Would like to hear details from any member of the 3rd Infantry Div regarding the combined efforts of the 540th Combat Engineers during this time period. Thanks a ton. Your memories may very well wind up in my up and coming book on the VI Corps Engineers. Thanks a ton in advance for your help!-----------------------------

As of 12 March joint training with the 3rd Infantry Division began and on the same day Lt Colonel Manning returned from the 9th Army. The organization was attached to XV Corps for operations on 15 March.

Through simulated assault crossings and ferrying exercises competent teamwork was effected between Infantry and Engineer units. Final prepatations were made, equipment inspected and loaded and on 21 March Group Headquarters moved together with Headquarters Co from Arracourt establishing its command post in Rahling. 2832nd Engineer Bn established its command post in Rohrbach and the 2833rd Bn moved to the vicinity of Butten.

More to come...

On March 23 Headquarters and Headquarters Co, 540th Combat Engineer Group moved from Rahling to Grundtadt, Germany, the 2832 Bn moved to Bad Durkheim and the 2833rd Bn moved to Lautersheim. Upon arrival of Headquarters and Headquarters CO the 540th Comat Engineer Group was attached to the 3rd Infantry for operations.

On March 24, Advance Command Posts were established by Group Headquarters in Roxheim, 2832nd Bn in Morsch, 2833rd Bn in Horscheim. At 0200 hrs, March 24 the 2832nd & 2833rd Bns moved into concentration areas and at 0230, March 26, both bns began ferrying troops of the 3rd Inf Div across the Rhine River. The 2832nd Bn in support of the 7th Inf Reg erected cables, constructed one heavy ponton raft and began construction of approach for heavy ponton raft on the Rhine. The 2833rd Bn less Co A, in support of the 30th Inf Reg erected calbes, constructed two infantry support rafts and one heavy ponton raft. Co A, in conjunction with the 85th Engineer Heavy Ponton Bn constructed a heavy ponton bridge across the Rhine at Worms.

This structure measuring 1020 feet, was completed in the record time of nine hours and 12 minutes. Later information emanating from 7th Army HQ revealed tht Allied Forces utilized 33 bridges in spanning the Rhine River and that only three were constructed in less than 10 hours!

From H-Hour until the end of D+4, the organization sustained a loss of 39 men due to enemy actions; two officers, Captain Frederick C Woods & Captain Bernard L Cohen were wounded. At 1800 hours, March 28 the 540th Combat Eng Group was relieved from attachment to XV Corps and reverted to 7th Army Control. The 2832nd Bn maintained the river crossing equipment and continued operation of two infantry support rafts and one heavy ponton raft near Ludwigshafen. River patrol was continued by 2833rd Bn.

More to come...

Would anyone care to comment about GI Glasses? I learned about this the other day at the 36th Combat Engineers Reunion. Someone brought up GI Glasses and I wasn't familiar with it. They said they were always happy with theirs.

Thanks

Al Kincer just sent me this info today regarding yet another (hooray) 48th Combat Engineers Reunion in 2006. Guess what? It will be held here in Michigan, so if all goes well and we are all blessed with health and good fortunes, I should be able to attend and meet everyone.

Here is the scoop for 2006!

Oct_05_Scoop_48th.pdf

Attached Files

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UPCOMING EPISODES

Hurricane Katrina.

Airs on Thursday, October 6 at 8:00pm ET

Gunnery Sergeant R. Lee Ermey hits the skies with the Air Force Pararescue Teams, the PJs, to take a look at how these helicopter hard-chargers pulled refugees out harm's way and flew them to safety after the recent Katrina catastrophe in the Gulf Coast. Next, Gunny heads out on patrol with the Marines for door-to-door searches, water-main repair, and the rescue of a defenseless kitten. Now this isn't the first time the military has been faced with this sort of situation, so the Gunny gives a history lesson on previous military responses to natural disasters. Then, Lee takes a look at how the Marines are beginning the cleanup effort. But the Marines aren't the only ground-pounders in the area. The Gunny patrols the French Quarter with the 82nd Airborne to get the skinny on the work they did to secure the Superdome and what they and the Army National Guard are doing to help get the displaced citizens of New Orleans back on their feet. TVPG L

Hurricane Katrina.

