All Rights Reserved. Frank Capuozzi was a rifleman who rode in a jeep ahead of the guns as they pushed across France. It was a fierce week long battle for the city of Heilbronn. 51. constructed Class 40 Bailey Bridge at CHERAIN, BELGIUM. March 18 - 24, 1945: Companies "B" and "C" operated Heavy Ponton Rafts and LCVP ferries across the RHEIN RIVER in the VII Corps Sector. Dedicated to the men who proudly served their country during World War II by serving in the 238th Engineer Combat Battalion. 129. July 18, 1944: Bn. September 16, 1944: Co "C" was served doughnuts and coffee by VII Corps Red Cross girls - believed to be the first Red Cross girls to serve troops on GERMAN soil in World War II. We. The waterproofing worked great and Bob Darino powered his jeep through the surf and up the hill at Normandy. moved to CHATEAU MODAVE then on to CHATEAU ENGLE BERMONT. On order, deploy worldwide to provide prime electrical power and electrical systems expertise in support of military operations and the National Response Framework.[1]. I am writing my memoirs and I already have over 200 pages. Once they got there, a fierce ten day battle ensued due to the last major German offensive, Operation Nordwind. 37. October 11, 1944: A 6 man German patrol was found between Post #1 and #3 - two of the enemy were killed and four escaped. 13. moved from PLOMION to the vicinity of MARIEMBOURG, BELGIUM. Bombers. The 294th landed in Normandy on D+ (June 7, 1944). January 23, 1945: Co "C" relieved of attachment to the 4th Cav. moved to BRISCOL, BELGIUM where the vehicles were parked. Chow detail going to Post #1 was ambushed by a 6 man patrol; the enemy patrol withdrew after a short fire fight. We are always glad to assist! The mission of World War II combat engineers (known as "sappers" or "pioneers" in other armies) was three-fold: mobility operations; countermobility operations; and, when necessary, to fight as infantrymen. I am an amateur artist and I just had a one-man show with 40 paintings. In England he boarded another ship for he knew not where. I was taken to the 228th for treatment. Learn more. March 1, 1945: Co "A" started construction of a large box CULVERT just west of DUREN. Bn. She worked as a secretary at the 228th while I was there. All the villages there had been evacuated and were ultimately destroyed by gunfire. They left Berlin in the fall for Le Harve, France to come home. 1st insignia of 90th Light Div. Vaughan - Navy, Rufus Dalton - Army, Ed Harrell - Marines, Robert James - Navy, John Souther - Army, LtGen Lawrence Snowden - Marines, Jim Wicker - Army Air Corps, Frank Capuozzi - Army, Newton Riess - Army, Harry Kone - Marines. (Error Code: 100013) 3:33 | At the end of the war, combat engineer Bob Darino went from sampling delicious cherry pies in German farm country to experiencing the horrifying spectacle of concentration camps. Temperatures were minus 20 degrees. Then, we went to Tennessee maneuvers for a couple of months. The battalion's motto is "Build, Support, Sustain!". April 6, 1945: Co "B" constructed Steel Treadway Bridge at DREISEL, GERMANY across the SIEG RIVER. have been maintained. Clyde Burnette fought for consciousness as the other crew in the back of the plane bailed out. 111. December 2, 1944: The Battalion moved from FRIESENRATH, GERMANY to VICHT, GERMANY. He has over 5000 books in his WWII repetoire and may have further info on the 294th. 98. 125. During August and September of 1965, the battalion received new vehicles, equipment, and filler personnel. November 16, 1944: The 4th Inf. 83. You are a great artist. The other officers that were supplied to the unit were second lieutenants from the 1943 class of West Point. Both on the attack and on the defense, engineers led the way. 8. Co "C" started construction of a Timber Trestle bridge under the Bailey Bridge at MULARTSHUTTE. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. GAVRAY, FRANCE.6 Co "B" 294th Engr. http://208.56.11.96/Invision/index.php?showtopic=23. On 19 March 1945, the unit was assigned to the engineer task force charged with crossing the Rhine at Oppenheim. 