It was my distinct pleasure to have met Ken Burger today (aka Tony's Boy)! Thanks so much Ken for allowing me to borrow your undamaged platoon photo to scan. You are a man of men, my friend! Look for a scan of this soon, folks!
Gary
Gary L. Gates
Proud Grandson of Randall Gates
Mechanic, A and H&S Companies, 292nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 1149th Engineer Combat Group
It was my distinct pleasure to have met Ken Burger today (aka Tony's Boy)! Thanks so much Ken for allowing me to borrow your undamaged platoon photo to scan. You are a man of men, my friend! Look for a scan of this soon, folks!
Gary
Very cool Gary, we look forward to seeing your handiwork!
I came across this thread a while back when I was researching his WWII past. My Dad never talked much about the war. Frankly, he was not much for conversation in the first place and much less so when it came to the war. So, I was excited to find this thread and to find his name mentioned and pictures of him before he shipped out.
I have a few things I can contribute here, some pictures and things I remember him mentioning. And, this is a bit of a tease, but I have an souvenir he brought back that I took out if the box today and discovered it has names and addresses on it! I'll post about it later when I get some good images of it.
Most of all I want to thank all of you for posts and pictures and research. This gives me a better idea of what his experience was like in WWII, and, well, makes me feel a little more connected to him now that he's gone. Thanks.
Hello Kent I notice looking at your fathers photo that it appears that he has what looks like the patch of the 44th Infantry Division on his shoulder, had he ever mention serving in the 44th before transferring to the 292nd?...Ralph
Thanks to Ken (aka Tony's Boy) the scan of one of the platoons of A Company using the photo that his family has and is in much better shape then the one my family has is complete (see attached image). Here is a link to a much higher res version (7000 x 2838):
Anyone interested in an even larger version can message me and I'll make it available. Just a heads up, this ultra high res version is 30000 x 12164 resolution and is around 50 megs.
Later, Friends,
Gary
Gary L. Gates
Proud Grandson of Randall Gates
Mechanic, A and H&S Companies, 292nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 1149th Engineer Combat Group
Thanks to Ken (aka Tony's Boy) the scan of one of the platoons of A Company using the photo that his family has and is in much better shape then the one my family has is complete (see attached image). Here is a link to a much higher res version (7000 x 2838):
Anyone interested in an even larger version can message me and I'll make it available. Just a heads up, this ultra high res version is 30000 x 12164 resolution and is around 50 megs.
Later, Friends,
Gary
Nice work there Gary, thanks for sharing it with us! Bet your glad to have another copy of this photo since yours had some damage.
Hello Kent I notice looking at your fathers photo that it appears that he has what looks like the patch of the 44th Infantry Division on his shoulder, had he ever mention serving in the 44th before transferring to the 292nd?...Ralph
Nice catch there Ralph, I missed that one! I don't think there is any doubt about that being a 44th Infantry Division patch on Kent's father's uniform. I looked at my Stanton's book this evening and it shows the 63rd ECB and the 104th ECB belonging to the 44th ID, maybe he was originally attached to one of these units before being assigned to the 292nd. Perhaps Kent might be able to shed some light on it.
Nice catch there Ralph, I missed that one! I don't think there is any doubt about that being a 44th Infantry Division patch on Kent's father's uniform. I looked at my Stanton's book this evening and it shows the 63rd ECB and the 104th ECB belonging to the 44th ID, maybe he was originally attached to one of these units before being assigned to the 292nd. Perhaps Kent might be able to shed some light on it.
Randy
Folks,
Isn't it great to have so many knowledgeable and helpful folks willing to give to others?! What a great place this is!
Gary
Gary L. Gates
Proud Grandson of Randall Gates
Mechanic, A and H&S Companies, 292nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 1149th Engineer Combat Group
I am confident that the Company A photo would have been taken the same day, 19 May 1944, along with the rest of the battalion. They would have had the companies staged and ready so the photographer could snap each company photo one right after another. I think it is a bit odd that there is no writing on the Company A photo. Most every unit panoramic picture I have ever seen, including ones from the World War I era, have the unit number, date, and location. If it turns out your father appears in both photos, now that would be a real head scratcher! Have a good one!
Randy
Randy,
Thank you for the hi-res photo of Company C. It clears-up my question of whether my father is in the picture, and the answer is "no". Probably the combination of a blurry photo and some wishful thinking. Great work on the photo though, I am sure it will be a great help others identify their loved ones.