Airs on Friday, October 7 at 12:00am ET

Gunnery Sergeant R. Lee Ermey hits the skies with the Air Force Pararescue Teams, the PJs, to take a look at how these helicopter hard-chargers pulled refugees out harm's way and flew them to safety after the recent Katrina catastrophe in the Gulf Coast. Next, Gunny heads out on patrol with the Marines for door-to-door searches, water-main repair, and the rescue of a defenseless kitten. Now this isn't the first time the military has been faced with this sort of situation, so the Gunny gives a history lesson on previous military responses to natural disasters. Then, Lee takes a look at how the Marines are beginning the cleanup effort. But the Marines aren't the only ground-pounders in the area. The Gunny patrols the French Quarter with the 82nd Airborne to get the skinny on the work they did to secure the Superdome and what they and the Army National Guard are doing to help get the displaced citizens of New Orleans back on their feet. TVPG L

DOD Firefighter/USMC Martial Arts Training/Little David: #82.

Airs on Friday, October 7 at 10:00pm ET

Gunnery Sergeant R. Lee Ermey, dons the duds of a Department of Defense firefighter at their training facility at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California. Highlighted is the DOD's new crash vehicle, a heavy-duty firefighting truck. Back at HQ, the Gunny provides a short history of Napalm--what it is and why we don't use it anymore. Next, Lee travels to Camp Pendleton, California for a demonstration of USMC martial arts training. Then, it's trigger time with the pistol favored by Japanese officers during WWII--the Nambu pistol. And, the Gunny shows some amazing archival footage of a secret US government project called Little David--a remote-controlled weapons platform that never made it out of the prototype stage. And along with Little David, is, of course, the story of Goliath--a WWII German remote-controlled tank bomb. TVPG L

Golden Knights/WWII Army Air Force or Air Corps?/Flying Tigers/AC-130U Spooky: #40.

Airs on Friday, October 7 at 10:30pm ET

Join R. Lee Ermey as he prepares to jump with the Army's Golden Knights--and find out if he's too chicken! Since people get confused about what to call the Air Force during WWII, when it was a part of the Army, he digs into the history. Then, Lee focuses on the Flying Tiger volunteers who risked their lives in China before America entered WWII. And, he profiles the modern gunship AC-130U. Terrifying to the enemy, it flies at night, hence its nickname Spooky. TVPG L

DOD Firefighter/USMC Martial Arts Training/Little David: #82.

Airs on Saturday, October 8 at 2:00am ET

Gunnery Sergeant R. Lee Ermey, dons the duds of a Department of Defense firefighter at their training facility at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California. Highlighted is the DOD's new crash vehicle, a heavy-duty firefighting truck. Back at HQ, the Gunny provides a short history of Napalm--what it is and why we don't use it anymore. Next, Lee travels to Camp Pendleton, California for a demonstration of USMC martial arts training. Then, it's trigger time with the pistol favored by Japanese officers during WWII--the Nambu pistol. And, the Gunny shows some amazing archival footage of a secret US government project called Little David--a remote-controlled weapons platform that never made it out of the prototype stage. And along with Little David, is, of course, the story of Goliath--a WWII German remote-controlled tank bomb. TVPG L

Golden Knights/WWII Army Air Force or Air Corps?/Flying Tigers/AC-130U Spooky: #40.

Airs on Saturday, October 8 at 2:30am ET

Join R. Lee Ermey as he prepares to jump with the Army's Golden Knights--and find out if he's too chicken! Since people get confused about what to call the Air Force during WWII, when it was a part of the Army, he digs into the history. Then, Lee focuses on the Flying Tiger volunteers who risked their lives in China before America entered WWII. And, he profiles the modern gunship AC-130U. Terrifying to the enemy, it flies at night, hence its nickname Spooky. TVPG L

#80.

Airs on Saturday, October 8 at 12:00pm ET

Navy beach masters are known as the traffic cops of the beach and host R. Lee Ermey travels to Coronado Naval Base to find out how they get the job done and checks out their gear, including the new LARC, a floating tow truck used for search and rescue. Next, Lee travels to the Defense Language Institute in Monterrey, California, where military personnel learn how to speak Afghani, Korean, Arabic, and other languages in a flash. In this installment of "GI Jargon", the Gunny explains origins of the word "hooch". And we get a tour of the Gunny's new digs--a state-of-the-art Eureka MPTGS Type 3 tent with internal arch configuration. Then, he takes us back to the end of WWII and the raid at Cabanatuan. Not a lot of people know about it, but this raid by Army Rangers, Alamo Scouts, and Filipino guerrillas saved the lives of more than 500 POWs in the Philippines. Then, Lee demonstrates the Arisaka rifle, the bolt-action rifle used by the Japanese Imperial Army. TVPG L

German Renaissance/9mm Luger P-08/AFN/Battle of Britain: #81.