17. in clearing rubble from the streets of CARENTAN. Bn. With a commandeered ambulance full of casualties, he threaded his way through the ordeal thanks to luck and guile. While he was not in the immediate area of the blast he was at the scene of the accident shortly after it occured. September 18, 1944: The Battalion moved to a new bivouac at ROTGEN, GERMANY. However, when we sailed out of Antwerp,Belgium in January, 1946, our troubles were far from over. 75. August 3, 1944: Co "B" constructed Class 40 Ponton trestle bridge across SIENNE River at GAVRAY. 294th Engineer Combat Battalion - 1944. Corporate Information | Privacy | Terms and Conditions | CCPA Notice at Collection, Activation of the 298th Engineer Combat Battalion March 18, 1943 and Reorganization November 3, 1944, After/After Action Reports 26 July - 1 Dec 1944, Journal of 1128th Engr Gp Sep 44 thru Aug 45, Excerpts from the U.S. Army in World War II Series, More Excerpts from the U.S. Army in World War II Series, The documents below were kindly shared by Marc Shafer (whose father was a 298th member). 108. Later that year on 18 December 1944, the Black Lions were ordered to move from the Saar River, where the unit was building a bridge, to the Ardennes, commonly called the Battle of the Bulge. One engine was shot out. December 17, 1943 was the big day. The Bn. October 6, 1944: 47th Enfantry [sic] Regt. March 10, 1945: Co "C" relieved of attachment to the 4th Cav. November 21, 1944: The rains came! The Japanese had made their move. Army Superior Unit Award for 2005 (Hurricanes Katrina, This page was last edited on 7 June 2022, at 00:05. KAMM, GERMANY13 understand the battlefield experiences and sacrifices of your WWII veteran and their military unit. Rommel's big push had begun. Near the end of the war, the food supply in Holland had been disrupted and there was widespread hunger. The 296th landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy 20 days after D-Day. POULAY, FRANCE.2 502nd Quatermaster Port Battalion: 6th Engineer Special Brigade: Colonel Paul W. Thompson (WIA 6 June 44) 147th Engineer Combat Battalion: 149th Engineer Combat Battalion: 203rd Engineer Combat Battalion: 293rd Joint Assault Signal Co.: 60th Medical Battalion: 7th Naval Beach Bn (attached): Commander L. C. Leever : 74th Ordnance Battalion: Co "C" swept the road from ROTGEN to ROTT for mines. Late in life she married Averill Harriman. 26. I have gone back to the Digby property several times and I have found the remnants of the 228th Hospital, and this past October, I found the site of the explosion and I placed American Flags in memory of those who were killed and prayed for their souls. 249th Engineer Battalion Soldiers and IMA Provide Emergency Backup Power to Hawaii Wastewater Treatment Plant, by Sergeant First Class Christopher P. Woolley and Major Paul B. Olsen, P.E., 249th Engineers Respond to California Wildfires, by SSG Scott Yeager, "249th Engineer Battalion lineage and honors information as of 1 March 2004", Official U.S. Army Prime Power School website, Description of the Coat of Arms and Distinctive Unit Insignia, Bridge to the Past: 249th Engineer Battalion from Combat to Prime Power by COL John K. Addison, Retired, Prime-Power Considerations for Engineer Planners, by Captain Geoff Van Epps, Reflections on Building Great Engineers, COL Paul B. Olsen, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=249th_Engineer_Battalion_(United_States)&oldid=1091887312, Engineer battalions of the United States Army, Military units and formations established in 1943, Military units and formations in Virginia, Articles with dead external links from June 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the United States Army Center of Military History, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Heavy Maintenance Section Fort Belvoir, Virginia, D Company (USAR) Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers support to presidentially declared disasters, Constituted 25 February 1943 in the Army of the United States as the 249th Engineer Combat Battalion, Redesignated 23 March 1948 as the 442d Engineer Construction Battalion and allotted to the Organized, Activated 8 April 1948 with headquarters at, (Organized Reserves redesignated 25 March 1948 as the Organized Reserve Corps; redesignated 9 July 1952 as the Army Reserve), Redesignated 25 June 1952 as the 249th Engineer Construction Battalion, Redesignated 9 December 1954 as the 249th Engineer Battalion; concurrently withdrawn from the Army Reserve and allotted to the, Activated 16 November 1994 at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. as of 0800 hours. Date 1944-09-29. I dabble a bit in the creative stuff myself. New Yorker Bob Darino was drafted in 1943 and trained as a combat engineer. [2], The 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power) provides oversight on all coalition operating base power projects in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom) and Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom).