Page Updated 10/26/11 ec 5, Walter (Monday) Poniedzialek, 540th Combat Engineer , H&S Company

My father, Walter (Monday) Poniedzialek, was born on March 30, 1917 in Detroit, Michigan, and was a proud member of the 540th Combat Engineer Regiment. He started his army stint at Fort Custer near Battle Creek, Michigan. I gathered this information from a postcard dated March 1943 that was sent from the Fort (Camp) Custer to his mother Mary. This was amongst the few things that I had left from my father that were gathered in an old, small candy box. He died when I was 12 years old so I dearly cherish the photos, campaign ribbons, medals and patches from WWII.


Dad is 8th from right - back row

Visit the Photo Gallery for additional images

I remember that he loved talking about his service in the European theatre and vividly recall some horror stories about men who met unfortunate fates. He would proudly show off his German Luger and a sword that he took home as souvenirs (boy do I wish I still had those babies). I also remember his face and the way his body and mind became totally engrossed while watching movies about GI's. This is how I became hooked on the history of WWII and I loved watching the movies as much as he did. I think my mom thought we were both kind of nuts, but what the heck! And being a young, impressionable girl I became quite enamored with all those rugged young men in their army uniforms (hey, confession is good for the soul ha-ha!).

Of course many years have passed and because of that old devil we call time, my memories have become faded and I became more or less obsessed with finding out what I could about his tour of duty in Europe from 1943 through 1945.

I did have the honor and privilege of meeting with one of my dad's old army buddies, Ira Wheatley, who lived in the Detroit area. My husband and I went to his house one Sunday afternoon about 12 years ago and had the most wonderful time. Here was a man who had enough spirit for about 5 human beings and shared a lot of his memories along with photos from the war. He told of the countless days they spent on the beaches of Anzio and how they had to bury vehicles under the sand to keep the machinery running so that the army could keep on the move.

Ira passed away several years ago and unfortunately we were only to meet with him that one day. We miss him but are thankful we got to know him and exchange Christmas cards while he was still alive. Hats off to ya buddy!

I began an earnest search for information regarding my dad's battalion about 4 years ago, but came to a dead-end when I couldn't obtain his military records. Of course being determined, I tried again about 6 months ago and much to my dismay I was informed that his records like so many other vets were destroyed in a devastating fire in St Louis in 1973. I was crushed.

But, I am one determined little woman so I began anew and used that great tool known to all of us as the Internet. Viola! Within two months I had amassed the information that has let me put so many of the pieces of the puzzle back together again.

You can view all his photos and those of his unit on the photos pages.



This is What I Found...

Well I do have to admit that there was much confusion on my part when I was trying to decipher my dad's history. The only thing I knew for sure was that he was in the Army Corps of the Engineers. He had a 5th Army Patch and also 7th Army Patch and that's where the confusion really set in. I didn't know what division, regiment or battalion he was in. I did know that he was in Company C and that he trained at Fort (Camp) Custer located in Michigan. I then took the rest of his insignia, etc. and tried to look things up on the Internet.

I learned that the Red Bull Patch was associated with the 34th Infantry Division, so I took it for granted that he was ALWAYS with that division. I later found out through John Fallon, Ken Kleinbach and Rene Rousselle, that the engineers were never permanently part of any division, but were attached to different divisions during their tour of duty; the 3rd, the 36th and the 45th, who were all a part of the VI Corps. The 34th Division was involved in Italy. They (the engineers) were part of the 5th Army in Africa and Italy and again after they reached Germany. They were the 7th Army in Sicily and France.

Next I attempted to find out what the pin with a crown and seahorse was. I found out that the seahorse was associated with the 36th Combat Engineers, but I also had a picture with one of his buddies standing in front of the 540th Combat Engineer HQ. Hmm? I have come to find out that he was with the 540th Combat Engineers Group (Amphibious) and that the crown above the seahorse stands for five landings, while the nine points on the back of the seahorse represent the battles.

• The Red and White (Hat) Cord- designates the Corps of Engineers
• The Seahorse- the Emblem of the Amphibious Forces
• The Crown- designates the unit as the King of the Amphibious Forces
• The Five Points of the Crown- each point represents a landing on a hostile shore
• The Nine Points on the back of the Seahorse- each point represents battles in which the 540th participated in WWII.
  
