My dad, William Robert Snead, is a WWII vet. He was with the Amphibious Engineers which was attached to the 29th Infantry Div. He was stationed near Swansea and then deported to Omaha Beach on D-Day where he buried the dead, arriving early afternoon. There symbol was an anchor. Do you have any information on his unit? Thanks for your help. I have attached a picture of him that was taken by a photographer in a village near Swansea.
Carolyn Snead Bransby
Hi Carolyn:
Just happened to be sitting here when your email arrived. First off thanks for writing. It's always nice to hear from the sons and ESPECIALLY the daughters of combat engineers.
I do know a bit about the engineers who landed on Normandy Beach. Let me do some research and get back with you. I am sure I will be able to shed some light on the situation. I hope to get back with you over the next few days.
BTW, your dad was quite handsome.
How close do you live to the Atlanta area? My stepdaughter, son-in-law and granddaughter have been living in Acworth for about 7 years now. We've been down there a few times.
One of my brothers, Sgt. Daniel E. O'Rourke, was in the 297th Engineers during WW11. He participated in the Normady Beach landings to the Huertgen Forest where he was evacuated with Trench Foot. He died at the age of 45 of Cancer.
Was the 297th a part of the V1 Corps? He was attached to other divisions at different times.
Thanks for your information.
Mary Campbell
Hi Mary:
So nice to hear from you. I will do some investigating for you and let you know what kind of info I can find out.
Of the top of my head, I know that the 297th were not part of VI Corps, since that unit entered on the southern coast of France in August of 1944.
Your brother most likely would have been in either the V, VII or XIX Corps. I will be able to ascertain more with a little research.
It sounds like the 297th were very similar to my dad's unit and was probably (but I am not sure yet) what they called a "bastard"or independent engineer regiment. They had several of these stationed in the ETO.
I'll get back with you shortly. Again, thanks for writing and visiting my site.