[3][4][5][6][7]. 4. . Heavy rains and the overflowing ROTGEN DAM caused failure of timber trestle bridges at ROTT, MULARTSHUTTE, and VICHT. 112. He will never forget the words of General Eisenhower. The Bn. moved to the vicinity of St GERMAIN-LAXIS. April 16, 1945: The Battalion moved to LENNEP, GERMANY. The unit was discharged on December 19, 1945, from Fort Devens, MA. Somehow I found this site and yes my Dad who was in the 294th had told me that story many times. September 9, 1944: Bn. moved to a new bivouac in the woods North of ANTHEE. Learn more. Companies A and C were ordered into the town of Arsdorf where the battalion was engaged in fierce combat for two days. It was completed on V.E. 117. October 31, to November 7, 1944: Bn. How very nice to hear from you. 56. The story was put out that two German saboteurs had set off an explosion. http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/history/contact_us.htm. Francis R. Fulton, Capt. THE BATTALION WAS ATTACHED TO THE FOLLOWING UNITS AT VARIOUS TIMES: They learned how to dismantle and remove land mines, repair and build bridges and construct camps for their comrades in other units. Immediately after the attacks on the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001, elements of the 249th were deployed to New York City and were instrumental in restoring power to Wall Street enabling the financial district to resume operations within a week of the attack. August 9, 1944: Co "B" Constructed 120' Class 40 Heavy Ponton Trestle bridge at St FRAIMBAULT across the MAYENNE River. January 11, 1945: Co "B" repaired the timber trestle bridge in PETIT-HAN by replacing the flooring and decayed nailing strips. November 9, 1944: Bn. Sewell, Sgt. 3:33 | At the end of the war, combat engineer Bob Darino went from sampling delicious cherry pies in German farm country to experiencing the horrifying spectacle of concentration camps. The remainder of the night was utilized for digging in which was a difficult operation in the frozen ground. The 294th Combat Engineers were training at the same time at Camp Gordon. 60. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. Hannah Deutch was a teenager when the Kindertransport rescue effort became her means of escape from Germany. Part 2 of 2. They are a component of the United States Army Corps of Engineers . Please consider making a donation to DRHS. 65. February 5, 1945: The Battalion moved from BELGIUM to STOLEBERG, GERMANY. 134. 33. March 6, 1945: The Co "C" C.P. It was an eerie setting with the city in flames all around him. 23. In the North Atlantic in January, they said that we would have lasted only about five minutes in that cold water. The photographs, taken from January-December 1944, cover training, road and bridge work, the Marigny Drive, soldier life, and Germans, The 296th Engineer Combat Battalion was activated by the U.S. Army on 3 March 1943 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Bn. Support bridge which was across the MEUSE RIVER North of DINANT. Division now driving in the direction of PERIERS - St LO Highway. I find it strange that he was only credited with the Central European (22 Mar - 11 May 1945) campaign. 9TH INFANTRY DIVISION Then time ran out for the B-17 and Don Scott had to slip down the hatch into the slipstream. 