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History of the 

82nd 
Engineer 
Combat Battalion ( WWII )

by Ed Husted - Association Historian

Prologue 

The seeds of War

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In the years following the end of World War I in 1918, the seeds of World war II were being planted. Benito Mussolini, an avowed anti- communist, founded a movement in Italy which came to be known as Fascism. Adolf Hitler organized the Nazi Party in Germany, and Japan's military began an expansion movement intended to make Japan the dominant leader in Asia.

World war II was, in every sense, world wide! The Axis powers included nine countries who fielded armies. The Allies had 15 major countries involved in military operations. There were many other countries supporting the allies but without active military participation.

Benito Mussolini led the parade of dictators. In 1922, after several brushes with Italy's Monarchy, amid wide spread unemployment and economic stagnation, Mussolini with his fascist blackshirt party marched into Rome, demanding a voice in Italy's government. By 1925 Mussolini was the Prime Minister and virtual dictator. He was now known as the"EL DUCE" (leader) Mussolini was an established ruler when he first met Adolph Hitler. He was less than impressed, in fact he tended to side with Britain & France during the early 1930s. That all changed In 1935 as he sent his armies on a devastating expedition into Ethopia. After being condemned by Britain and France he looked elsewhere for support and found it in Adolph Hitler. In 1936 Mussolini gave support to the rebels who were, at that time, engaged in a war to overthrow the Spanish government.

Elsewhere in Europe, during the 1920s, Adolf Hitler was organizing the Nazi Party, (National Socialist German Workers Party). Reinforced with his para-military units, the brownshirts and the blackshirts, he was, by 1930, a force to be reckoned with. In the 1931 elections he challenged president Paul von Hindenburg for the he presidency of Germany. Although defeated Hitler's party garnered 44% of the vote. Now that he had a dominate role in Germany's government, he demanded that Germany's President Hindenburg appoint him as the country's Chancellor, a post that is akin to the Prime Minister in other systems. With Germany's economy in shambles, unemployment wide spread and and a disenchanted younger generation, there was little opposition from the populace since he promised jobs. By 1934 he would be known as the Fuhrer (leader). Hitler's overriding theme was to remind Germans of the heavy World War I reparations being extracted from Germany by France and England. He preached German pride and stressed the superiority of the Aryan race. At the same time he was denouncing Jews as the main cause of all of Germany's problems. Although prohibited under the 1918 armistice, Hitler began quietly to rebuild Germany's armed forces. By 1936 it was no longer a secret that Germany now had a formidable army. The roundup and relocation of Jews made headlines around the world . There were some outcries and condemnation of this practice but no one proposed to intercede. While it was known that concentration camps existed it is doubtful that anyone knew that a holocaust was unfolding!

Then, as a warm up to his coming ambitions, Hitler used his air force to support the rebels in Spain. Hitler's territorial march to German glory actually began in 1938 as Austria was annexed to become part of the German State. He then demanded return of the Sudatenland and the Rhineland, strips of land lying along the Czech and French borders respectively. In 1939, Hitler signed a non- aggression pact with Joseph Stalin which cleared the way for Germany's invasion of Poland. German forces unleashed a brutal attack on Poland on the first day of September, 1939. Although France and Great Britain retaliated by declaring war on Germany, no military action was immediately taken. Now, the he seeds of a world conflict were clearly present.

