Engineer Special Brigade

[Big Pete]

 

Bob, a friend of mine, asked if anyone can tell him (and me) what equipment these Engineers are wearing besides the bangalores.

Especially what the second Engineer has in his hands (detonation cords?).

 

And if anyone has a color picture of these items from a collection or so, please post it here.

 

In Bob's name, and my name, thank you very very much for your assistance.

Bob is planning to build an Engineer display, so let's all help him here.

 

Erwin

[Walt's Daughter]

Yes, those are det cords.

 

Here's a great article on the joint army/navy beach obstacle demolition in World War II

 

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FD...35/ai_n15631236

[twobisquit]

Erwin,

I'm not much help here but just wanted to say that I thought it's cool that your buddy is working up an engineer display. Keep us updated on how he is doing

Chris

[Jeeper704]

Thanks for the quick reply, Marion.

I'll pass it on.

 

Of course I will keep you guys updated on Bob's progress.

 

Erwin

[Walt's Daughter]

Here's another good article - D-Day, the Normandy Invasion: Combat Demolition Units

 

Took part and am printing it here:

 

METHODS -- Charges used, placement of charges, results.

 

Explosive Methods.

OBSTACLE

CHARGE

RESULTS

 

Element "C" 18 2-lb Hagensen packs, placed to cut face from rear-frame, & to flatten rear-frame as well. Extra charges used when possible. Obstacle cleared.

Ramps One 2-lb Hagensen pack at. base of each leg, unless timbers over 18-20 inches diam., or wood very green. If so, 2 packs. Also one 2-lb. pack underside of apex of legs. Legs cut off at bases, blown apart at top. Obstacle cleared.

Piling Single Hagensen pack at base, as with ramp timbers; if extra thick, or green, 2 packs (4 lbs.) Obstacle cleared.

Steel hedgehogs 3 Tetrytol blocks; 2 on one side of central gusset plate, 1 on the other side. (Not necessarily placed for shearing effect.) Obstacle cleared, but much shrapnel projected.

Steel hedgehogs 2 Hagensen packs; 1 each side of gusset. Obstacle not always cleared. Sometimes members merely bent, leaving hazard to light craft.

Concrete tetrahedra (members wired or pinned together at the joints) 1 Hagensen pack at apex each triangle. Obstacle demolished.

Concrete posts (reinforced) 2 Hagensen packs at base. Obstacle demolished.

Concrete posts (reinforced) 1 Hagensen pack at base. Concrete cleared but reinf. bars left. obstacle could be pushed over by hand afterwards.

Tellermines - 35, 42, 43 1 Hagensen pack, or 1 Tetrytol Block, or 1½-lb. block TNT Tellermine countermined.

Tellermines - 35, 42, 43 1 Number Eight Cap placed in detonator Tellermine detonated.

 

 

Non-Explosive Methods.

All the above obstacles were successfully removed with caterpillars, dozers, tank dozers, or tanks, if the had been removed first. Tellermines can be removed by hand after unscrewing detonator, if it is desired to avoid the shrapnel caused by blowing them.

 

Hedgehogs were eliminated by undoing bolts from central gusset plates, allowing obstacle to collapse.

 

Fixed Flamethrowers.

From Lt. Smith's description, these were the same as those seen by the writer at Grandcamp, a specimen of which was recovered for forwarding to the U.S.A. These flamethrowers are a simple tank, filled with a petroleum creosote mixture, which is ejected through a goose-neck nozzle by gas pressure from a burning pyrotechnic cartridge. The mixture is ignited by another similar cartridge wired and fired electrically in parallel with the first one. The flame lasts about l ½ minutes and has a range of 50-75 feet depending on the wind. It has a general terror value, and a specific value against vehicles or concentrations of men approaching the seawall within its range.

[Walt's Daughter]

Hey engineers!! We want to hear from you. This is info needed for my book too. What kind of things did you carry with you to do your specific jobs? Of course that would vary according to what your job was; bridge building, demolition, etc. Please elaborate for Bob and everyone else.

[Bob M]

Hello,

 

First of all I would like to thank my friend Erwin for posting this topic for me. The answers you gave me in this topic are very helpful and forced me to join this great forum

 

I'am very interested in seeing some color photo's of the gear these ESB GI's are carrying. If I know what they look like, and know what this stuff is called, I can start my search on the internet and shows to buy all that stuff (If anyone has something for sale, please contact me )

 

Second of all, somebody asked me to show some pictures of my ESB project, I can tell you all people that the idea is just in my head. Recently I finished an D-Day Medic project, and a D-Day Paratrooper project is just half way...

 

I'll keep you informed

 

Bob

[Walt's Daughter]

Welcome Bob! So glad you joined our crew. I hope we can be of assistance. It's wonderful to see your interest in the engineers. That is top-notch in my book!

 

Bob is planning to build an Engineer display, so let's all help him here.

