CEB
Here's a link to a nice article about the 1254th's participation with the "Monuments Men" during the war:
Separately, speaking of Bailey bridges, you might like to know that the 1254th CEB received a unit citation for their successful construction of the first TWO-WAY, double-carriage Bailey bridge. This bridge was capable of simutaneously carrying traffic to/from both sides of the river. My dad and I found this out when we visited the national archives building in Maryland to review the unit history of the 1254th. He had forgotten about the citation, but remembered it when we saw a copy of it in the unit history. My dad, Cpl. John F. Hurley, was from Brooklyn, NY and was with the 1254th from basic training through the end of the war.
Keep the trivia coming. Until my brother-in-law sent me the link to this site, I've had a great deal of difficulty finding much info on the battalion outside of a unit history book that I have a copy of. Shelby Stanton's book on the order of battle in the ETO during WW2 lists some critical dates for the unit and some division attachments. Among the few things that my dad told me about his experiences with the 1254th was that, on V-E day, he was billeted in a churchyard in the german village of "Zoest" (I believe that was the name). In 1999, he and I traveled to europe to retrace some of the units marches and to visit other battlefields that neither of us had seen. Unfortunately, he and I never made it to "Zoest' because he was feeling poorly and the weather was lousy. I'll never know whether or not he would have recognized the churchyard, but if anyone else has a relative that might have also been there, please post your contact info.
John