Rhine River Crossing VIA Eng's

[Walt's Daughter]

I sent this post to James Hennessey and John McAuliffe. I got the following email letters back from John along with some photos. Seems John and Shawn have been corresponding for a few years. Great!

 

Here's the first email:

 

Dear Marion,

Thanks for forwarding the question about the "ferries" and types of motors used on these storm boats for the Rhine River Crossing...March 24, 1945

In June 1993 I wrote a column in the Golden Acorn News 87th Div. Periodical. It was a report of the Engineers who brought the 87th Div. across the Rhine at two points, BREY and RHENS....Later crossing was made at BOPPARD on Ponton bridge...by trucks, tanks etc.. I will copy a few lines from the report here, which I got from the the Carlisle Barracks, PA

HEADQUARTERS

35th Engineer Combat Battalion

 

1. MISSION OF BN

Cross 347th Inf. Reg't 87th Div. and supply them until a bridge was completed over the Rhine River.

2. ORGANIZATION AND EQUIPMENT

Co. B

Attached 1 platoonCo.A H&S provisional platoon (20 men 1 Officer)

Co.C

Attached 1 platoon Co.A H&S provincial platoon (20 men 1 Officer).

Co.A

Less two platoons

Attached. Storm boat section 87th Engr. Hvy. Ponton Bn. Inf. Support

Raft Section 527 Light Ponton Co.

 

16 Storm boats/32 motors

4 Infantry Support Rafts/24 motors

85 Assault boats (734 paddles)

40 reserve assault boats received 24292

 

Then it gives The Plan....prior to crossing.Assault Phase....Supply Phase....The EXECUTION.....

RHENS SITE.....BREY SITE ..... Summary etc....

As for myself being in the 81mm mortars. we walked about a mile at 2:00am to the boats.and were brought over the Rhine in the storm boats driven by a motor.....The initial crossings by Rifle Companies paddled themslves in smaller assault boats....They got hit prettty badly by 20mm guns from opposite shore.

John M-347