[Walt's Daughter]

Here's a list of books related to engineers and their equipment:

ENGINEERING Explosives and Demolitions

 

http://www.military-info.com/Aphoto/Subjectlist/A021b.htm

 

The Seaborne Assault

 

http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/BOOKS/WWII/utah/utah3.htm

 

Here's an excerpt taken from the page listed above:

 

Clearing the Beaches

 

Such clearing of beach obstacles as was necessary was the mission of a special engineer force which was scheduled to land directly after the 8th Infantry. The engineer elements were organized as a Beach Obstacle Task Force, commanded by Maj. Herschel E. Linn of the 1106th Engineer Combat Group. They were to clear four 50-yard gaps in the obstacles on each beach from the high water mark seaward by hand-placed charges and tank dozers. Naval demolition teams were to destroy all obstacles under water and Army engineer teams were responsible for those above water. Army combat engineers were from the 237th Engineer Combat Battalion. The detachment of eight tank dozers was from the 612th Light Equipment Company and 70th Tank Battalion.

 

The plan contemplated the simultaneous landing at H plus 5 minutes of eight naval teams to clear eight s0-yard gaps in the first band of obstacles.2 This wave was to be followed in 10 minutes by 8 LCT's carrying, in addition to other tanks, 8 tank dozers. Immediately behind the tanks were to come 8 engineer combat demolition teams to clear obstacles above water. A reserve of 3 naval teams and 4 engineer teams was included in the fourth and fifth waves.

 

Like many other D-Day operations, this plan was not executed as conceived. Two LCT's were sunk while approaching the beach. One LCM, with an engineer demolition team, was hit by shell fire just as it lowered its ramp on Green Beach, and six men were killed. Both Army and Navy demolition teams beached almost simultaneously, together with the four reserve engineer teams which landed on Green Beach. These discrepancies between plan and performance in no case seriously hindered the operation.

 

The parties left the LCVP's and LCM's in three feet of water and waded ashore, each man carrying sixty pounds of explosives. Aerial photos had indicated three bands of obstacles in depth. Since H Hour was timed for a rising tide favorable for landing craft, it was expected that one band would be either in or near the edge of the water. Actually all obstacles were found dry. The Navy teams, however, proceeded as instructed to x explosives on the seaward band and the engineers moved to the next band. After the first gap at the junction of the beaches was blown, it was decided to proceed at once to the clearing of the entire beach. The landing craft heading for the initial gap were bunching so dangerously, and the obstacles were so much more sparsely distributed than expected, that the original plan of clearing only 50-yard gaps was abandoned.

 

Major Linn and the executive officer of the 237th Engineer Combat Battalion, Maj. R. P. Tabb, had both planned to direct operations from their M-29's (Weasels) on the beach. Major Linn's craft was sunk and Major Tabb's vehicle sank as it left the landing craft. Major Tabb saved the crew and a radio and made for the beach, where he got in touch with General Roosevelt. There was little of the expected excitement and not much confusion. Control during the landing was never a serious problem because it was decentralized. The fortuitous simultaneous landings of Army and Navy demolition teams made possible the setting and blowing of charges for all three bands of obstacles at once, and consequently saved time.

As expected, obstacles consisted mainly of steel and concrete pikes, some steel tetrahedra, and hedgehogs. Tank dozers worked effectively against some of the piling and pushed the obstacles up onto the beach, but hand-placed charges accounted for most of them. Only a few mines were found on the beach, attached to the obstacles. Belgian Gates were found in small number, a few on the beach and a few blocking the roads leading from the beach. The four reserve teams which landed on Green Beach blew these gates and assisted in blasting additional gaps in the sea wall.

 

The entire beach was cleared in an hour, and by that time elements of the 87th Chemical Mortar Battalion, the 3d Battalion of the 8th Infantry, and the 3d Battalion of the 22d Infantry were moving across the beaches, while engineer units were arriving to organize the beach operation. The Beach Obstacle Task Force was occupied with odd jobs for several hours more, but before noon had completed its task and reorganized. Of the 400 men involved, 6 were killed and 39 wounded.

 

Clearing the beach was only the first of the tasks assigned to combat engineers. One platoon of engineers was attached to each assault company of the 8th Infantry to blow gaps in the sea wall, destroy barbed wire in front and to the rear of the wall, and clear paths inland through the sand dunes. These tasks completed, they were then to perform normal assault missions against fortifications. For their initial missions they were equipped with bangalore torpedoes, mine detectors, explosives, and pioneer tools and markers. The demolition of the sea wall and clearance of paths through the sand dunes were accomplished very early. Company A, 237th Engineer Combat Battalion, blew two gaps in the wall on Red Beach, and Company C blew two on Green Beach. In addition Company A blew two Belgian Gates at the entrance to Exit 2 and picked up several prisoners from the pillboxes along the beach wall. The engineers then accompanied the infantry, removing mines and "dozing" roads across the dunes. As enemy artillery began to interdict the entrance to Exit 2, a trail was broken through the fields to the south and joined with the road which paralleled the coast and led back to Exit 2 south of la Madeleine Many of the fields back of the beach marked Miner were free, but the pattern was such that all were suspect and had to be cleared.

[Walt's Daughter]

Hey Bob:

 

Found this site. It has all kinds of manuals including - ENGINEERING Military Manual Photocopies available from Military/Info

 

http://www.military-info.com/MPHOTO/p021.htm

 

Sounds like there's some I'd like to have in my collection.

 

Hope this might assist you too.