344th or 334th Engineers?

[Walt's Daughter]

Ah, another question I can answer easily. I just love it when that happens.

 

I have a link here on my site that lists every type of unit that served in WWII. Here ya go!

 

Engineer Units

 

You can find more info on the History Page too. Will have more coming at ya soon!

[Custermen]

Here are two units that I would like to know more about. I have collected a few maps and I would like to know more about how the maps were printed and distributed to the field commanders.

 

Map Depot Detachment - Received, stored, and issued maps. This unit was adequate to provide map depot facilities for one base section.

 

Photomapping Team - This team was equipped to perform original topographic mapping from aerial photographs. It was normally attached to a topographic unit having planning, computing, and reproduction facilities; it was sometimes used to increase the capacity of a base topographic battalion.

 

The maps have a reference source and the name of the organization who drafted it. Then it might have an additional entry as to who published (or printed) it. Some examples of the marking are:

 

"Photolithographed by 66th Engr. Top Co., U.S. Army, September 1944"

and "Prepared by P.I. Sect. HQ II Corps" and signed by G-2

 

"Reproduced by 12 Polish Corps Fd. Svy. Coy. April 1944"

 

Any info will be helpful. One of these days, I will have a complete page about Field Maps and how to read them. Some day.

 

Steve

[Walt's Daughter]

Well Steve, you are absolutely going to LOVE me today, because I have a book that will help you with questions concerning mapping and the army corps of engineers. It's from the collection- US Army in World War II - The Technical Series. The book is titled:

The Corps of Engineers Troops and Equipment- Coll Keith and Rosenthal

 

And it is TECHNICAL. Dry reading for people who want to know. Not something that you would find at your local bookstore.

 

I got mine through Alibris. One of my favorite used and hard to find bookstores now.

[Custermen]

Hmm. Sounds interesting. That is one of those green book series of the US Army history?? Does it tell more about each unit that was responsible for making the maps?

I have picked up several Army Manuals that deal with artillery and map reading. They have helped me a lot. But I just don't know where the maps came from.

 

Another example; I have a small collection of air force "silk" maps or also called escape maps. Most veterans say that these were handed out to the flight crew just prior to a mission and supposedly returned after it. However, I'm sure many weren't and that is why most of them got into circulation. I know those were printed in the US because of the special equipment required to make the rayon cloth and print it properly.

I just don't know about the paper maps.

 

Steve

[Walt's Daughter]

Yes it is one in the series of the GREEN BOOKS. To be honest, I have only read what I needed from it so far. I will let you know more later this morning as far as the extent and detail of content regarding maps, etc.

[Walt's Daughter]

Well from what I have surmised this afternoon...

 

There are two detailed chapters in this book. One is called, Effects of Aerial Photography on Mapping and Camoflage. The other is called, An Old Mission Expands: Mapping and Engineer Strategic Intelligence.

 

Starts with pre-WWII and how things were handled and goes into great detail about how they joined forces with the Airforce, etc. Tells about the initial engineer units and how they gathered info and formed new practices for use during WWII. I only skimmed over the two chapters, but it looks like something you might want to add to your collection. I would copy the pages, but they number quite a few.

 

Alibris has copies right now that start out at $19.95. Here's the link:

 

The Corps of Engineers - Troops and Equipment

[Custermen]

It's from the collection- US Army in World War II - The Technical Series

Thanks for the link to the used books. I've never been to that site.

I may search around for more US Army History books. I've always wanted to get a few of the Technical series or the ones that deal with Logistics and other general areas of WW2. I'm sure some of them will have some good facts about units that relate to the training & organization in the States.

 

In case anyone is interested, a local antique store here has one of the US Army series about Hospitals. It has facts and statistics about the general hospitals in USA and in UK and elsewhere. I would have bought it if it had anything about the field hospitals.

So, if you find anyone who has an interest in this area and this book, tell them to email me and I can get it shipped to them.

I passed on this book and bought the one about the Normandy Landings.

 

Steve

[Walt's Daughter]

Alibris is one of my MAIN sources for books now and I frequent the site a lot. I just added a bunch of books and videos that I want for my birthday this year. I have an ongoing wish list at Amazon and also forwarded my private list of WWII books and videos to my hubby and step-daughter etc. Hint, hint to the family!

