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Read this, then go to our Campaign History
History of the 82nd Engineer Combat Battalion ( WWII ) by Ed Husted - Association Historian Prologue The
seeds of War While much has been written about World War II, many of today's younger generation seem to know very little about the struggle. This became quite apparent to me when, during a conversation recently, when one young man asked " well, how did the Japan get into the war?" It occurred me that, in addition to the historical background currently posted on our Web Site, the myriad of events that led up to the conflict might be helpful for one to more fully understand the seeds of World war II ************* In the years following the end of World War I in 1918, the seeds of World war II were quickly 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 other countries supporting each side 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 and became part of the Italy's government. By 1925 he was the Prime Minister and virtual dictator. He was now known as the"EL DUCE" (leader) In 1935 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 such 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, however, 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. Then, 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. but the 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 their 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 treaties! Italy was the first to capitulate. In July 1943 after a revolt within the Fascist Grand Council, Italy's deposed king, Victor Emmanuael III, returned to power and Benito Mussolini was arrested. Although Italy formally sur- rendered, German troops occupied and used Italian soil to conduct their war until May 1945. In Germany victory was achieved with the unconditional surrender of all German forces on May 8, 1945. Since there was still a war to be won over Japan, thousands of troops from the European theater were preparing to embark for Pacific waters. The United States dropped atomic bombs, first on Hiroshima and three days later on Nagasacki Japan. Japan's unconditional surrender occurred on August 14, 1945 After six grueling years, the greatest war in the history of the world was finally over!
In the Beginning
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. Under the army's reorganization plan of March 1943 the regimentıs battalions became separate units and regimental headquarters became the 1115th Engineer Combat Group.
Camp Swift - 1943 The 82nd was ordered to Louisana 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 battalionıs equipment, accompanied by the supply officer and assistant supply sergeant, sailed for India, the battalionıs destination, on November 3, 1943.
Departing Camp Swift A few days later the battalion received orders to proceed to Camp PatrickHenry, Virginia.....Hampton Roads would be the port of embarkation. Overseas The 82nd Engineer Combat Battalion shipped overseas on November 23, 1943 from Hampton Roads, Virginia aboard the Liberty ships Conrad Weiser and the John Banvard as part of a 35 ship merchant convoy accompanied by 20 naval destroyers. The convoy sailed south around the Bahaman 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. On January 5, 1944 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 England on January 20, 1944 to the strains of a military band and took up station at Frome, a small city in southern England. In February the battalion was attached to the 1115th Engineer Combat Group, XIX Corps, United States First Army. The battalion, as it prepared for cross channel orders , consisted of 662 men; 28 officers, three warrant officers and 632 enlisted personnel. Our War begins (Normandy) First units of the Battalion touched down on Omaha Beach between June 10th and the 16th (depending on individual units) A severe channel storm, which extensively damaged docking facilities, delayed the landing of some of the of the battalionıs units until June 25th.
Upon arrival, the 82nd was placed in support of the 29th Infantry Division. The battalionıs 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 Divisionıs 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. On July 18th a combat command unit of the 29th Division fought itıs way into the city. The city of St. Lo had been destroyed. Following itıs 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 now supporting the 35th. The Breakout On August 25th, General Bradleyıs "Operation Cobra" was launched, to break out of the hedgerow country, with a massive air attack on German positions. The attack was initially ordered for the the 24th but because some ground units had not achieved their objectives the attack was aborted. The recall, however, did not reach all planes and bombs were accidentally dropped on American troops killing several hundred including General McNair. The following day the thousands of planes, wave after wave, hit German positions continuously for five hours. Although the battalion was several miles from the target area, the ground trembled from impact. 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 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 debris, to reach the bridge site.
St. Lo-Vire River Bridges At 900 hours construction of the first of two bridges began. Within hours traffic was moving and a second bridge was underway. One casualty was recorded during the air raid. During the week after crossing the Vire River the battalion devoted its attention to mine sweeping and maintaining supply lines. The Battle for Vire Then 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 and units working to open routes through the city were constantly harassed by rear guard and snipers.
City of Vire Two men were killed and 15 wounded by devastating fire and 128 of the enemy taken prisoner during the battle. The battalion would later be awarded the "French Croix de Guerre" for this mission. By August 9th the city was secure and the battalion moved back for rest and re-grouping 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 Argentan and British forces were attacking southward toward Falaise. It was in this pocket that the bulk of the German army, still in Normandy, would be destroyed. 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 itıs 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. At the Seine The battalion arrived at the French city of Brevel, near the Seine River on August 26, 1944. Two days later Company-B was separated from the battalion and attached to the 113th Cavalry Group. Company-B, with the Cavalry, crossed the Seine River over a partially damaged bridge at Le Pec, about 12 miles north of Paris, early on the morning of August 29th. Thousands of cheering civilians, who advised that the enemy had just left using every means of transportation available, greeted the column, the first troops to cross at this point. Meanwhile, infantry had moved in to secure a bridgehead on the east side of the Seine at Muelan, about 35 miles downstream from Paris. At 800 hours on August 29th A& C companies, supported by the 17th Armored Engineers, began construction of a treadway bridge to provide a XIX Corps supply route into northern France. Initial attempts to prepare the bridge launching area was temporarily halted by German fire but the bridge, 720 ft. in length, was opened for traffic at 1800 hours the same day. On the Run Gasoline was in short supply at this time. Fuel priority was given to the 113th Cavalry and itıs attached units. Company B, with the Cavalry, raced across Northern France, and Belgium, arriving at the Albert Canal near the Dutch border, on September 9th, 1944.
