Twenty-five of these planes wrecked on landing, and their removal caused further delays. While the post was initially designated as an. This regiment consisted of three aviation engineer battalions designed for independent operations and capable of independent airfield construction.4 These aviation engineer battalions provided the expeditionary airfield capabilities critical to the Pacific Theater in World War II. Finally, in-person surveys of potential airfield sites proved invaluable. Jerry D. Morelock, PhD, Armchair General Editor in Chief. Although the US Navy defeated the Japanese, the battle diverted the focus of carrier-based aircraft providing air defense over Leyte. Most of the enlisted men in 1942 were volunteers with construction or engineering experience, and they required little training. 44th Engineer Regiment . These included, but were not limited to: [1] Bridge ( mobile, floating, fixed), rail, & road construction and maintenance Conducting river crossings by pontoon/raft, motor-powered assault boats Demolition Placing/de-arming munitions, including mines The Battle of the Bulge displays many of the characteristics of a Soviet attack on NATO. Rank Unit Contents. endstream endobj 3831 0 obj <>stream The original concept envisioned a small group of skilled construction and engineer troops, closely trained alongside air units, with the ability to repair bomb damaged airfields, to camouflage airfields and if necessary, to defend airfields. The reduced emphasis on Leytes air defense during the battle allowed Japanese airstrikes to get through, which slowed construction work. Engineer Regiments . These troops would also be capable of constructing light duty airfields in forward locations. F-h4I-L\I Lawrence Brooks, 112, holds his 91st Engineer Battalion pin while wearing a World War II uniform at his Central City home in November. Sometimes prefabricated steel mats, called Marston mats, were laid down to create a runway more durable than a grass strip. In 1939 Gen. Hap Arnold negotiated with the U.S. Army Chief of Engineers for a special engineer unit to work with the Air Corps. Are you still working on this blog? Reviewing the US militarys experience constructing, maintaining, and operating aircraft from advance expeditionary airfields in the Pacific Theater in World War II highlights several factors that shaped the role of these airfields in operations. For more permanent airfields, the most common construction material was asphalt, then called bitumen. At first, responsibility for constructing heavy duty airfields remained with the Corps of Engineers, but by mid-1941, the mission of the aviation engineers expanded beyond runway repair and light runway construction. The mobility operations conducted by the engineers facilitated the forward movement of friendly forces and included actions such as breaching obstacles, destroying enemy strongpoints, and constructing roads and bridges. These initial operations would have established airfields in Southern Mindanao, Yap in the western Caroline Islands, and the Talaud Islands between Celebes and Mindanao. 2013 2023 WW2 Research Inc. All rights reserved. These airfields on Christmas, Canton, Samoa, Fiji, and New Caledonia were designed to provide an air corridor to the South Pacific that was more secure than the existing corridor, which ran from Hawaii to the Philippines through Wake and Guam and was located dangerously close to Japanese bases.9 This work foreshadowed the growing demand for expeditionary airfield construction capabilities that would heavily impact aviation engineer battalions in the Pacific. There is a B-17G tail gunner's compartment on display at the 390th Bomb Group Memorial Museum, which is dedicated to this crew. DNA research has led to Wilson family in South Carolina, just hoping to try to piece together more information. In recent years the US military has become increasingly interested in operating aircraft from austere, expeditionary airfields due to concerns about competitors abilities to threaten established airfields.1 Expeditionary airfields have also been used in supporting operations against terrorist organizations around the world.2 While the growing interest in creating, maintaining, and operating from such airfields is recent, the US military has an established history of constructing and using such airfields. https://www.historynet.com/u-s-army-combat-engineers-1941-45/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot, Day One at Chancellorsville Hookers Big Mistake, Why? 10 Wesley Craven and James Cate, eds., The Army Air Forces in World War II, vol. The Army Air Corps recognized that these performance improvements would require airfields to handle these faster, heavier planes. Figure 2: Principal Operations in New Guinea and New Britain, 194312, After a ground reconnaissance of the site behind enemy lines, elements of the 871st Airborne Engineer Aviation Battalion were airlifted in early July to Tsili Tsili, a site just over 40 miles west of Lae. Accordingly, the Army Corps of Engineers in June 1940 formed the first dedicated aviation engineer unit, the 21st Engineer Regiment (Aviation). This emphasis on lighter equipment later caused issues in airfield engineer operations in the Pacific.8. . Asphalt runways could support heavier aircraft, were easily repaired, and took less time to construct than traditional concrete runways. In addition to infantry small arms, World War II combat engineers employed a range of weapons and specialized equipment to accomplish their mobility and countermobility missions. The Army Air Force fighters also flew strike missions supporting ground operations on Saipan, generally attacking preselected