A customer dropped in the store the other day and asked about my WWII work. Stated his dad was a WWII engineer and asked if I would like to see his dad's items. Well you guys know the answer to that!

Some items were large and difficult to scan, but were so cool and I had to give it my best shot. There was also a book included, and I am making all available to the public. I also shared this with my colleagues, Michael Brodhead and David Ulbrich. It's wonderful to be able to do so.

Michael (Army Corps Of Engineer's Office of History), informed me Mel Brooks was a member of the 1104th Engineers. Ah, once again we come full circle.

The following info was shared with me by Dennis Monsere, whose father Julian, was with the 554th Engineer Heavy Ponton Bn. I copied the material to the best of my ability, but some of the documents were very large and difficult to scan.

1104th Engineer Group - D-Day to the Elbe (middle section)

1104th Engineer Group - D-Day to the Elbe

Allies Drive to the Rhine - Life Magazine

Roer River Crossing at Julich

Tomahawk Strikes Forward - Newsletter March 1945

554E - book printed 1946 (part one)

554E - book printed 1946 (part two)

ahhhhhh, walk-in history! How kewl it iz.

Kewl is right!!!

And the hits just keep on coming! Received this letter this morning. How wonderful to know we've been helpful to others.

Hey Marion,

 

I'm a 60-years-old man form Margraten in the south - Netherlands.

In our village is the WO II - American Cemetery (see: http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/ne.php ))

There are American-soldier 8301 buried since 1945. President George Bush visited the cemetery in 2005.

 

Since several years I adopt the grave a the American soldier: Joseph Bollenbacher. On Memorial Day and some other days

I visit the cemetery and lay flowers at the grave of Joseph. He serviced the 554th engineer on heavy pontoon en died:

23-Februay-1945.

His wife (Gold Star mother) and two daughters visited his grave in 1972 and stay at mine mothers'home.

Many years we correspond with the family who lives in Ft. recovery and Coldwater (Ohio).

Since the begin of ' 80's: we lost contact.

 

During my search - tour by knowing more about the 554th heavy pontoon battalion amazing I found your internet site.

It what really amazing to find: the 554th E books and for the first time I saw a picture off Joseph Bollenbacher.

Next days I'm reading that book.

 

By the way: your site is under mine Favorites on my computer and in the future I will visit your site to know and read more about our liberators. Our heartfelt thanks for all concerned people.

 

I hope you can read this message while mine English is not good.

If you are interested to know about us in Margraten, let me know.

 

With friendly regards,

Mr. Michel Kleijnen.

Van Schaluynhofstraat 3

6269 DC Margraten

The Netherlands

Michel:

Make sure you read the article - the Allies Drive for the Rhine (listed above) for Dennis just stopped by and pointed out the pictures (within that LIFE article) which relate to the three KIA's listed in the 554 Book. He stated one of photos could very well be Joseph. The photos are very stirring, very chilling. What a day that was; such accomplishments, but along with the pride, came the loss and injury of many.

Here's the actual story. I am going to supply the pics too...

From an article in LIFE magazine, March 12, 1945

Since December the U. S. First and Ninth Arimes had been building up strength behind the swollen little Roer River. On Feb. 23 they let it go with a stunning night barrage. The Germans at the river were quickly overpowered. Beyond the river the rigid framework of their Rhineland defense began to break down. A week after the first gun had been fired at the Roer, the Ninth had arrived at the Rhine opposite Dusseldorf. The men of the Ninth exchanged shots with the Germans on the other side.

Lieut. General William H. Simpson, commander of the Ninth, hd been waiting for this drive to the Rhine. If the river was to be crossed by his army, the smooth crossing of the Roer was a battle rehearsal. For weeks the muddy little stream had been an obsession with the men of the Ninth. They prepared and planned to cross it early in February, in coordination with drives by the Canadians and General Patton's Third Army. But on the eve of the crossing the Germans opened the gates in the big earth dams of the upper Roer, partly flooding the cabbage land of the lower valley. General Simpson was forced to postpone the crossing while his engineers calculated when it would be possible.

The engineers, watching the flood dimish, told the general the crossing could be made on Feb. 23. The Ninth began to get ready again. The men and tanks and portable sections of pontoon bridges moved up to the river. At 2:45 A.M. the barrage began and a smokescreen drifted over river to cover the crossing.

As the morning sun shines through the open roof of a house in Julich, Ninth Army infantrymen dash across Roer under German mortar and machine-gun fire.

The U. S. Breakthrough Begins with the Crossing of the Roer: The Ninth Army's crossing of the Roer was a short, violent struggle against the Germans and the river. Forty-five minutes after the night barrage had begun, assault boats and amphibious tractors started across in a great wave. In some of the boats were combat engineers, ferrying cables to moor their pontoon bridges in midstream. It was an excruiating few hours for the engineers. The flood had lessened but the current was still swift and strong. Runaway boats and pontoons careened downsteam crashing into the bridges as they were being built. As the work went on the Germans kept up a blind but deadly machine-gun and mortar barrage through the smokescreen. But in spite of diffculties there were two footbridges across the Roer in the morning. Later the engineers put in bigger bridges for trucks and tanks.

On another Roer footbridge lies the body of an American soldier who was hit by German mortar-shell fragments when he was only 50 feet from east bank.

The hardest crossing on the Ninth Army front was made by teh veteran 29th Division of julich, which appears on the far side of the river on the opposite page.

The wreckage along the Roer at Julich was reminiscent of Normandy. All of Julich except the ancient moated citadel was taken by afternoon, freeing the 29th to join the power drive across the Cologne plain. But even after the entry into Julich, the crossing of the Roer were places of danger. The Germans still had the river under observation and shelled it heavily. The little bridge above and the dead soldier on it were principals in a grisly little drama which is unfolded on the following pages.

In the flickering night barrage which preceded the crossing of the Roer, the flashes of exploding shells light up a pillar of whilte-phosphorous smoke

Underneath striated lines of tracer shells, smoke generators on the est bank of the Roer make a low white could to hide the men crossing the river

As the morning sun shines through the open roof of a house in Julich, Ninth Army infantrymen dash across Roer under German mortar and machine-gun fire

On another Roer footbridge lies the body of an American soldier who was hit by German mortar-shell fragments when he was only 50 feet from east bank.