  1. North Africa (with Arrowhead) 11-8-42 to 11-11-42
  2. Sicily (with Arrowhead) 7-9-43 to 8-17-43
  3. Naples/Salerno (with Arrowhead) 9-9-43 to 1-21-44
  4. Anzio (with Arrowhead) 1-22-44 to 5-24-44
  5. Rome/Arno 5-24-44 to 8-15-44
  6. Southern France (with Arrowhead) 8-15-44 to 9-14-44
  7. Rhineland 9-15-44 to 3-21-45
  8. Ardennes/Alsace (Battle of the Bulge) 12-15-44 to 1-25-45
  9. Central Europe/Rhineland 3-22-45 to 5-11-45
  

Dad had two more pins, one is the CIB, Combat Infantry Badge (1st Award), that is awarded to personnel with an infantry military occupational specialty who have satisfactorily performed duty under fire , while assigned as a member of an infantry unit, brigade or smaller size. The Expert Sniper Badge is awarded to Brotherhood soldiers who get 1000 kills in match combat.

My dad's ribbons include the Good Conduct, the European Theatre, the American Theatre and the Victory Medal.

Next I started emailing people I found on WWII websites and hoped that they would answer. At first not much happened but within a few weeks I had some leads. Then one day I received a wonderful handwritten letter from Rene Rousselle and I can't tell you how overjoyed I was. Here was someone that fought in my dad's regiment. He did not personally know my dad since he was with the 2nd Battalion (Companies D, E and F), but he took the time to share some history and I felt as though I had finally broken through the barrier.

He also sent me some other items of interest such as a copy of a propaganda sheet that was dropped on the beach by the Nazis. Rene was also the one who gave me the above information on the campaigns that the 540th participated in. I was off to a good start.

Next I had the honor of talking to John Fallon of the 36th Combat Engineers. After sending and receiving several emails and letters, I had the honor of speaking with him on the phone on the 60th Anniversary of D-Day. We talked for about 20 minutes and he was kind enough to answer all my questions and give me more info about his role in WWII.

John really helped me decipher the whole mish-mash of info that I had. He was the one who set me straight on how the combat engineers functioned as units and helped me understand how things were organized.

John also suggested that I read a book called, Fatal Decision - Anzio & the Battle for Rome by Carlo Este. Note: I have since found the book and am in the middle of reading it as of August 2004.

He is the one who really inspired me to create this site and to dedicate it to all the VI Corps Combat Engineers. He told me that they really didn't have a home on the Internet and that gave me the idea to add their history to my dad's history. We still correspond on a regular basis and I can't tell express enough thanks to him for his continued assistance. You can view his Brief History of the 36th and his letters on the Stories Page.

On June 19th, 2004 I received a letter from Clifford Duncan. Cliff was in "E" Company. He sent me this great 540th Engineers Business Card. I think you'll get a big kick out of it. As you can see by the letter, he left me another name of a 540th Combat Engineer named Ken Kleinbach, who was in Company C. I called Ken that week and he really was a sweet guy. What a sense of humor. He said my dad's name sounded familiar, but wasn't sure, so I sent him a copy of all the pictures I had. He said that dad looked familiar, but heck, it's been a long time. Ken was only in dad's company for about 6 or 7 months before being transferred to 540th HQ because he could speak German.

I've talked to him a few times since and he informed me that he will be attending the reunion in October. I am really looking forward to meeting him and John and all the other guys from the regiment. A weekend will probably not be enough time for me. :-)

Ken suggested that I read, A Half Acre of Hell by Avis Schrorer. It is the personal account of a WWII nurse and takes you through North Africa and Italy. She spends a great deal of time discussing her ordeal at Anzio. When I was reading it I actually got choked up on several occasions. I don't know how anyone survived that campaign!



Update 08-09-2004

Well, since I've last written, I have run into a wealth of material regarding the VI Corps and particularly my dad's regiment, the 540th. Just today I received a wonderful source of info, a book, US Army in World War II - The Technical Services - The Corps of Engineers: The War Against Germany and should be receiving in the mail later this week, another book in the same series called, Engineer Troops & Equipment. After skimming the volume to see what it had to offer, I found countless references to the VI Corps Engineers and many specific references to the 540th. I also spoke with Michael Brodhead, Army Corps of Engineers Office of History, this morning and he has uncovered a slew of info on the 540th. Oh happy day. He is copying (God bless his soul) all kinds of documents and photos for me including, but not limited to:

• An Order of Battle
• History of the Unit
• Roster of Battle Casualties
• Roster of Honors and Awards

My ever increasing sources are also providing me with tidbits of knowledge that have opened many new doors and filled in many of the holes that still remain. With a plethora of data coming in on an ever increasing rate, I will be able to put together a concise history of my father's unit from 1942-1945. Of course now I just have to find the time to read and compile the history...