On the other side of the Globe Japan had now risen from the closed society of it's past and embarked on a plan of expansion in the far east. Japan is a country with few natural resources, forcing it to import materials necessary to sustain it's industrialization program. Such resources were, however, plentiful in other countries along the Asian Pacific rim. Japan's grand strategy was to seize control of these vital materials such as oil, rubber, coal and other needs. To accomplish this Japan, first, had to to build up a military capability. During WWI Japan had provided some 70,000 troops to the allied cause. After the war they gradually increased the size of their armed forces. In 1931 oil was discovered in Manchuria and Japan, who had a small garrison there, moved to capture the oil fields. Japan then invaded China. In 1932 The Japanese captured Shanghai. This adventure ended in a truce. By 1937 Japan's military establishment was the most powerful force in the Pacific. During this time The U.S. was one of its main suppliers of scrap steel, vital to Japan if they were to sustain their military force. It must be pointed out here that there was considerable internal strife in Japan during the 1930s. Military coups attempted, in 1932 and again in 1936, were unsuccessful. Although civilian rule continued there was little opposition to seizing the assets of other countries by the military. In 1936, Japan declared war on China and the atrocities and senseless killing escalated.

Events of 1940 made it clear that a war, on a scale never seen before would soon engulf the world.. Hitler invaded Belgium and the Netherlands and ultimately marched into Paris. Germany sent troops to Sweden, Denmark, Finland and into the Balkan countries. Great Britain sent troops to fight alongside France. That same year Japan banned all political parties under the "National Mobilization Law." A virtual dictatorship was now assured. Japan then extended its presence in other Asian countries and organized the "Greater East Asian Co-prosperity Sphere", designed to to integrate Asia both politically and economically under Japanese rule. The United states, meanwhile, had been one of the main suppliers of scrap steel, aviation fuel and a host of other necessary materials. In protest against Japan's expansionism The U. S. . halted all shipments to Japan. Germany, Italy and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact thus creating a unified bloc now known as the Axis powers. In the meantime President Roosevelt was campaigning for a third term with a pledge "not to send American Boys to fight in foreign wars" and at the same time asking congress for funds to build up the military to a level of 2 million men and enter in to lend- lease agreements for war materials with Great Britain and Russia.

Meanwhile with only six months of fuel left, Japan needed the raw materials possessed by her neighbors more that ever. Her grand strategy was to move into Indo China and other Asian countries, not only to assure her sources of raw materials but to complete domination of the Asian rim. There was a problem however..... it was The United States Navy based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Japanese military decided the problem must be removed . Leadership in the Japanese Navy proposed an attack on the American Fleet at Pearl Harbor.

Japan began planning the attack on Pearl Harbor in January 1941. Perhaps the most detailed and accurate account of Japanese preparation and execution of the Pearl Harbor attack is contained the book "At Dawn we Slept" by Gordon W. Prange. . Every aspect of the attack was carefully planned and rehearsed throughout 1941 The object was to inflict a fatal blow to destroy or cripple the U.S. Fleet's ability to interfere in Japan's further expansion . Once they had attained their objectives they expected to enter in peace talks. The Japanese fleet, consisting of six aircraft carriers and 26 support craft, sailed from Japan on November 26, 1941. By 6 December, the fleet had covered 3,550 nautical miles and now lay undetected 274 miles north of Hawaii.

At 7:30 a.m. on December 7, 1941, without warning, Japanese planes swarmed over the American ships, in Pearl Harbor, and other military installations in Hawaii. The attack caused 3,581 casualties including 2,403 dead.. On the Battleship "Arizona" alone, 1,000 sailors perished as the big ship was hit repeatedly by Japanese torpedo planes. The attack also virtually destroyed the army's air fleet and severely damaged ground installations. The next day the United States Congress declared war on Japan. Four days later Germany and Italy, in keeping with their agreement with Japan, declared war on the United States.

Thus, as dawn broke on the morning of December 12th 1941,

the entire world was at war!

In subsequent war planning the allied nations agreed that the war would only end with the full and unconditional surrender of Germany, Italy and Japan. The war would be fought to a conclusion - there would be no peace treaty!