 

Now how many women do you know that want WWII videos for their birthdays?

 

Right now I'm going after videos on the engineering units of VI Corps and also the units that the 540th were attached to or in direct support of, such as the 82nd Airborne, the 34th Inf Div, etc. I have a great list and most of the videos can be found for around $19.95.

 

I had found a video regarding the 540th in Italy and damned if I can't find it again. I don't know why I didn't bookmark the thing. I'll find it again. Me, I don't give up!

 

Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions as always.

[Walt's Daughter]

More on the 344th for eveyone including this woman who just wrote to me today:

 

Hello,

I am trying to find out about my fathers service in WWII. His name is Clem W. Ritter Jr. He has been deceased for over 10 years now and I am trying to gather information so that when my mother passes I can have them buried in VA cemetery here in Minnesota. I have been in contact with the VA in St. Louis and here in Minnesota and was informed that most of his records were destroyed in a fire. Because I cannot obtain his records due to the fire they will only allow his lowest rank to be engraved on the headstone. I know that my father reached the rank of 1st lieutenant and I want to honor him by having that rank be displayed on his headstone. The VA told me that if I can find out more info on his service that they might have more to go on in the search.

I know that he was in the 344th Corp. Of Engineers and served from 1941-1943 and then in 1945. I was told that if I could find a photo of him in uniform with his rank status on his uniform that it would work for them to confirm his highest rank so I'm currently going through many old photo's.

I'm hoping that you can tell me how to research his service more in depth. I went to the US army web site and printed out the lists of symbols and insignia's as well as service medals in hopes that I can find out more info. I have a photo with a insignia which appears on his left shoulder but I cannot find that insignia anywhere. I am told that this was his unit patch. I figured that if I could find out his unit then that would help.

Do you have any suggestions??

(Email Address left off for privacy)

Thank you for your time,

Lisa C. Ritter

 

------------------------------------------------

 

Dear Lisa:

 

Here is a book that you might be interested in:

 

http://www.ebookstand.com/books.grp/GE1181.html

 

Other links:

 

http://www.tshaonline.org//handbook/online...s/CC/fcabh.html

 

 

November 8, 2009

Marion's note: Found several of these links were no longer available. What a shame when history is lost this way...

[Walt's Daughter]

Lisa has found more info in the interim:

 

------------

 

Hello,

 

I wrote to you sometime ago trying to find out information about my fathers service in the corp. of engineers. You were very helpful but I was unable to provide you with any good viable information so I had to do some more digging through paperwork and request my fathers full file from the VA. Armed with my new info I have some more questions I'm hoping you can help me with.

 

My father paperwork say's that he was in the 344th Engineer Regiment, his captain in 1942 was a James Goodson. He received his discharge signed by a Colonel Ralph Cammeron.

 

My father's service medals were the National Defense Medal and Service Ribbon, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and Service Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, and Service Ribbon. In a box I found a blue round patch with a white numeral 6 in the middle. I found another patch that has a red background with a blue castle looking thing in it and a large letter A with the number 5 underneath it. He has these blue triangles with a yellow step ladder like thing and a red triangle in the middle of that. He then has patches that were sewn on to his uniform which have 5 gold braided stripes. I cannot find out anything on these patches to help me figure out any of the things you know regarding divisions and regiments etc.

 

I've searched the US Army web site and all I can figure out is what his ribbons stand for and what his rank was from his pin which was 2 LT. What I want to be able to figure out is what division he was with and what battalion then at least I can know what to read to find out about the battles he was in and why he had such a hard time in Italy. Something happened to him in Italy that deeply effected him and he would not speak about it but he did not come back from the war the same man that left and he suffered from post traumatic stress related issues all his life. I want to know where he was in Italy and why the battles there were so horrific so I can better understand what he went through.

 

I want to honor my father's service to our country by having his ashes buried with the rank he attained on his headstone not the one that the VA has listed on his paperwork. Just because they had a fire that destroyed their records is not my problem and if I have to write the president about it I will. I can prove my dad was a 2nd LT. not warrant officer and he should be able to have that on his headstone.

 

OK I have rambled on enough, thanks for reading my ranting. I hope you can help guide me to some answers, I really am grateful for all of your help!

 

Sincerely,

Lisa Ritter