Airs on Saturday, October 15 at 12:00pm ET

R. Lee Ermey steps into the time machine for a segment about the weapons of the German Renaissance in the 16th century. Then, fast forward to the present and a live fire demonstration of the power behind one of the most famous handguns in history, the 9 mm Luger P-08. Next, the Gunny has the history of AFN - American Forces Network, the broadcasting network that's been at the forefront of military news since WWII, and a salute to WWII journalist Bill Mauldin. Lee also gives viewers an in-depth account of the bombing raid that rocked London to its foundation - the Battle of Britain. Rare archival footage shows what Londoners in the 1940s were up against and how Germany destroyed a city but not its spirit.

TVPG L

#83.

Airs on Friday, October 21 at 10:30pm ET

At ease, Private! R. Lee Ermey is your commanding officer in this weekly series that answers viewers' questions about military methods and technology with practical demonstrations by military experts. Viewers go on the frontlines, to foreign lands, and into basic training as Lee demonstrates the hows and whys behind weaponry, military hardware, vehicles, and jargon. It's a glimpse of military life and history that civilians rarely see. TVPG L

#83.

Airs on Saturday, October 22 at 2:30am ET

At ease, Private! R. Lee Ermey is your commanding officer in this weekly series that answers viewers' questions about military methods and technology with practical demonstrations by military experts. Viewers go on the frontlines, to foreign lands, and into basic training as Lee demonstrates the hows and whys behind weaponry, military hardware, vehicles, and jargon. It's a glimpse of military life and history that civilians rarely see. TVPG L

Afghanistan: #68.

Airs on Sunday, October 23 at 1:30pm ET

R. Lee Ermey returns to Afghanistan for a special hour from Bagram Air Base devoted to the hard-charging Marines stationed there. After an historical overview of the role of the Marine Corps in Afghanistan, the Gunny goes on foot patrol into the rural villages surrounding Kabul. With his armed Marine Corps escorts, the Gunny shows what it's like to gather intelligence and promote goodwill among the Afghanis. Next, Lee goes for a ride in the Ch-53 Super Stallion, gets a little trigger time on a helicopter gunship--the Cobra attack helicopter, and test drives the Marine Corps' newest heavy duty truck, the MTVR. Finally, Lee spends time with the lifeline for the Marines in Afghanistan, the Medical Corpsman, and finds out how they treat injuries on base and on the battlefield. TVPG L

#84.

Airs on Friday, October 28 at 10:00pm ET

At ease, Private! R. Lee Ermey is your commanding officer in this weekly series that answers viewers' questions about military methods and technology with practical demonstrations by military experts. Viewers go on the frontlines, to foreign lands, and into basic training as Lee demonstrates the hows and whys behind weaponry, military hardware, vehicles, and jargon. It's a glimpse of military life and history that civilians rarely see. TVPG L

M-16/Viet Cong Booby Traps/Ravens/Wild Weasels/River Patrol Boats/Green Beret: #30.

Airs on Friday, October 28 at 10:30pm ET

Why did the military replace the M-14 rifle with the M-16 during Vietnam? What kind of booby traps did the Viet Cong use? Who were the super-secret Ravens? What did the Wild Weasels do during the Vietnam War? What types of missions did river patrol boats take care of in Vietnam? How did the Green Berets get their name? In an episode devoted to the Vietnam War, R. Lee Ermey answers viewers' questions on military technology with practical demonstrations by military experts in the field. TVPG L

#84.

Airs on Saturday, October 29 at 2:00am ET

At ease, Private! R. Lee Ermey is your commanding officer in this weekly series that answers viewers' questions about military methods and technology with practical demonstrations by military experts. Viewers go on the frontlines, to foreign lands, and into basic training as Lee demonstrates the hows and whys behind weaponry, military hardware, vehicles, and jargon. It's a glimpse of military life and history that civilians rarely see. TVPG L

M-16/Viet Cong Booby Traps/Ravens/Wild Weasels/River Patrol Boats/Green Beret: #30.

Airs on Saturday, October 29 at 2:30am ET

Why did the military replace the M-14 rifle with the M-16 during Vietnam? What kind of booby traps did the Viet Cong use? Who were the super-secret Ravens? What did the Wild Weasels do during the Vietnam War? What types of missions did river patrol boats take care of in Vietnam? How did the Green Berets get their name? In an episode devoted to the Vietnam War, R. Lee Ermey answers viewers' questions on military technology with practical demonstrations by military experts in the field. TVPG L

Mail Call Bloopers. Semper Fi! Carry on...

http://www.historychannel.com/mailcall/?page=video