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Enter the 82^nd Engineer Combat Battalion

The 82nd Engineer Combat Regiment was authorized as a unit of the United States Army on December 19, 1942 and activated in January 1943 at Camp Swift, Texas. Although recruits arrived from across the nation, New York, Pennsylvania and Louisiana seemed to dominate the unit. Training began as the 82^nd Engineer Combat Regiment but under the army's reorganization plan of March 1943 the regiment’s battalions became separate units and regimental headquarters became the 1115th Engineer Combat Group

The 82nd was ordered to Louisiana for maneuvers on August 23, 1943 but within a few days the battalion was alerted for overseas service. Returning to Camp Swift on September 13th the battalion spent the next several weeks obtaining additional equipment and troop replacements. Then a series of confusing orders began. On October 24th orders were received designating Hampton Roads, Virginia or Los Angeles, California as ports of embarkation. The next day, October 25th, orders were received assigning the 82nd to the Los Angeles port. The battalion’s equipment, accompanied by the supply officer and assistant supply sergeant, sailed for India, the battalion’s destination, on November 3, 1943.

A few days later the battalion received orders to proceed to Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia, .Hampton Roads would be the port of embarkation. On November 23, 1943 the battalion boarded two trains at Bastrop Texas and headed east to arrive at Camp Patrick Henry Virginia two days later.

..

.82^nd departs Camp Swift November 1943

The battalion sailed on November 23, 1943 from Hampton Roads, Virginia aboard the Liberty ships Conrad Weiser and the John Banvard as part of a 65 ship merchant convoy, accompanied by 20 naval destroyers. The convoy sailed south around the Bahamian Islands and then northeast to the Strait of Gibralter. Although initially ordered to India the battalion, upon arrival in Oran Algiers Africa, was assigned to the European Theater of Operations. Because of a lack of equipment training was limited to marches in the countryside.

On January 5, 1944, just 22 days after arrival in Africa, the battalion traveled by a legendary 40&8 train from Oran to Casablanca. There the battalion boarded a converted British liner, "The HMS Andes". Running without escort, the Andes sailed a ziz-zag course into the north Atlantic, off the coast of Iceland and then south to Liverpool, England. The 82nd arrived at Liverpool on January 20, 1944 to the strains of a military band and took up station at Frome, a small city in southern England. Because the unit’s equipment had been shipped to India, the early days were spent obtaining new equipment. Billets were also hard to come by as some units of the battalion were initially housed over 30 miles away.

In February, the battalion was attached to the 1115^th Engineer Combat Group, XIX Corps, United States 1st Army. Once billeting and equipment problems were solved, the days were spent in additional combat training. The battalion, as it prepared for cross channel orders, consisted of 662 men ; 28 officers, three warrant officers and 632 enlisted personnel.

First units of the Battalion touched down on Omaha Beach on June 16^th. Late that same day a severe channel storm whipped across the English Channel. Docking facilities were destroyed creating a shortage of ammunition and supplies. Landing of additional troops was delayed until June 25th.

Disimbarking in Normandy June 1944 

Upon arrival, the 82nd was placed in support of the 29th Infantry Division. The battalion’s primary mission was to remove mines, open supply routes, construct bridges, establish water points and a myriad of other engineering duties. Because of the confined area of the beachhead, the battalion was under constant artillery and mortar attacks. The 82nd managed, however, to avoid casualties until July 13-16. During this time the battalion, while in support of the 29th Division’s drive to capture the City of St. Lo, took its first battle casualties, one killed and seven wounded. Artillery and mortar fire was extremely heavy as the Germans resisted the St. Lo attack. The landscape in Normandy was mostly agriculture with farmers fields about 100 feet in both directions separated by earthen walls referred to as hedgerows. These earthen embankments were about three feet in high topped by another ten feet of bush like foliage. This of course gave the enemy a strong defensive advantage. Attacking through these hedgerows became infantry slugfest!

after days of bombing and artillery strikes, a combat command unit of the 29^th Division fought it’s way into the city. The city of St. Lo had been destroyed.

Following it’s capture the division, which had been on line continuously for 43 days, was relieved by the 35th Infantry Division and pulled back for a short rest. The 82nd was assigned to support of the 35th.

