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The FReeper Foxhole Studies The U.S. Army Engineer Special Brigades - Feb. 20, 2004
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Posted on 02/20/2004 4:27:43 AM PST by snippy_about_it
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Lord,
Keep our Troops forever in Your care
Give them victory over the enemy...
Grant them a safe and swift return...
Bless those who mourn the lost. .
FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time.
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Engineer Special Brigades
![](http://images5.fotki.com/v57/photos/1/133612/591910/CorregidorESBLCMs_592EBSR-vi.jpg) Amphibian Engineer Units 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th Amphibian Engineer Units from Surf and Sand by Robert Amory Jr.
The fortress island of Corregidor quivered under the relentless pounding of the Jap bombers and the heavy batteries massed on recently subdued Bataan. The weary defenders, safe only in the depths of its tunnels, knew they could not hope to repulse the final assault that would strike them any day. The last effective barrier to complete Japanese conquest of the Philippines was doomed. A tiny Aussie garrison in the mountains above Port Moresby, the last impertinent Allied foothold on the second largest island in the world, wondered when the Japs on the north coast of New Guinea would decide to rub them out.
The bitter rear-guard action in Burma was drawing to an ignominious close as the remnants of the British, Indian, and Chinese forces stumbled over the trackless mountains into India, and the victorious Japs seized the Burma Road and pressed on into isolated China.
Between New Caledonia and the Solomons roamed the scouting planes of a small American naval task force seeking to locate the Japanese fleet that was about to sally forth for an attack on the Australian mainland.
On the other side of the world, Germany and her satellites bestrode Europe unchallenged from Gibraltar to the North Cape, from the Channel Islands to the African desert. The Russian winter counteroffensive, having hurled the Germans from the suburbs of Moscow, had bogged down in the ooze of spring. The Germans were attacking at Kharkov and in the Crimea, and their Afrika Korps was coiling for a deadly lunge at Egypt. German submarines stalked ships in the delta of the Mississippi and within sight of the New Jersey coast.
So began the month of May, 1942.
In these darkest moments of World War II, the Allied Combined Chiefs of Staff were nevertheless grimly preparing offensives to regain the ground lost and bring the Axis ultimately to abject surrender. One fact stood out: there was no land route of approach, and so the British and American forces could come to grips with the Germans and Japanese only by amphibious attack. Not only would strong armies have to be raised, trained and equipped, but those armies would also have to be provided with ships and boats and trained beach parties in order to assault the fortress of Europe and the vast island empire of Japan.
Both the British and American navies were doing all they could to procure ships and small landing craft and to train crews for them, but the U.S. Navy in particular was necessarily preoccupied with meeting the menace of German submarines in the Atlantic and the threat of the now superior Japanese naval forces in the central Pacific. In order better to distribute the burden of preparing the amphibious forces, the Joint Chiefs of Staff assigned to the Army the task of creating a major amphibious training center and of recruiting and training specialized units capable of operating landing craft and handling the engineering work on beachheads.
This decision was reduced to orders on May 9, 1942 directing General Somervell, commander of the Army Service Forces, to establish an amphibian training center at Camp Edwards, and to procure equipment and personnel for the specialized amphibian units.
As had been its lot throughout its long history, the U.S. Corps of Engineers received this new and unique assignment. After a brief period of study, the Engineer Amphibian Command was activated on June 5, 1942, with the mission of organizing, equipping and training eight engineer amphibian brigades, each capable of transporting and supporting a reinforced infantry division in a shore-to-shore amphibious attack.
Colonel Daniel Noce, an engineer who had had much to do with the organization of the original air-borne units took command, and opened his headquarters at Camp Edwards, on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Ten days later the 1st Engineer Amphibian Brigade was activated, using two engineer combat regiments as its nucleus. Five days later the 2d Brigade came into being.
To procure personnel with appropriate civilian background as officers and noncommissioned officers for this work, an intensive recruiting program was inaugurated with headquarters in Washington. Employing extensive publicity and cooperating with the U.S. Power Squadrons, yacht clubs, and other organizations concerned with maritime activities, this drive resulted in many hundreds of civilians being enlisted or commissioned during the summer of 1942.
Procurement of boats was handled through the Navy Bureau of Ships in order not to duplicate effort. In accordance with the decision of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the engineer amphibian units were restricted to craft less than 100 feet long, on the general theory that these would be adequate for the short distance across the English Channel, where the brigades were initially expected to be employed.
![](http://images5.fotki.com/v53/photos/1/133612/591910/002ESB-vi.jpg) Description: On a blue rectangular background 3 inches wide with rounded top 3 1/8 inches in height, a modern anchor palewise behind a sub-machine gun fesswise on which is perched an eagle with wings displayed and inverted all in golden yellow.
Symbolism: The design was based on the design of the British Combined Operations patch which was worn by commandos, landing craft personnel, and others.
