Hello ,

I am looking for information on the 345th Engineers General Service Regiment . My grandfather was in this unit in Italy , he was awarded 3 bronze stars. His papers say he was a tractor operator. His name was Cpl. William E. Vore . Any info on the 345th or Cpl. Vore is greatly appreciated !

thanks for your time !!!

Hi and welcome.

The bronze stars were awarded for campaigns in which he participated.

http://www.lonesentry.com/panzer/may/bridge.html

http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/doc...hWaterBn001.pdf

http://www.witnesstowar.org/content/view.p...;c=OIW&v=87

http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-m...amp;mid=4162174

http://www.lonesentry.com/features/f10_ambulances_italy.html

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglo...7&fhid=5947

As you can see, I sometimes place obits for other members of the unit within my searches, for you never know. People have been able to get a message through, and thus get in contact with the family members.

This should get you started, but I also strongly urge you to see our Research section, and use many of the links provided. NARA in Maryland may have the unit records, as may the Army Engineer Office of History, etc.

Look forward to chatting with you here.

http://www.181stengineerheavypontonbattalion.com/page-d/

Here's some text again (see one of the previous links above) from the The Corps of Engineers - The War Against Germany. Notice how it mentions my dad's unit too (540th).

Peninsular Base

With the arrival of more service

troops from North Africa, the Fifth

Army Base Section assumed more re-

sponsibility for supply in the army's

rear. Through summer 1943, Fifth

Army's support organization was only

a skeleton, designated 6665th Base

Area Group (Provisional) and modeled

after the NATOUSA Atlantic Base Sec-

tion. It changed its provisional charac-

ter and its name to the full-fledged

Fifth Army Base Section on 28 August.

Under Brig. Gen. Arthur W. Pence, an

advance echelon accompanied Fifth

Army headquarters to Italy, landing

at Salerno on D plus 2. General

Pence established his headquarters at

Naples the day after the city was

captured, and on 25 October his com-

mand became the Peninsular Base Sec-

tion, with its Engineer Service under

Col. Donald S. Burns.^^

By 10 October the first full-sized con-

voy brought the 345th Engineer Gen-

eral Service Regiment to the base sec-

tion. The Base Section Engineer Ser-

vice also had at its disposal the 540th

Engineer Combat Regiment, two engi-

neer general service regiments (the

345th and 94th), the 386th Engineer

Battalion (Separate), one company of a

water supply battalion (attached from

Fifth Army), an engineer port construc-

tion and repair group, an engineer

maintenance company, a depot com-

pany, and a map depot detachment — in

all, about 6,000 engineers. ^^

Look in this forum link section and find the date August 15. Has a photo regarding the 345th.

http://www.ww2f.com/weapons-technology-wwi...vs-tanks-6.html

Look in this forum link section and find the date August 15. Has a photo regarding the 345th.

 

http://www.ww2f.com/weapons-technology-wwi...vs-tanks-6.html

Thank you so much for your time !! I am looking into this.

You are very welcome. Let me know what else you discover. Always happy to help.

You are very welcome. Let me know what else you discover. Always happy to help.

I reached out to Dan MacDonald s son , he was just going threw a box of his fathers stuff , and was looking a at pic of his mom and dad in his uniform ! Said his father had passed last year. He was very excited to talk with me. I found out his dad was with the 345th just after my grandfather was finished with his tour. So no luck on any stories of the 345th but he had a few covering general dangers of engineering in war time. Great to talk to him. I am going to point him here. His father died in Italy last year lived on the Gothic Line. He was first with the 92nd Engineers, so if anyone is looking into that he has some good info and a great knowledge of the area because he was raised there ! Still Looking for info on 345th members After they landed in the PBS , I have the few photographs available and label as 345th but nothing else yet . Thanks

Glad you got to talk with Dan. Thank God he didn't throw away those things. That just blows my mind!

I am trying to encourage all to hold onto those items, but if they don't wish to do so, send them my way so I can share them with the world, or donate them to a museum.

http://www.181stengineerheavypontonbattalion.com/page-d/

 

Here's some text again (see one of the previous links above) from the The Corps of Engineers - The War Against Germany. Notice how it mentions my dad's unit too (540th).

 

Peninsular Base

 

With the arrival of more service

troops from North Africa, the Fifth

Army Base Section assumed more re-

sponsibility for supply in the army's

rear. Through summer 1943, Fifth

Army's support organization was only

a skeleton, designated 6665th Base

Area Group (Provisional) and modeled

after the NATOUSA Atlantic Base Sec-

tion. It changed its provisional charac-

ter and its name to the full-fledged

Fifth Army Base Section on 28 August.

Under Brig. Gen. Arthur W. Pence, an

advance echelon accompanied Fifth

Army headquarters to Italy, landing

at Salerno on D plus 2. General

Pence established his headquarters at

Naples the day after the city was

captured, and on 25 October his com-

mand became the Peninsular Base Sec-

tion, with its Engineer Service under

Col. Donald S. Burns.^^

 

By 10 October the first full-sized con-

voy brought the 345th Engineer Gen-

eral Service Regiment to the base sec-

tion. The Base Section Engineer Ser-

vice also had at its disposal the 540th

Engineer Combat Regiment, two engi-

neer general service regiments (the

345th and 94th), the 386th Engineer

Battalion (Separate), one company of a

water supply battalion (attached from

Fifth Army), an engineer port construc-

tion and repair group, an engineer

maintenance company, a depot com-

pany, and a map depot detachment — in

all, about 6,000 engineers. ^^

 

Thank you very Much !! I read some where that the general service eng. were attached to combat eng. when needed or infintry units, then would return to the base area. The gentlemen I am researching was a tractor driver, any ideas on his individual duties ?

My father was also in the 345th Engineer General Service Regiment in WWII in Africa, Italy & Greece. He has a 16 page (abut 11 pages of text) paper about the regiment's activities. It is titled "Mission: In Support Of ..." subtitle: "A breif history of the 345th Engineer General Service Regiment, covering the first three years of its existence -- from 15th June '42 to 15 June '45" by Lieutenent Colonel Lawrence M. Hoover, Commanding Officer.

If you do not have a copy let me know.