1. Many of the vehicles were damaged and one man was killed while driving the Battalion Commander from the defense position to the FWD. 32. Three men from Co "A" were injured on booby traps when Co "A" relieved the Company from 297th Engr. Raleigh's castle was in ruins and on a large lake and that is where we did our training, building and blowing up static and floating bridges and working with mines. March 28, 1945: The Battalion moved to ALTENKIRCHEN, GERMANY with the mission of cleaning rubble from the streets to permit two way traffic, and to remove a railroad through town and construct a roadway for wheeled traffic on the railroad embankment. From then on it was the road to Berlin. Part 2 of 3. I was finally told that they could nothing for me and that I would have to get hearing aids in the U.S. when I returned. Thats when Stan saw a truck from his brother Franks outfit, 639 A.A.A. By the time we finished training, the war in Africa was over. 31. Joe Izzillo- 4907 Europa Drive, Naples FL 34105- (239) 262-2778. At first, there was jubilation, but that turned to fear as he hid in his basement for a week while the battle raged for Arnhem. 82. September 26, 1944: Co "A" completed the Timber Trestle Bridge in VICHT. The battalion was used in an effort to block the German advance by deploying landmines, obstacles and establishing roadblocks. However, I strongly suggest that you contact the Army Corps of Engineers to see if they have a file on his unit. August 6-7, 1944: Bn. 120. Find out whether your WWII veteran was awarded valor medals for gallantry in action or for wounds received in the line of duty. That is a very good idea to write your memiors, and I do want to read them and will be in line myself, behind Marion of course. The truck accidentally back up over some mines and about 90 mines exploded. Thank you very much for your service to our country and sharing your experiences with us. Unfortunately, because of my profound deafness, I am not permitted to fly. moved to BIRKESDORF, GERMANY. As an aside, many of you, I am sure, have heard about the Slapton Sands incident. Infantry Regiment 28th Quartermaster Battalion 28th Troop Carrier Squadron 290th Infantry Regiment 291st Infantry Regiment 294th Engineer Combat Battalion 29th Bomb Group 29th Field Artillery Battalion 29th Infantry Division 29th . 234th Engineer Combat Battalion liberated Holtum. In February 1955, it was activated and assigned to USAREUR and an Engineer Battalion (Combat Heavy). Gp. The Captain said that in 25 years at sea he had never seen such a storm. RootsWeb is funded and supported by That was only one hazard at the air fields in China; the others being Japanese air raids and infiltrators. April 8, 1945: Co "A" completed the Bailey Bridge in WISSEN, GERMANY at 2030 hours. He was grateful when someone gave him some morphine to ease the pain from multiple shrapnel wounds. I do not know how current the info is, but it's worth trying first: Unfortunately I do not have anymore info at the present time. Division begining [sic] at 1500 hours. 44. The Battalion detrucked and marched into position, arriving at 2300 hours. September 26, 1944: Co "C" attached to 297th Engr. August 27, 1944: Bn. returned to Battalion. 84. April 5, 1945: The Battalion moved back to KROPPACH north of ALTENKIRCHEN. The Battalions mission was general engineer work in the VII Corps sector in the area around STOLBURG, KORNELIMUNSTER, BREINIG. The training was in preparation for the anticipated crossing of the RHINE RIVER. HERBORN, GERMANY2 The Bn. Section, and two squads of Co "C" resulting in their passing a point where they should have turned - at this point Co "A" took the lead and Co "C" joined the rear of the Bn. Copyright 2023 Witness To War. What a great way to start my Sunday; hearing from someone who was there in the flesh. October 4, 1944: At 0810 hours an enemy force of approximately one Platoon approached Post #1; a brisk fire fight ensued and the enemy force withdrew leaving 5 dead krauts. moved to a new bivouac East of ESNEUX. Division heading for COUPTRAIN and PRE-EN-PAUL. Co "B" attached to the 297th Engr. They weren't sleeping. moved to HANS BACKHEIM in the vicinity of MANHEIM, GERMANY. The Allies had arrived in Holland. You may want to try and contact this gentleman. 66. alerted for movement with the VII Corps to the ARDENNE Sector. April 7, 1945: Co "C" constructed a C1 #40 D/S Bailey Bridge at HANHOFF, GERMANY. 6. Thank you. After practicing law for 55 years, I'm sure you have more than a few stories to tell. July 15, 1944: Co "C" began construction of Bailey Bridge at BIEHOU at 2000 hours; work was discontinued at 2330 hours due to artillery fire. A brisk fire fight ensued until daylight. TOTAL 266. 