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Letter from Gabe - 291st Engineer Bn - Printable Version +- Forums (http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/forumnew) +-- Forum: Search, Research & Preservation (http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/forumnew/forumdisplay.php?fid=47) +--- Forum: LOOKING FOR... (http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/forumnew/forumdisplay.php?fid=6) +--- Thread: Letter from Gabe - 291st Engineer Bn (/showthread.php?tid=208) |
Letter from Gabe - 291st Engineer Bn - Walt's Daughter - 03-17-2005 I have a friend of mine who served with this unit and is trying to find more information on the internet to down load would you know any way to gain more information on his unit,his name George Donaldson and he helped to build this bridge, it would mean a lot to him !!!!!!!!!!! 291st Engineer Combat Battalion Letter from Gabe - 291st Engineer Bn - Walt's Daughter - 03-17-2005 Good morning Gabe:
Thanks for writing. There's a ton of info and this is ONLY a partial list. I am also going to include this on the forum too, so other's can benefit from it. The unit was sometimes referred to as the "Damned Engineer" unit.
Let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Warm regards, Marion J Chard Proud daughter of Walter (Monday) Poniedzialek 540th Combat Engineer WWII http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are two contacts for the unit also:
291st Engr (Combat) Bn Mr. Patrick J Martin 300 Foxhall St Raleigh NC 27609-5604 919-781-0857
291st Engineer Combat Bn Mr. Joseph H. Geary 55 Cottrell Road Saunderstown, RI 02874 (Newsletter) (401) 295-7088
Links:
They were there at the Malmedy Massacre:
http://www.historynet.com/wwii/blmassacreatmalmedy/ http://www.qmfound.com/malmedy.htm http://ardennes44.free.fr/page55.html
There's a brief mention of them on Mr. L. Page's page:
http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/law...awrencepage.htm
Battle of the Bulge:
http://hometown.aol.com/dadswar/bulge/ http://www.leveillee.net/roots/juliana4-6d.htm
VII Corps:
http://www.jeroenkoppes.com/ww2/units/7th%...0US%20Corps.htm
General Info:
http://home.earthlink.net/~crcorbin/Corbin2.html
http://www.fireandfury.com/extra/bridging.shtml
Engineering Booklet:
http://www.lonesentry.com/gi_stories_bookl...lets/engineers/
The Bridge at Remagen:
http://www.appalachianpower.com/Remagen%20...%20jul14.01.htm
The 1st SS Panzer Division's Dash Westward, and Operation Greif
http://history.sandiego.edu/cdr2/BYRD/BATT..._BO/CHAP_11.TXT
This is on a friend of mine's site and is a dedication to those buried at Margraten, The Netherlands
http://www.basher82.nl/Data/margraten/harlow.htm
Engineers in the Battle of the Bulge (PDF file)
http://www.usace.army.mil/inet/usace-docs/...-1-42/c-7-4.pdf
Books on the 291st:
First Across the Rhine: 291st Engineer Combat Battalion in France, Belgium and Germany http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/068...7245099-4169554
The Damned Engineers: How one battalion of Combat Engineers stalled Hitler's offensive in the Battle of the Bulge http://www.cellarstories.com/cgi-bin/cella...ies/056566.html
Monument to:
http://users.swing.be/salmriver/monument.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Letters on the Internet: (mentions some interesting facts, books, etc.)
This week, I read one-half of a very interesting 1989 book titled " First Across the Rhine, The 291st Engineer Combat Battalion in France, Belgium, and Germany", by Colonel David Pergrin.
This narrative describes combat engineers who were caught in the spearhead of the German forces (otherwise known as Kampfgruppe Peiper) led by Joachim Peiper. Up to this time, their routine duty had been repairing the MSR (main supply route) roads, for the Red Ball Express and periodically clearing minefields.
When these engineers were cutoff from direct communication with their various headquarters, reinforcements and each other, individual squads/platoons and their officers and NCO's took the initiative to stymie the German Army at key points along the spearhead into the Allied lines. The engineers blew up bridges at key points along the Ambleve River and mined road blocks at key junctions to delay enemy forces long enough for reinforcing US units could make their way to the action. For these delaying actions, Peiper called them "those Damned Engineers". This story is not usually discussed in detail in overall books on the BOB.
It brings the reality of the war to an individual level.
Also, this battalion trained at Camp Swift just before shipping out to Europe. Camp Swift is about 30 miles east of Austin, Texas and at one time was one of the larger Army training facilities in the states. After WWII, most of the land was returned back to owners, but the Texas National Guard (or Army Reserve?) still has a tank training facility there. Periodically, WWII Re-Enactors use it for battles between German and Allied forces.
Regards, Gary Speer UT Austin rggrs@utxdp.dp.utexas.edu (don't know if this email address is currrent)
-------------------- Gary,
There was also a book published years ago called "Those Damned Engineers!" (thank you Jochen!) and as Micheal Reynolds explains in the intro to his new book on Peiper - had it not been for a chance reading of this book (his wife picked it up for him as a gift),he never would have developed an interest (and to his own confession - "Obesession") with the Bulge and particularly with Peiper's KG and its story. It was "Those damned Engineers" of the 291st that made all the difference.
Now i'm interested... I'll have to pull out my AFTER THE BATTLE by Pallud tonite and sift through it.
Best, Russ Folsom (rfolsom@draper.com) Letter from Gabe - 291st Engineer Bn - TSDonaldson - 04-21-2012 Marion,
Do you have any way to contact Gabe? I am not sure if he is aware, but my father passed away on Monday and I would like to notify him.
Thank you. Letter from Gabe - 291st Engineer Bn - Walt's Daughter - 04-22-2012 Tina, just read this. I was away for the weekend. I am so very sorry to hear this. Please accept our heartfelt condolences.
Let me check on the contact info. I'll be back in a bit.... |