targets while providing some on-call close air support. On 15th of March, 1955, all units of the 176th and 386th were redesignated as HHC, Company A, B, C, D, and E of the 386th Combat Engineer Battalion, located at Bryan, Lufkin, Brenham, Pasadena, Nacogdoches and Victoria Texas. By December 1941, the Corps of Engineers had created 12 aviation engineer battalions, with the 21st Engineers serving as the model. Despite these challenges, the squadrons maintained high levels of readiness. She passed away 10 years ago. However, canceling these operations meant the Leyte invasion force would have to rely on carrier-based aircraft until airfields ashore could be established.22, Figure 7: Japanese-Controlled Areas in the Pacific, Mid-October 194423, The decision to bring the Leyte invasion forward caused significant logistical problems that delayed the construction and repair of airfields on Leyte when combined with other factors. I am curious to know more about him. Four days later, more than 400 cargo landings took place on this rough airstrip flying in supplies and further reinforcements. My take is the WAFS/WASPS deserve a bit more of history's 'time in the books'. The in-person reconnaissance of the area helped the engineering work progress rapidly. In September 1941, the Army held a series of large exercises, later known as the Louisiana Maneuvers. Twenty-five of these planes wrecked on landing, and their removal caused further delays. Accompanied by Australian infantry to provide ground security, the engineers brought in airmobile equipment to clear room for an airfield. However, AARs for smaller units, such as Field Artillery Battalions, Combat Engineer Battalions, Armored units, or Military Police outfits, tend to provide more detail in connection with the individual service of their collective soldiers. By late July, a grass runway able to support fighters and transports was operational. In addition, runways made of Marston mats could be built faster than asphalt runways, though they were less capable. However, in practice, the reductions in capability required to achieve air mobility were not worth the cost. As a result, the number of aviation engineering battalions exploded from 12 to 51 between December 1941 and December 1942.10. However, AARs for smaller units, such as Field Artillery Battalions, Combat Engineer Battalions, Armored units, or Military Police outfits, tend to provide more detail in connection with the individual service of their collective soldiers. The 1st Battalion, 39th Combat Engineer Regiment, received its baptism of fire during the fight for Gela. The battalions relied heavily on enlisted personnel with construction or engineering backgrounds and were equipped with more than 140 vehicles and over 200 pieces of construction equipment each. During the fighting on Tinian, the P-47s employed an innovative method of directing their airstrikes. These exercises were designed to test the Armys readiness for modern, large-scale combat operations. These included demolition satchel charges, Bangalore torpedoes (explosive-filled pipes to clear barbed-wire obstacles), mine detectors, bridging materials (for foot, pontoon and steel-framed Bailey bridges), and an array of construction equipment, from axes to bulldozers. Meritorious Unit Commendation:1 Dec 44-1 Mar 45, GO 63, Hq SOS IBT, dtd 1 Apr 45; 1 Jul 51-13 Feb 53, DA GO 31-55 (700 Engineer Pipeline Co), Activated c. 20 Jan 1944 at Dale Mabry Field, FL. Please note the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is not responsible for items left in vehicles. These included, but were not limited to:[2][6]. The 21st Engineers gained experience in an unlikely place: Louisiana. 19th Engineer Company . 3829 0 obj <>stream hlj1WnEKA XKv3Kkf-MDz*oHP/`*6c"zqo\6z In addition to problems such as equipment shortages, long hours and difficult work, aviation engineer leaders were concerned with the long-term presence of blacks in England. Finally, the timetable change reduced the time available for aerial reconnaissance, forcing engineers to rely more on prewar maps to assess the terrain. - Water bottles (clear, sealed bottle, up to 20 oz.) Thus ends the strange tale of the two "first battalions." The Bobcats were. This included Tinian and Guam in preparations for landings on both of those islands in July. The operations over the Marianas highlighted the need for close interservice cooperation as Army Air Force fighters relieved Navy carriers and then used Navy strike planes as forward air controllers. United States Engineer Regiments in World War II, Ulysses Lee, United States Army in World War II: Special Studies: The Employment of Negro Troops, Chapter 20, accessed at, "United States Engineer Regiments in World War II", Learn how and when to remove this template message, United States Army Forces in the Middle East, https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/11-4/chapter20.htm, "Lineage and Honors - 111th Engineer Regiment", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Engineer_Regiments_in_World_War_II&oldid=1142620311, United States Army regiments in World War II, Engineer Regiments of the United States Army, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles needing additional references from September 2014, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 41st Engineer General Service Regiment - to Liberia as part of U.S. Army Forces in Liberia under, 348th Engineer Combat Regiment (348th.com), 1321st Engineer General Service Regiment, 1322nd Engineer General Service Regiment, 1323rd Engineer General Service Regiment, 1324th Engineer General Service Regiment, This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 12:55.