The Breakout

Two days later the 82nd, supported by the 234th Combat Engineers and the 992 Treadway Bridge Company, was assigned the mission of constructing bridges across the Vire River, south of St. Lo near the village of Candol, to launch the, now rested, 29th into the breakout area. As the battalion moved toward St. Lo, in the early morning of July 28th, it came under a severe air attack and was forced to de-truck and proceed through the city on foot climbing over still smoking debris, to reach the bridge site. At 900 hours construction of the first of two bridges began. Within hours traffic was moving and command ordered the construction of a second bridge to accommodate the heavy traffic. Only one casualty was recorded during the air raid.

During the week after crossing the Vire River the battalion devoted its attention to mine sweeping, maintaining supply lines and constructing a bridge over the Drome River.

On August 4th the battalion was ordered in support of the Second Armored and 29th Infantry Divisions in their drive to capture the city of Vire France. The battle for Vire was fierce as the Germans, occupying high ground, unleashed a steady barrage of artillery and mortar fire, destroying many tanks and causing heavy casualties to infantry units. 82^nd units working to open routes through the city, in additon to motor fire, were constantly harassed by rear guard and snipers. The 82^nd casualties included two men killed and 15 wounded. The battalion took 128 prisoners during the operation.

City of Vire - liberated August 7, 1944

By August 9^th the battalion had opened most of the routes through the city, turned its mission over to 295^th Combat Engineers and moved back for rest and regrouping. The battalion was later awarded the "French Croix de Guerre" for this mission.

Allied command had selected Vire as the pivot on which all armies would begin a swing eastward toward the Seine River. Just east of Vire, American troops were attacking north toward the city of Argentan and Canadian forces were attacking southward toward Falaise. It was in this pocket that the bulk of the German army, still in Normandy, was destroyed. The destruction was unbelievable with thousands of dead troops, horses and hundreds of tanks and vehicles littering and clogging every road and field. Most of the German soldiers who managed to escape across the Seine River did so without equipment or supplies.

The boundary between British and American forces now ran through the eastern outskirts of the city of Vire. As the XIX Corps turned eastward it was squeezed out of front line positions. In an effort to cut off retreating Germans the Corps was ordered to move immediately in a northeasterly direction to seize the west bank of the Seine River. The 82nd began it’s move on August 15th with the longest motor march to date, covering 30 miles, to bivouac near Barenton. In succeeding days the battalion, made a series of long motor marches. Although there was little enemy resistance seven men were wounded by land mines and booby traps during the move.

82nd Albert Canal bridge buckles - September 13, 1944

Meanwhile, the rest of the battalion with A&C companies crossed the Seine and traveled a route parallel with that of company B, clearing roads, repairing bridges and taking prisoners. Reaching the Albert Canal on Sept 12^th all bridges had been blown. The next day the battalion was given the mission of constructing a Baily Bridge across the canal at the village of Kanne. With elements of the 2nd Armored Division waiting to cross, initial attempt to push a 140 foot Bailey Bridge across the canal resulted in the collapse of the far end of the structure.

The bridge was pulled back, repaired and re-launched the next day, September 15th. The armor, then, raced across the narrow throat of Southern Holland toward the German border. The battalion (less Company B) moved across the canal to bivouac at Aalbeek Holland.

The Bridge opens supported by an anchored boat - Sept 15, 1944

The battalion, now with all companies intact, formally crossed into Germany on October 11th to bivouac at Sherpenseel, a small town just inside the border. The 82nd was again placed in support of the 2nd Armored Division who was engaged in attacking German Seigfred line fortifications.

It had now been 122 days since landing in Normandy and the Rhine River was only 40 miles away. Cautious feelings that the war might soon end were dashed shortly after crossing into Germany.

