Does anyone remember my Dad ?

That's a good point, Steve. In looking back, we tend to focus on the guys firing the guns. However, I bet those guys on the battlefield and in those gun companies were very aware of the job done by those men in their supply chain.

 

Hi, Biak and others

Yo, and thanks, Biak...your posts were much appreciated and clearly useful to others.

I composed then lost 2/3rds of a previous reply to your above post. Trying again.

I knew of the Ordnance Corps report and the foto but sincerely thank you for the considerate thought and the effort in posting them here to further educate others.

As you can imagine I am mightily keen to hear from fellow members, or their associates, who can offer insight and details, from memoirs, journals and other memorabilia of Enlisted Men / ORs and Officers, or from the official documents, of the June - July 1944 / Normandy Campaign and 12 July 1944 Audoville-la-Hubert experiences of the 1st ESB and the 531st Engineer Shore Battalion (Amphibian) and of constituent, attached and assigned smaller 531st units, like the 33rd Chemical Decontamination Company and - thanks to Ted Heinbuch of www.firetrucksatwar.com for relevant documents concerning the latter - the 1217th, 1218th and 1211th Engineer Fire Fighting Platoons.

I am understandably interested in identifying individual soldiers and officers of the above units who were based on or near Utah Beach / at or near Audoville-la-Hubert in June and July 1944 and, especially, on 12 - 13 July 1944.

I await the formal reply to my enquiries of the Chief Historian of the US Army Corps of Engineers but cannot over-emphasise the importance of the human angle, of personal memoirs and testimonies.

Best and thanks again to all.

Al:->
braveheart180203@hotmail.com

 

OK, I know that I'm really late with following up with posting my Dad's Unit History of the 3053rd Engineer Combat Battalion, as issued by the US army, but here are a couple of scans. The book also contained group pictures of Companies A, B, and C as well as platoon level pictures, however, my scanner didn't produce the resolution required to make anyone discernible. I'll check into posting a higher resolution of the pictures in the future.

What I am posting is just a few pages of my Dad's Unit History. I sure hope this works!

View attachment 26969

 

Wel, that didn't work. Apologies, until I figure this out!

 

In my experience the problem with scanning is the software. The default seems to be for scanning documents to PDF. Where scanning photos it is better to use JPG (or diagrams to GIF or PNG). Look forward to what you can post.

Since it has not been mentioned, there is a memoir by a veteran of the 531st Engineer Shore Regiment, Storming Ashore by Kenneth Garn. No mention of the depot fire but does have information about the later explosion of one of the casements of the St Marcouf(sp?) battery.

 

I got the PDF to download by opening in a new window. It's just the cover of the unit history. I've attached it as a JPG for your viewing pleasure.

View attachment 17221

 

Just practicin' my skills. I got skills, you know.

 

I have Gen. Order 2 dated 29 may 1945 headline-HEADQUARTERS 3051st ENGINEER COMBAT BATTALION with subject;"Individual Service Award of Bronzer Service Arrowhead".The following named officers and EM,this organization,are awarded the Bronze Service Arrowhead for having participated in the assault which secured the initial Normandy Beacheads ,having then been members of the 531st Engineer Shore Regiment,1st Engineer Special Brigade.Cpl. Joseph G. Lower 37251187 is on this list with my Dad Cpl. Charles(actual name was Charlie) Meade 35426551.I know my Dad participated in all four major beach landings in the ET.No. Afr.,Sicily,Italy and Normandy.

 

FMBass,

Thanks for that cover. I remember the insignia on my uncle's uniform that hung in his closet. He did the tour from Africa, Sicily, Italy and Europe. I remember a funny story he told me about Africa and eating ice cream made from saw dust. He said it was so hot you'd eat anything cold. He finished up as a tech sergeant (T42?) William C Golden, Ludlow, MA.

I would be interested in the unit history if you can post it or email it.

Thank you,
John Gaviglio

 

FBass: I realize that this is three plus years after you posted the cover, but is there any way you could post other pages, even if only photos of them? That would be helpful to us. Thanks!

 

My name is Richard S. Bradley, Jr. I live in Wheaton IL. I am searching for information about my uncle who served in the 18th Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Company H. His name is Henry C. Boylin, Jr. (Service #12017529). He was awarded a Silver Star with Oak Leak Cluster, a Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Purple Heart. He was listed as MIA on October 9, 1944, which would have been sometime during the assault on Aachan in Germany. If anyone has any knowledge or information about my uncle I would be grateful to hear from you. Thank you.

 

After 8 years I have finally found time to scanned his "Unit History", Here is a picture of the company he was in (Company C).

 

Here is another two pages from their campaign book: