combat engineers questions

[peter]

Dear Members,

 

During Market-Garden on September 18 a glider of the 101st Airborne crashed in my village in Holland. Onboard where 3, 326 AEB Engineers and the pilot heading for LZ W Son.

Onboard was a 1st LT, a Tec 5 and a private plus a Willys Jeep.

 

My question is why the 'configuration' with a Tec 5, could this be he was needed for a 1st LT during battle ore on the battlefield?

 

What Could he have had for special skills and is Technician Fifth Class a rank ore would he be a Sgt?

 

In what way would he have been used during battle?

 

Further more I'm curious In what way this Willys Jeep would have been equipped if it was used to drive around a 1st LT on the battle field, maybe special radio equipment.

 

And last, what kind of markings would there have been on the Willys Jeep except from hood/field numbers, and a white star?

 

Thank you in advance.

Peter.

[roque_riojas]

Dear Members,

 

During Market-Garden on September 18 a glider of the 101st Airborne crashed in my village in Holland. Onboard where 3, 326 AEB Engineers and the pilot heading for LZ W Son.

Onboard was a 1st LT, a Tec 5 and a private plus a Willys Jeep.

 

My question is why the 'configuration' with a Tec 5, could this be he was needed for a 1st LT during battle ore on the battlefield?

 

What Could he have had for special skills and is Technician Fifth Class a rank ore would he be a Sgt?

 

In what way would he have been used during battle?

 

Further more I'm curious In what way this Willys Jeep would have been equipped if it was used to drive around a 1st LT on the battle field, maybe special radio equipment.

 

And last, what kind of markings would there have been on the Willys Jeep except from hood/field numbers, and a white star?

 

Thank you in advance.

Peter.

 

I would say, don't worry about the Tech 5, The pvt. must

have been the only one with a weapon. Tech 5-radio op. rocky

[Jumpmaster_AJ]

Tech 5's are Sergeants. They just (usually) don't hold leadership positions. i.e. Team leader, Squad Leader....etc....

[Walt's Daughter]

Hate to correct this, but a Tec 5 was a corporal with special skills. My dad was a Tec 5. A Tec 4 is a Sergeant. The tec classifications were used throughout WWII.

 

For more info on this, please refer to this section:

 

http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/eng...549&hl=tec5

[roque_riojas]

Hate to correct this, but a Tec 5 was a corporal with special skills. My dad was a Tec 5. A Tec 4 is a Sergeant. The tec classifications were used throughout WWII.

 

For more info on this, please refer to this section:

 

http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/eng...549&hl=tec5

 

Still think a tech 5 was the radio op. The jeep could have

had a radio mounted on the back behind the driver. But

I'm talking combat infantry.----

[Jumpmaster_AJ]

I had it bass akwards. lol My mistake.

[Walt's Daughter]

That's okay, we all do that from time to time. EVEN ME! Can't remember how many times I've posted something and had to go back and correct it. Dang!

 

Happens to the best of us.

 

It stuck out like a sore thumb because of my daddy's rank. I know that one like the back of my hand.

Still think a tech 5 was the radio op. The jeep could have

had a radio mounted on the back behind the driver. But

I'm talking combat infantry.---- armata_PDT_19.gif

 

Ahhh Rocky, I was talking to AJ, and wasn't referring to you. I don't know what the guys were specifically doing on the jeep, nor would I want to speculate. I was merely referring to the the Tec equivalent of ranks. That I DO know.

[peter]

Hey, thanks for your answers.

 

roque_riojas, I was thinking the same thing about the TEC 5 as radio opp and jeep with radio equipment because they where combat engineers.

 

I was told for one they where going to go to Son to help replace the bridge that was blown by the Germans over the Wilhelmina canal.

 

Rocky, I think the TEC 5 and 1st Lt would have been also armed going in to battle, also the glider pilot had a handgun.

The 1st Lt even acted as a 'on the job' co-pilot due to the shortage of pilots in that period.

 

The Germans where seen taking radio equipment from the crash-site and I was wondering what kind of radio equipment could have been onboard in the Jeep.

 

Maybe somebody knows what kind of SCR radio's where used by combat engineers when going into battle.

 

Anyway Marion , I understand the TEC 5 would have been a corporal.

What puzzles me now is, I’ve been to his grave last year at the American cemetery in Margraten and no CPL is engraved in the white cross, just TEC 5.

 

Marion, can you tell me what kind of Special duties your dad had as a TEC 5?

 

Peter.

[Walt's Daughter]

Dear Peter:

 

The grave is correctly marked as Tec 5 . Corporal WOULD NOT be on the stone. It was the "equivalent to", but a serviceman would be referred to and called by, Tec 5.

 

The special skills could be a range of things. In my dad's case he was trained mechanic and placed with motor pool in Headquarters and Service Co. He not only worked on the WWII vehicles, but could run the machinery to make the repairs and many times had to fabricate parts to keep things running.

 

Yes, the combat engineers were armed, and many times fought as infantry. For the most part they were always at the FRONT LINES in harm's way. They had one hell of a job. Just ask Rocky, he will attest to that!

 

The combat engineers in the ETO used the standard issued radios issued to the Army, amongst them the SCR-536, Walkie-Talkie.

 

My buddy Carl Furtado is a 36th Combat Engineer and worked as an radio operator. You can read his diaries here, if you are interested:

 

http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/CarlFurtado.htm

 

[peter]

Dear Marion,

 

Thanks' for your info I will take time to read Carl Furtado's diarie, great stuff!

 

Peter.