Once there, the first obstacle, the infamous Seigfried line, was quickly breached by Armor and engineers who covered the concrete anti-tank barriers with earth allowing traffic to drive across the top of the obstacles. The 82nd moved through the line on October 12, 1944. As as the month of October wore on, however, it became clear that the enemy had prepared defenses well and had either visual or prepared artillery targets. Before the month was over 10 more men, wounded by scattered mortar and artillery barrages, were added to the casualty count.

On October 22^nd the 82^nd with the XIX Corps was assigned to the, newly arrived, United States Ninth Army. The 9th, which had been inaction in Brittany, took up positions between the First Army and the British Second Army to the north.

The next major objective was the Roer River just 15 miles to the east. During November and early December the battalion was engaged in extensive mine removal and road repairs, slowly working their way toward the river. As the Germans retreated back across the Roer they established fire patterns that blanketed the approaches to the river. This confined area, together with numerous mine fields, caused battalion casualties to mount rapidly.

Upon reaching the Roer, about December 12th, the battalion began preparations for bridging the river. The Germans still controlled large up-stream dams which had been constructed years before to flood the Roer Valley as a defensive measure. First Division troops, attacking toward the dams, were experiencing fierce resistance. The Roer crossing was being held, pending control of the dams

As the 82^nd prepared for bridging the Roer River, word came on December 16^th that the Germans had launched a counter attack just south of our positions. As the hours progressed it became clear that this was a major assault which would be later known as the battle of the Bulge. Five divisions from the XIX Corps sector, north of the Bulge, were transferred south to help stem the German breakthrough. Because the German attack had split the 12^th Army Groups forces, the 9th Army, with the XIX Corps, was placed under the command of the British 21st Army Group commanded by General Montgomery. Front lines in this sector were now thinly held. During November and December, nine men were killed and 36 wounded by mines and constant shelling.

As the new year began snow and frozen ground made road maintenance and the removal of mines difficult and dangerous. Also, during this time, the 82nd, along with other specialized units, operated as front line infantry in the XIX Corps sector. The 82nd relieved the 234th Engineers on January 23, taking up front line positions in the vicinity of Billstein and Winden, Germany. Action was limited to artillery barrages which continually cut communication lines, The battalion sent out patrols nightly and on one occasion crossed the river (only about 50 feet wide at this time) to take prisoners but the Germans had slipped away. During the mission six men were wounded by flying shrapnel.

On February 4th 1945, the 82nd, was placed in support of the 30^th Infantry Division, and ordered to construct two bridges across the Roer River near Pier and Shophoven. With the 1st Army closing in on up-stream dams that controlled the water flow, the mission was scheduled for February 10th. The mission was aborted Just hours before the scheduled crossing as the enemy sent a wall of water rushing through the valley. Although the First Army’s V Corps had reached the dams on the 10th they discovered they could not control the rushing water because the Germans had severely damaged the discharge valves. The crossing was postponed. Although the valley was still severely flooded and the current very strong, the Roer crossing was re-set for February 23rd in an effort to create an element of surprise.

Bridging the Roer was one of the battalion's most difficult missions. At 2 a.m. on the morning of February 23rd. a squad of men crossed the river in specially designed boats to secure guide cables. The swift current and enemy artillery destroyed the initial cable and small arms fire pinned the party to the waters edge. Several were wounded. Over the next eight hours four more attempts were made to get the guy cables across. Boats capsized and artillery was the snapping the cables. The final try looked good for a while but the swift current ripped the bridge apart. Men on the bridge scrambled but no one was lost. About mid-day the battalion moved to another site where the current was not as swift and successfully completed the bridge about 4 p.m.

82nd Roer River foot bridge - February 23, 1945

Within minutes 30th Division infantrymen were racing across the bridge to reinforce the bridgehead. The battalion then turned its attention to building a treadway bridge to get the supporting armor into the bridgehead. The treadway bridge was completed without casualties.

After crossing the Roer on February 28th the 82^nd bivouacked at Steinstrass and began moving with the Corps, in a northeasterly direction, toward the Rhine River.