Update 09-30-04

This has been quite a month and quite a week. First, through the kindness of Richard Horrell a WWII historian, I have been able to get my hands on the book that I have been trying to find since spring of this year, Overseas with the 540th. He offered to loan it to me for several weeks and now I am furiously scanning each page and will eventually upload them to this site to share with you. The book has so many great photos including bridges being built, headquarter buildings, river crossings, D-Day landings, officer and group shots of the platoons within each company. A real treasure to say the least.

After perusing the pages I was able to find four photos that were extremely similar to the group of four I have on the Photos Page. They happen to be from the same shoot and are photos of the Headquarters and Service Company, 2833rd Battalion, 540th Engineer Combat Group (previously known as the 2nd Battalion, 540th Combat Engineer Regiment prior to Feb of '45). And now I know dad was part of Headquarters & Service Company, not Company C, though he may have been early on. So another piece of the puzzle has been put together.

I then received an email from Willie Joy, son of Ernest Joy, telling me that his dad had a picture of my dad in Kaufbeauron, Germany in 1945. Can you believe that? I was beside myself. I never, never thought I'd actually find someone who actually knew him personally. That's like finding a needle in a haystack! Well, today I received a copy of the photo and sure enough, there is my dad and the other 16 guys in his motor pool. Wow! The photo also helped me to determine my dad's rank because I can clearly see the chevrons on his right sleeve. Dad was a Tech 5 (E-5), which was an equivalent to a corporal. It also enabled me to confirm that dad was part of the 2833rd Battalion (previously known as the 2nd Battalion 540th) because he is conveniently holding his helmet on his knee with the 2833rd insignia facing the camera. Thanks dad. You'll never know how that that simple placement helped your daughter many decades later.

I am waiting to hear back from Willie because now I have all kinds of questions for him as you can well imagine. Of course you'll hear all about it right here. Stay tuned for more. This is so exciting!

Update 05-09-07

As I find out more through the 2000 or more pages that I've acquired from the National Archives, and through other means, I keep learning more about my dad and the 540th.  Ira had relayed how my dad was injured by a mortar shell while acting as a motorcycle courier for HQ, and I was able to confirm that he was indeed injured. 

"May 24, 1944... T/5 Poniedzialek from duty to 15th Evacuation Hospital which was in the line of duty..."

This would have occurred at Anzio, Italy, a few days before the link up of the army from the south and the army on the beachead.  I am now trying to acquire the morning reports from that week, to fill in the blanks.

Update 06-12-11

Much has transpired in the past few years, and I'm sure you can see the headway I've made throughout the site. It continues to be an amazing journey, and I still find myself in awe of all that has taken place since my research began seven years ago. Sometimes all I can say is, "Wow!"

I recently contacted the Army and submitted a "Correction of Military Records - DD Form 149", in order to request that my father receive his Purple Heart. I believe one should have been awarded during the war for injuries sustained during the breakout from Anzio on May 24, 1944 (see information - Update 05-09-07 - above). I will keep you informed of my progress.

Update 10-26-11

A while back I submitted an application to receive my dad's Purple Heart, and today I received the Army's response; DENIED. As you can imagine, I'm feeling very sad over their decision. What can I say, but I tried my best to right a wrong...



No Bridge Too Far

The intro to my up and coming documentary/book, No Bridge Too Far, will give you good insight into my father and my quest to find out more about his history.

Link to our new site, No Bridge Too Far


Dedication

I entered dad into the National World War II Memorial Registry. You too can enter your loved one into the registry by visiting this site, World War II Memorial.

I sent an entry on June 12, 2012, to the Dwight D Eisenhower Honor Roll Kiosk, and await its posting to the site. Be sure to enter your loved one too.



"Someone may see your face as a photo from years gone by, another depiction from the past. I see you as grins from minutes yesteryear smiling upon me from photos caught that day... I wish I could have talked with you, cried with you, heard your regrets and dreams and laughed my ass off with you. To me you are just a mere touch away, a link with my mortality. I miss you so and wish we had more than we had. But as in life, it was not to be. So I gather what I can and spread your name and stories as they come to me in bits and pieces over summer and winter nights. In these words I hope to let others know who and what you were; who and what you touched in your few years upon this fertile earth. Please know that what you left behind has left a lasting impression on those who are still here today.

We remember the deeds of the few done for so many. Your words, acts and unselfishness will echo in the hearts of many over the millennia.

A loving daughter's words to those still listening...

Marion J Chard
A proud daughter of a 540th Combat Engineer"