124. They lost all of their equipment. 97. As a professional researcher and World War II historian, Bill Beigel provides research services to genealogists, historians, authors, and civilians who are looking for information found in WW2 military unit records. September 3, 1944: Bn. By 1630 hours all units of the Battalion had been relieved - the Battalion moved back to RAEREN. . 64. Well I for one will be one of the first in line to read and buy your memoirs. 53. B-24 flight engineer Bill Toombs was over Germany when bad went to worse. December 11, 1944: Bn. 7 to 8, 2020, as. Their mission was accomplished. April 21 - May 7, 1945: The Battalion moved to BRAUNFELS, GERMANY on April 21st and was given the mission of re-constructing and repairing Route N-49, which was the First U.S. Army's M.S.R., from BRAUNFELS to the AUTOBAHN south of GIESSEN. 81. I understand that this was done because placing a hospital near explosives was a violation of the Geneva Convention. In Germany, Carroll's unit liberated a forced labor camp, and he remembered that the prisoners were horribly emaciated. There we prepared the maps for the invasion and also the maps for the other countries on the continent. C.P. September 30, 1944: At 0745 hours an enemy patrol approached Post #3; between then and 1030 hours a brisk fire fight occurred in and around Post #3. 93. December 22, 1944: Bn. 123. moved to the vicinity of DIZY-LE-GROS North of REIMS. of a sector of the front line, and went under control of the 3rd Armored Division. Bn. October 2, 1944: At 0800 hours 40 rounds of artillery fell on and around Post #4; shortly thereafter an estimated company of enemy Infantry attacked the position, surrounding it and cutting off communications. Growing up in Baltimore, Harry Kone used to hang around the docks watching the cargo ships unload. 38. The battalion met little resistance across the river and quickly began constructing the bridge. 62. RootsWeb is funded and supported by Two engines were out, a third smoking, and they were were losing airspeed and altitude, but they were flying level and pointed home. was across the river without tanks and anti-tank guns and it was being counterattacked by SS troops using flame-throwing tanks. 12. C.P. His father worked as a chef in America and as soon as he became a citizen in 1939, he sent for the rest of the family. It receives no town or state funding. Co "B" launched 7 landing Craft at OBERWINTER from 2200 to 2315 hours. July 22, 1944: Bn. EmailPhone, Research A World War II Veteran (WWII WW2). Part 1 of 4. The 249th sailed from the United States to England in May 1944, after equipping and preparing for combat, the Unit landed on Utah Beach in August 1944 under the 1137th Engineer Combat Group commanded by Colonel George A. Morris. It took us 21 days from Antwerp to New York. Co "A" started construction of 150' T/D Bailey Bridge across the SIEG RIVER at WISSEN, GERMANY. 1944 to engage the 236th and another battalion of combat engineers, the . on April 28, 2010. November 24, 1944: Co "C" constructed a Class #40 Bailey Bridge over the timber trestle bridge at MULARTSHUTTE. The men of the 299th Combat Engineer Battalion were "First on Omaha Beach" with overwhelming casualties on D-Day. Access WWII personnel records showing your veterans enlistment, draft, honorable discharge, serial numbers, promotions, military training, ranks, military duties and enlistment photographs. 115. For more information, please contact the . Many of them do not realize how lucky they are to have what they have and that INCLUDES full use of all five of their senses. In October through November 1944, the soldiers were specially trained on using the Bailey bridge in Trier, France. At 2330 hours the Battalion bivouac area was bombed by several bombers using anti-personnel bombs. October 12, 1944: Co "A" Platoon on Post #9 were straffed [sic] by our own planes at 1416 hours - no damage was done. January 4, 1945: Co "B" dismantled steel treadway bridge at NOISEUX, BELGIUM. Along with thousands of others, he was forced to surrender and was facing the prospect of joining what would become known as the Bataan Death March. Bn. The Bridge site was heavy mined; T/5 George Oatinbaker was killed by a mine which exploded when his bulldozer passed over it. XVIII AIRBORNE CORPS from April 3, 1945 to April 17, 1945, PLACE.NUMBER OF P.W's I believe my father-in-law was in A Company. was attached to the 3rd Armored Division and was given the mission of organizing, occupying, and defending at all cost a road block on the high ground just west of GRAND MENIL, BELGIUM. The force withdrew under heavy mortar fire. March 30, 1945: The Battalion moved to HERBORN, GERMANY. June 25, 1944: Battalion moved to new bivouac in vicinity of VALOGNES. 