As the Germans were being pushed back across the Rhine the battalion spent several weeks, carrying out its engineering duties with little interference from from enemy gunners.

While the battalion, as a whole was not involved in the assault crossing of the Rhine River, 23 men had been assigned the special mission of assisting both the 30th Division Engineers and the 258th Combat Engineers in operating boats during the river assault.( It should be noted here that the 9^th Army, at this time, was again under the command of British General Montgomery’s 21st Army Group) The Rhine Assault was a coordinated effort with British and Canadian forces.

The attack, in the Ninth Army sector just south of the city of Wesel, was carried out by the XVI Corps with the 30th and 79th Infantry divisions in the initial assault. Commencing at 1A.M. on the morning of March 24th one of the most intense artillery barrages of the war pounded German positions for over an hour as 2000 guns dropped over 65,000 rounds on on the far side of the Rhine. As a result of the heavy artillery concentrations a bridge-head was quickly secured with minimal casualties. Two 82nd boat crews lost their boats to enemy fire but no injuries were sustained. As soon as the Assault troops reached the far shore division engineers commenced bridge construction. Germany’s major defense line had been breached!

The XIX Corps had been given the mission of breaking out of the bridgehead once across the river. The 2nd Armored Division was selected to spearhead the attack. On March 28th, the 82nd was placed in close support of the 2nd Armored and moved to the division assembly area at at Altfeld. Supporting the 82nd was the 992nd Treadway Bridge Co., the 512^th Engineer Light Pontoon Co., and the 611th Engineer Light Equipment Company.

82nd Bridging the Dortmund Ems Canal - March 30, 1945

At mid-day on March 29th, the 82nd, with the armor, crossed the Rhine River at the city of Wesel. The armor quickly broke through enemy defenses, and by next day had reached the Dortmund Ems Canal, where all bridges had been blown. At 1400 hours on the 30th, the 41st Infantry crossed the damaged bridge and secured a bridgehead. The 82nd, with support from the 512th Engineer Light Pontoon Company, began immediately to construct a Bailey Bridge across the canal, sliding it through an existing, partially damaged bridge. In spite of harassing artillery fire and difficulty in preparing the approaches, the the bridge was completed and the armor was rolling by 400 hours the next morning. The column was now moving so fast the Germans had little time to prepare defenses.

The 2nd Armored Division now split with one column driving south to encircle the Ruhr industrial area to link up with the 3rd Armored Division at Paddernborn, and the other column, with the 82nd, continuing the drive eastward toward the Elbe River and Berlin. At one time XIX corps units were 125 miles apart. As a result the 82nd was detached from the 1115th Engineer Combat Group and re-assigned to the 1104th Engineer Combat Group.

On April 5th the battalion arrived at the village of Grass Berkel near the Weser River. All bridges had been blown. The next day, April 6th, Company B moved several miles south to a position near the village of Grohnde. Germans occupied the far shore. Since the Infantry was occupied elsewhere along the river Company B, with assistance from the 992nd Treadway Bridge Co., opened fire on the far shore troops. Within a short time the enemy began to flee. A patrol was then sent across the river to secure the area. Twenty six prisoners were taken.

82nd Weser River Bridge - April 6, 1945

Once secured, construction of a 400 foot floating treadway bridge began just before dark and continued throughout the night.The armor was rolling again at dawn. One man was lost as he fell from the bridge in the darkness and was drowned.

In the meantime, Companies A and C were ordered north to the village of Hameln to assist the 1104th Engineer Group and the 544th Heavy Pontoon Battalion in constructing a treadway bridge at that point. The Germans laid in heavy small arms and mortar fire, interrupting construction for nearly 24 hours until the bridgehead was secured. Four men from the 82nd were wounded by shell fire during this mission.

