Normandy Engineer

[Walt's Daughter]

your_name: Steve Blakney

 

address: 5018 N33 rd st

 

cityst: Tacoma WA

 

zipcode: 98407

 

phone: left off for privacy

 

email_confirm: left off for privacy

 

through: other

 

comments: I am trying to get information of my father. Like a lot of men he came home and did not talk a lot about what he did. He was in the combat engineers but I do not know the unit.

Places he talked about being

 

-Utah beach landing - first wave

-Saint Lo

-Malmady

-St Vith

and the Nordhousen liberation

 

My father was in the convoy that was stopped and latter executed at Malmady. He and, a few men he could talk into it, made a break for it near the back of the column. He hid out and latter was in the fighting around the St Vith area. For most of the war he was out in front of the infantry units blowing up things or keeping things from being blown up. They had sent him back to Belgium for a rest.

 

Are there any combat engineer units that would have been in all of these actions. I know they got switched around a lot and at one time were even fronting for a British unit.

[Walt's Daughter]

Here are a list of engineer units that took part in the Normandy invasion. As you can see it is very, very extensive. I don't think that people realize the scope of the operation for D-Day. These are JUST ENGINEER units, period. It kind of brings things to focus.

 

Of course we would have to go in and eliminate units and narrow it down to just those who landed on Omaha for you. But as you can see, it would be helpful to have a bit more info, even a patch or something to go on...

 

Divisional Units

 

1st Engineer Combat Battalion - 1st Inf Div

 

121st Engineer Combat Battalion - 29th Inf Div

 

4th Engineer Battalion - 4th Inf Div

 

307th Airborne Engineer Battalion - 82nd Airborne Div

 

315th Engineer Battalion - 90th Inf Div

 

326th Airborne Engineer Battalion - 101st Airborne Div

 

Here are the non-divisional units...

 

HHC, 5th Engineer Special Brigade

 

HHC, 6th Engineer Special Brigade

 

20th Engineer Combat Battalion

 

37th Engineer Combat Battalion

 

38th Engineer General Service Regiment (less Band)

 

49th Engineer Combat Battalion

 

112th Engineer Combat Battalion

 

149th Engineer Combat Battalion

 

234th Engineer Combat Battalion

 

237th Engineer Combat Battalion

 

238th Engineer Combat Battalion

 

254th Engineer Combat Battalion

 

299th Engineer Combat Battalion

 

336th Engineer Combat Battalion

 

348th Engineer Combat Battalion

 

502d Engineer Light Ponton Company

 

503d Engineer Light Ponton Company

 

531st Engineer Shore Regiment

 

582d Engineer Dump Truck Company

 

602d Engineer Camouflage Battalion

 

610th Engineer Light Equipment Company

 

612th Engineer Light Equipment Company

 

819th Engineer Aviation Battalion

 

991st Engineer Treadway Bridge Company

 

992d Engineer Treadway Bridge Company

 

996th Engineer Treadway Bridge Company

 

RHC, 1106th Engineer Combat Group

 

HHC, 1121st Engineer Combat Group

 

HHC, 1171st Engineer Combat Group

 

1219th Engineer Fire Fighting Platoon

 

1340th Engineer Combat Battalion

 

1605th Engineer Map Depot Detachment

 

2013th Engineer Fire Fighting Platoon

 

=============

 

This list identifies Army units that were awarded assault landing credit for the Normandy invasion, 6 and 7 June 1944. It includes all units except for platoons and detachments that were a part of larger organizations and is based on the following War Department and Department of the Army General Orders: WD GO 70, 1945; WD GO 75, 1945; WD GO 116, 1946; DA GO 23, 1947; DA GO 72, 1948; DA GO 6, 1950; DA GO 37, 1950; DA GO 32, 1953; and DA GO 28 1956.

[SonofaMP]

a couple of websites detailing Utah Beach landing:

 

extracted from The Corps of Engineers: The War Against Germany

 

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

 

The first wave consisted of 20 LCVP's, each carrying a 30-man assault team from the 2d Battalion, 8th Infantry. [The second wave comprised another 32 LCVP's with additional troops of the 2 assault battalions, some combat engineers, and also 8 naval demolition teams which were to clear the beach of underwater obstacles. The third wave, timed for H plus 15 minutes, contained 8 more LCT's with dozer tanks. It was followed within 2 minutes by the fourth wave, mainly detachments of the 237th and 299th Engineer Combat Battalions, to clear the beaches between high and low water marks.

Note: 50% of the Naval demolition teams were comprised of Army engineers, unknown units.

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.

Companies A and C of the 237th Engineer Combat Battalion, landed with the 8th Infantry at H-hour.

Other units wereThe arrival at UTAH on 10 June of the 38th Engineer General Service Regiment, an Advance Section (ADSEC) unit attached to the 1st Engineer Special Brigade./size]

 

An account of the Malmedy massacre:

http://www.historynet.com/magazines/world_war_2/3030591.html

 

"While the survivors of Battery B of the 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion were being assembled in a field immediately adjacent to, and south of, the Café Bodarwé, three trucks from Company B of the 86th Engineer Battalion came up the hill from Malmédy and, after halting behind the ambulances at the rear of Battery B, were fired on by the Germans. Five of the men in these trucks managed to get away, although one of them was wounded and a sixth was captured.:

Note: There were many other Infantry, armored & engineer units in the imediate vincity of Malmedy St Vith and the germans had taken more prisoners of various units prior to the capturing convoy.

 

Hopefully this will narrow the search down a little & give you a place to start researching.

Larry

[Walt's Daughter]

I own a copy of that book. It's great and is THE source for info on the engineers and the units they supported.

[SonofaMP]

I own a copy of that book. It's great and is THE source for info on the engineers and the units they supported.

 

Another good reference book for this topic would be Lt. Col. David Pergrin`s "Engineering the Victory: The Battle of the Bulge: A History".

Pergrin`s 291st Engineer Combat Battalion had been stationed in the Malmedy area since early November, and he had warned the convoy not to take the route they were captured on.

[SonofaMP]

Here is the complete 230 page Engineer Operations Plan for for the Normandy invasion. Engineer Troop Lists begin on page 16

 

ANNEX 9 TO OPERATIONS PLAN NEPTUNE, ENGINEER PLAN