48. Companies cleared abaties from roads in the vicinity of EUPEN and MONSCHU. August 4, 1944: Bn. Over several days from June to early July 1944, the unit went by parts from England to Vierville, France. The Digby family were living in the relatively new castle at the time. Part 1 of 5. The 257th was also credited the Ardennes-Alsace campaign (9 Dec 1944-25 Jan 1945) and the Rhineland (22 Feb - 21 Mar 1945) campaign. 40. Considerable confusion resulted. Co "B" sent a five (5) man patrol to investigate enemy positions during the afternoon. CARANTILLY, FRANCE.24 Henk Duinhoven was lucky to be in the countryside, where gardens had been harvested. I have a lot more to tell. October 18, 1944: At 0900 hours an enemy force approached Post #5 - the enemy withdrew after exchanging a few shots. Neither of these show up on his DD-214. The battalion was organized and under the command of only three captains. January 21, 1945: Battalion C.P. the goal was to be home by Christmas! Get up!" He was in the hospital right at the time of the explosion . The 236th was created during World War II, an offspring of the 44th Engineer Combat Regiment at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. The mission of both companies was to occupy pillboxes in the Siegfried line to prevent the Germans from entering them. Everyone made it out of the plane except George "Danny" Daneau, the nose turret gunner, who went down with the aircraft. They paid mightily for that shot. VII CORPS from February 1, 1944 to April 2, 1945. moved at 1630 hours and reached the destination at 2030 hours. VIC. 9. June 13, 1944: Battalion moved to the vicinity of St MERE-EGLISE and given the mission of providing general support to the 4th Infantry Division. 25. He was just a hundred miles inland a few days after D-Day and the Germans caught him almost immediately. of 9th Infantry Division made an attack thru Post #5 at 1100 hours; the Infantry met strong resistance 300 yards in front of Post #5; Post #5 was relieved at 1630 hrs. 126. We have six children, thirteen grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. #1 of Companies A, B & C arrive at bivouac area in vicinity of St MARIE-DU-MONT. It was later learned that the town had never been secured by the 4th Armored Division. The ship cracked across the deck and partly down the hull. In May 1945, when the war ended in Europe, the battalion was moved to Plattling, Germany where they built a camp for displaced refugees. relieved Company "A" as of 1800 hours. Our expertise enables us to reconstruct the service history of your individual WWII veteran and to give you a glimpse of the experiences that he or she had during the war-even if their military service records were lost in the fire. The truck disappeared and 29 men were torn apart and their bodies were scattered through the trees. Bn. 109. vehicles were withdrawn to an assembly area at MILLEY. It was disgusting down below in the Queen Mary so Newton Riess went up on deck to escape the smell. Regt. This bridge remained in use until 1955. Part 2 of 2. Co "B" constructed reinforced Heavy Ponton Bridge 465 ft. in length across the SEINE RIVER at MELUN in 9 hours and 30 minutes. It was many years after the war that a local reporter, using the Freedom of Information Act, wrote the true story. Robert James was in the shower aboard ship when the alarm went off. Those do give us a better feel for the area and the time period. On the grounds of the Digby estate was the 228th Station Hospital, which consisted of a bunch of Quonset huts. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub.
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