By April 11th, forward elements of the 2nd Armored Division had reached the Elbe River south of Magdeburg. The 82nd moved, with the rest of the division, into an assembly area at Grass Ottersleben the next day. Preparations were immediately made for the battalion to assist the 17th Armored Engineers to construct a bridge across the Elbe at the village of Wester-Husen.

To secure the bridgehead, Company A manned assault boats to ferry the 41st Infantry across the river. Once the Infantry was deployed Company C began bridge construction.. Everything proceeded well until early morning when the enemy realized what was happening and began to shell the site. German accuracy was hampered for a while as Company A laid down a smoke screen but as the bridge neared the far shore, intensity of the artillery increased laying direct hits on the bridge forcing abandonment of the site shortly after mid-day.

Orders were then received for the 82nd to construct a bridge and a ferry at the village of Schonebeck, a few miles south of Wester-Husen. Before daylight the next morning, as the infantry pushed down from their previous bridge-head to secure the Shonebeck area, Company C began construction of the bridge.

Again, the enemy was waiting. .At 7:30 a.m. the Germans launched a counterattack on infantry troops holding the bridgehead on the far shore and began shelling the bridge site. Bridging parties, on the near side, watched as the enemy surrounded 41st Infantry troops. The fight was intense but many of the infantry were forced to surrender. Faced with mortar and small arms fire and without bridgehead protection, work on the bridge was suspended.

The effort to get across the Elbe then centered on construction of a ferry at an existing ferry site in the center of Shonebeck. First it was necessary to place a 3/4 inch steel cable across the river to serve as a guide for the ferry. Those who were involved in this operation will remember the difficulty of anchoring the cable on the near side. The area consisted of a cobblestone ramp which led into the river. No chance for a buried dead-man. The only anchorage available was a large brick building which set adjacent to the stone ramp. The cable was fed through the basement window using the very thick walls of the basement to anchor the cable. It worked!

The ferry, powered by two outboard motors and loaded with a D-7 bulldozer made it to the far shore but grounded in the soft mud. An amphibious DUKW was sent across to free the ferry. Artillery and mortar fire had been extremely heavy all during the operation. As the ferry began it’s return trip to obtain additional equipment a direct hit snapped the cable but spared the ferry. The current began to carry the ferry toward enemy shore. Once again the DUKW came to the rescue. The ferry was abandon but all the men were returned safely to safely to shore.

By contrast, just a few miles up stream, the 83rd Division supported, by the 295th Combat Engineers, managed to get a bridge across the Elbe, at the village of Barby, without serious resistance.

With this and other completed bridges downstream the infantry was now fanning out on the east bank of the river. The 2nd Armored Division,, assisted by the 30th Infantry Division then pushed into the city of Magdeburg on April 16th. The 82nd was ordered into the city to open up routes through the city particularly the access roads to the river. Within three days Magdeburg was securely in American hands.

On April 17, 1945 the 82nd Engineer Combat Battalion received its last combat mission. Company B was ordered to take over security of the 83^rd Division bridge at Barby. A and C companies were assigned bridge security on the Salle River. The Germans, in a last ditch effort made several attempts to demolish the Barby bridge. First a floating mine struck the bridge knocking out one float. A few days later an enemy frogman tried to blow the bridge . His charge floated under the bridge then exploded as it hit the shore causing more damage. The swimmer was captured. Finally, a lone jet fighter strafed men working on the bridge and then dropped a pair of bombs, all missing their target. During the month of April the battalion suffered 13 more casualties including three killed and another man missing in action.

At last the shooting stopped in the battalion’s sector as the Soviet Army came closer to link up at the Elbe. Thousands of Germans were laying down their arms and surrendering with hundreds coming through the 82nd lines during the month of April.

On May 6, 1945 the 82nd was directed to to cease operations and was ordered out of the line. Two days later came the formal announcement of the war’s end. A total of 326 days had passed since Normandy.