Although the column by-passed major pockets of resistance the enemy was engaged in a number of fire-fights. Near the Belgium town of Wavre the 2nd platoon was attacked resulting in the death of one man. Hundreds of prisoners were captured along the way. Upon reaching the Belgiun town of Hasselt Company- B spent several days attempting to work patrols near the Albert Canal to locate possible crossing sites. On September 9th a patrol from the 3rd platoon was attacked by an enemy ambush near the town of Kesselt. In the resulting action one man was killed and three were taken prisoner. With the Germans well entrenched on the east side of the canal in this sector, the cavalry unit split with one column crossing the Albert Canal northward in an area under British control and a second column with, Company-B, making a dash south to cross the Muse River in the VII Corps sector at Leige. Once across the river the column attack northward into southern Holland. The 113th Cavalry Groupıs two squadrons, the 113th and the 125th, each with elements of Company-B, fanned out to liberate towns throughout southern Holland. The enemy was engaged at Gulpen, Berg, Papenhoven, Illkhoven and Roostern before turning attention to German towns across the border. On October 1st Company-B with Cavalry units crossed into Tuddern Germany. The Cavalryıs attempt to dislodge the enemy from three small towns in the area was unsuccessful. Point blank 88s, mortar and small arms fire was heavy. During these actions Company-B suffered 11 casualties and two men were missing in action. 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. At the Belgiun town of Gembloux German small arms fire was encountered. In the firefight that followed one man was killed one man and another wounded. 26 German soldiers were captured. Upon reaching the Dutch border on September 12th the battalion was ordered to construct a bridge across the Albert Canal near the village of Kanne. With elements of the 2nd Armored Division waiting to cross, the initial attempt to push a 140 foot Bailey Bridge across the canal resulted in the collapse of the far end of the structure.
Albert Canal Bridge 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 Albeek Holland.
On September 27th the battalion (A & C Companies) was attached to the 7th Armored Division. Two days later all units moved north 78 miles, through a British held corridor near Eidenhoven, to bivouac at St Anthonis Holland. Their mission was to assist the British in pushing the Germans south and east, back across the Muse River. The 7thıs immediate target was the city of Overloon just a few miles to the south of St. Anthonis. The 82nd occupied trenches in defensive positions, constructed a treadway bridge and removed and laid mines. While laying a front line defensive minefield a squad from A- Company came under German fire. First, one man was killed by an exploding mine then, alerted to the mine laying activity, the Germans laid in machine gun and mortar fire seriously wounding the three other men in the mine laying party. The 7th Armored could not penetrate fierce German resistance and the mission was suspended on October 6th The battalion returned to bivouac at Albeek on the 8th. Into the Fatherland The battalion, 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 now 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. During the month of October 10 more men were wounded by scattered mortar and artillery barrages. 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 The German Counter Offensive ( The Battle of the Bulge) Then, on December 16, 1944 the Germans launched their famous counter-offensive, the battle of the Bulge. Five divisions from the XIX Corps sector, just north of the Bulge, were transferred south to help stem the German breakthrough. 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. Mission on the Roer On February 4th 1945, the 82nd, was placed in support of the 30th 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. Just hours before the scheduled crossing, the enemy sent a wall of water rushing through the valley. Although the First Armyıs 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 battalionıs most difficult missions. At 2 a.m. on the morning of February 23rd. 1945 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.
Footbridge over the Roer River 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 causalities. After crossing the Roer on February 28th the 82nd bivouacked at Steinstrass and then began moving with the Corps, in a northeasterly direction, toward the Rhine River.
Erft Canal Bridge 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. The Breakout (Across the Rhine) 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 295th Combat Engineers in operating boats during the river assault.( It should be noted here that the 9th Army, at this time, was again under the command of British General Montgomeryıs 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. Germanyıs 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 512th Engineer Light Pontoon Co., and the 611th Engineer Light Equipment Company.
Dortmund-Ems Canal 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. 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.
Patrol Crosses the Weser
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 fell from the bridge in the darkness and was drowned.
Wesser River 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 a bridgehead was secured. Four men from the 82nd were wounded during this mission. Beginning of the End (on the Elbe) 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 in construction of a bridge at 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 A-Company laid down a smoke screen but as the bridge neared the far shore intense shelling was 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.
Bridge over the Elbe (later destroyed) At 7:30 a.m. The Germans launched a counterattack on infantry troops holding the bridgehead and began shelling the bridge site. Bridging parties, on the near side, watched as the enemy surrounded 41st Infantry troops. The fight was intense and 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. The ferry, powered by two outboard motors was a rigged to a steel guy cable. Loaded with a D-7 bulldozer the ferry 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 itıs return trip a direct hit on the steel cable caused the ferry to float freely down stream into enemy area. The ferry was abandoned and the men returned aboard the DUKW without casualties.
Truman bridge over the Elbe
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 the 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 83rd 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 battalionıs 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 82ndıs 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 warıs end. A total of 326 days had passed since Normandy. 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. Epilogue During ten and one-half months in combat the battalion:
After the War
"We Prevailed"
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