the straffing ME-109s, temporarily taking him out of the war. I understand in talking with another 157th, Company C soldier, Sgt. Alton Heimbach, that my Grandfather helped to bring the barges down to the bridge site.