The battalion returned to France and was based at Camp 20 Grand near the city of Le Harve. Several weeks later the 82^nd was assigned to guard a prisoner of war camp at Roeun France. While here, in June 1945, word was received that would bring an end to the 82nd’s current organization

To facilitate the return of over five million men who had entered the E.T.O since D-Day the army established a point system, based primarily on length of service. The 82^nd Engineer Combat Battalion was designated to receive men who had higher discharge points for early return to the States. The majority of the men, now serving with the battalion, had not accumulated sufficient points so most were transferred to other units.

Still at war with Japan, many of the 82nd’s men were assigned to units that were under re-organization orders for additional training and shipment to the Pacific Theater. Others with limited service in the ETO, were already on their way to the Pacific.

During the summer of 1945, development of the atomic bomb and the subsequent bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended plans for the invasion of Japan, and concluded World War II!

The story behind President Harry S. Truman’s decision to order the bombings would not be revealed officially for almost a half century. Finally, more than 40 years later, the facts were unveiled when secret documents at Washington were finally declassified.

The report, labeled "Operation Downfall," revealed that the invasion of Japanese Islands would involve more than 40 percent of American servicemen still in uniform. With exception of parts of the British Pacific Fleet, Operation Downfall, was to be an American effort. The invasion was set to begin on Nov. 1 1945. The data included grim projections provided by Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s chief of intelligence, indicating more than 250,000 Americans would be lost on the island of Kyushu, alone. There, American ground troops would be outnumbered by thousands of the elite and well-fortified, kamikaze troops of the Japanese Home Army.

On July 26, the United Nations issued the Potsdam Proclamation, in which Japan was asked to surrender unconditionally or face "total destruction.’’ Four days later-- the Japanese government broadcast to the United States and to the world that it would not surrender! After the Japanese refusal to surrender, President Truman authorized use of the atomic bomb.

The United States dropped atomic bombs, first on Hiroshima, on Aug. 6, 1945, and -- when Japan still failed to surrender -- a second bomb was dropped on Nagasacki. These bombings led to the end of war. Japanese leaders accepted terms of unconditional surrender eight days later, on Aug. 14, 1945.

After six grueling years, the greatest war in the history of the world was finally over!

82nd’s Epilogue

Of the 664 men who landed at Omaha, 160 had become casualties. Twenty-one had died, three were missing in action, three were prisoners of war and 134 men had been wounded, many seriously.

• During ten and one-half months in combat the 82^nd was attached or supported:

• Served in front line Infantry positions
• Laid 2600 mines and removed 2800 mines and booby-traps

Constructed 26 bridges for a total length of more that 2200 feet and removed seven bridges

• Distributed over 2,500,000 gallons of water
  • Destroyed 145 pillboxes
  • Used over 64,000 pounds of explosives
  • Used dozers and other equipment for 2000 hours to:

• To keep supply lines open, trucks hauled 16,000 loads of material....40,000 tons
• And along the way captured 469 of the enemy
• The 82nd received three Unit citations:

On November 21, 1945, the 82nd Engineer Combat Battalion WWII was formally deactivated at Camp Miles Standish. The following year the 82nd was re-activated but this time re-designated as the 1092 Engineer Combat Battalion. The 1092nd, a unit of the West Virginia National Guard, fought in Korea and has since been de-activated.

Then on January 30, 1947 the 82nd designation was re-born as the army re-designated the former 39th Combat Engineers, who had served in Italy during WWII, as the 82nd Engineer Battalion. This second generation 82nd Engineer Battalion served during the Berlin build-up in 1961, in Desert Storm in 1991, deployed to Bosina in 1998 and later assigned as a unit of the United states 1st Infantry Division in Bamberg Germany. This battalion was recently de- activated during ceremonies at Bamburg Germany.

Although the 82^nd Engineer Combat Battalion exists only as a file in some remote United States Army hall of records, the exploits of the 82^nd Engineer Combat Battalion and its successors lives on in the memories of those who served!