A Company 347th Combat Engineering

[Les Bradley]

Hi,

I am looking for information about A Company 347th Combat Engineering Regiment. I can't really find out anything about it or what they did. I know my grandfather was in it and he was at Normandy on D Day but that's about all I know. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Christoph]

Arthur T. Harnished has published a book about his life during WWII in the 347th:

http://books.google.de/books/about/My_Life_During_WWII.html?id=bR7gtgAACAAJ&redir_esc=y

but I'm afraid it isn't available, perhaps on ebay?

 

A bit of information here:

http://genforum.genealogy.com/wwii/messages/2118.html

 

And there was a thread here some years ago

http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/engforum/index.php?showtopic=1823

in which Marion posted a link.

 

Christoph

[SonofaMP]

Welcome to the forum. The 347th was an Engineer General Service Regiment.

 

The lineage of the 18th Engineer Brigade can be traced back to 29 July 1921, when its predecessor unit, the 347th Engineers (General Service), was first constituted as an Organized Reserves unit. The 347th Engineers would not be activated for almost twenty years, until the United States began its military buildup following its entrance into World War II. The unit was ordered into active military service on 6 May 1942 at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana.

 

On 1 August 1942, the unit was reorganized and re-designated as the 347th Engineer General Services Regiment. The Regiment deployed to England in February 1944. It entered combat in France on 29 June 1944 and participated in the Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns of World War II, earning its first Meritorious Unit Commendation. After V-E Day, the Regiment remained on occupation duty in Germany until it was inactivated on 1 June 1946.

 

Do you have any documents that show your grandfather was at the D-Day invasion on June 6 or 7? if so he may have been in a different unit & joined the 347th at a later date.

[mnepit]

Hi

Thanks for all the information. He passed away in 1998 so i don't know if there are any documents to show where he was. My grandmother now is in the final stages of alzheimer's and couldn't really tell us if there are any. He did tell my father and me for years he was there so that's about all I have to go on. Thanks Christoph for the links. One of those is what brought me to the site and got me registered.

[Walt's Daughter]

Welcome to the forum. Glad to have you here. I see my able-bodies assistants have chimed in to help. :pdt12:

[Walt's Daughter]

Since you are a family member, you may extract a copy of his discharge papers from either NARA in St Louis, or going through his local VA in his home state. That is how I obtained a copy of my fathers.

 

Follow this link for specific info

 

http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/engforum/index.php?showtopic=23

[SonofaMP]

You may also go to or write to the Town Clerk or County Clerk`s office in the town where he lived after he came home from the war. Most veterans filed a copy of their discharge documents there. Also there may be a copy at the Probate Court or at the funeral home that handled his burial arrangements.

[Walt's Daughter]

That is great advice. We should include that in our RESEARCH SECTION. I will be sure to do that for everyone.