It`s been a year, but finaly came across information on the 185th Engineer Combat Battalion..
Lineage of the 185th Engineer Combat Battalion
Originally Battery "A", 213th Coast Artillery Regiment, Anti-Aircraft.
The 213th Coast Artillery Regiment, Anti-Aircraft was organized in 1922 in Allentown, as a PA NG unit.
Unit was a descendant of the 4 Inf PA 1874.
213th CA Regiment inducted into federal service, 16 September 1940
Battery "A" expanded into 3rd Battalion, 213th CA Reg 13 June 1942
213th CA Reg inactivated 1 April 1944 in Naples Italy
3rd Battalion reorganized & redesignated 337th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Searchlight Battalion, 1 April 1944
337th AA Searchlight Battalion inactivated on 24. September 1944, Civitavecchia, Italy
The entire personnel was transferred to the 185th Engineer Combat Battalion, which was activated on 25 September 1944.
185th ECB was attached to the 1338th Engineer Combat Group, Fifth Army.
Brief History:
"The 185th Engineer Combat Battalion, was originally Battery "A", 213th Coast Artillery Regiment Anti-
Aircraft, upon induction into Federal service on 16 September 1940. The next months were spent in training
until the U.S. entered the war in December 1941. At that time, the unit departed from Fort Eustis in
two hours and rushed north to protect New York harbor. The battery was expanded into the 3rd Battalion,
213th Regiment, on 13 June 1942, after additional cadres were added.
On 1 November 1942, the unit left New York harbor aboard the U.S. Army transport "John Ericson" for
Casablanca. The regiment operated in North Africa until 13 October 194-3 when it departed for Naples.
The battalion maintained Naples defense positions until 1 April 1944, when the unit was reorganized into
a separate battalion, the 337th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Searchlight Battalion, which continued the air
defense of Naples until after the fall of Rome.
The unit moved to Civitavecchia on 26 June 1944 and maintained anti-aircraft positions around that
port until inactivation on 24. September 1944. The entire personnel was transferred to the 185th Engineer
Combat Battalion, which was activated on 25 September. Four days later, the battalion moved near
Sernallino, was attached to the 1338th Group and began a six weeks` course in engineering training."