Background: The insignia was originally approved on June 17, 1942 for personnel assigned to Engineer Amphibian Units. It was redesignated on June 10, 1944 as the shoulder sleeve insignia for all Army personnel assigned to the following amphibian units: Amphibian Tank Battalions; Amphibian Tractor Battalions; Engineer Amphibian Units; Joint Assault Signal Companies; Headquarters Ships Detachments (Type A); Headquarters Ships Detachment (Type B); Headquarters Section (Army); and Amphibian Training Command - Pacific Fleet. (Note: A shoulder sleeve insignia was authorized for the Amphibian Command on October 23, 1942. The insignia was a white oval within a blue orle superimposed by a red sea horse naint). It was redesignated as the insignia for the 2d Engineer Special Brigade on June 12, 1946. That authorization was changed to include the 409th Engineer Special Brigade on March 20, 1951 and changed to all Engineer Special Brigades on October 26, 1951).
Each day brought a fresh influx of personnel and equipment to Cape Cod. Veteran Coast Guard and Marine officers, battle tested Britishers with experience in commando raids, experts in civil engineering, navigation, boat repair, and communications formed the nucleus of the training command at Edwards. Camps were opened at Waquoit and Cotuit, and docks were built to provide appropriate training bases for the boat units.
During June and early July 1942 the Allied situation throughout the world grew more perilous. The Afrika Korps routed the British Eighth Army and reached within striking distance of the Nile; von Bock's great group of armies started its 1000-mile plunge from Orel to Stalingrad; and the Japanese, despite the naval battles of the Coral Sea and Midway, still threatened Australia.
To the Combined Chiefs of Staff, meeting in London early in July, the most serious danger appeared to be that the German summer offensive would succeed in knocking Russia out of the War. In order to do what little they could to relieve the pressure on the hard pressed Red armies, they agreed to launch, if necessary, a crosschannel invasion of France, even though the forces at their disposal were pitifully small.
To do this they would need more landing craft and crews than were available in the British Isles; so the 1st Brigade on July 23 was ordered to England as fast as it could be moved. The Brigade was in a sad state of confusion, with almost no equipment and all ranks barely oriented as to their technical missions and training objectives. Nevertheless, equipment was rushed from all parts of the country to the Brigade, and it was brought to full strength and sailed from New York on August 5th.
Hardly had it debarked in England when it became apparent that the German drive was slowing down in the Caucasus and was being fought to a standstill at Stalingrad, and that it would not be necessary to launch the major attack across the channel during that year. Given this breathing spell, the navies of both Great Britain and the United States set about reversing the decision made in May to have the Army run the small landing craft, and in England they actually took away the 1st Brigade's boats.
Back in the United States a bitter wrangle ensued, and the understandably inexpert performance of some of the engineer boatmen in their first maneuvers lent weight to the Navy's argument that only 'boys in blue' could satisfactorily handle boats. Colonel Arthur Trudeau, the Chief of Staff of the Engineer Amphibian Command, made a flying trip to visit General MacArthur in Australia during the early part of October to see if he was interested in continuing the development of the amphibian brigades.
Just at this time MacArthur was engaged in his "Battle of the Marne" in the passes of the Owen Stanley Mountains and in the steaming jungles and plantations of Milne Bay. Though he had been successful in driving the Japanese back toward their bases on the northeast coast of New Guinea, lack of water-borne transportation had caused him to rely almost exclusively on his pitifully few airplanes, and he was, necessarily, in a most receptive mood. He promptly informed the War Department that he would like one engineer amphibian brigade immediately, to be followed in 1943 by a second one. The War Department, therefore, reduced the number of brigades to be created by the Engineer Amphibian Command to three.
Thus, the Navy's campaign to keep the Army out of the boat business succeeded to the extent that the amphibians in the European theater were henceforth to be nothing more than shore party engineers, while in the portion of the Pacific under Admiral Nimitz's control there would be no specialized amphibian engineers at all. Only in the Southwest Pacific were the amphibian engineers to be given a chance to operate in the manner originally contemplated in the dark days of May, 1942.
FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links
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TOPICS: VetsCoR
KEYWORDS: amphibiancommand; engineers; esbs; freeperfoxhole; samsdayoff; usarmy; veterans
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To: radu
Hi Radu! You and carpet cleaners!! Hope your feeling better and didn't lay yourself up too bad.
101
posted on
02/20/2004 9:09:26 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(Contrary to popular belief Hamas has nothing to do with ham. If you throw ham at them they get angry)
To: CholeraJoe
'Cept for my cousin. She's off limits anyhow. I may be from Alabama but she's not.ROFLOL!
To: Professional Engineer
Hey! I remember those baseball caps. Thanks for the pictures PE.
103
posted on
02/20/2004 9:11:30 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(Contrary to popular belief Hamas has nothing to do with ham. If you throw ham at them they get angry)
To: radu
*HUGS* Doo, take care now.
104
posted on
02/20/2004 9:12:05 PM PST
by
Soaring Feather
(~ I do Poetry and party among the stars~)
To: Professional Engineer; snippy_about_it
![](http://images5.fotki.com/v61/photos/1/133612/504192/YoungSaminVietnam-vi.jpg)
Obligatory "Weapon shot" photo. (1969)
105
posted on
02/20/2004 9:18:57 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(Contrary to popular belief Hamas has nothing to do with ham. If you throw ham at them they get angry)
To: SAMWolf
*giggle* My Dad always said I was too stubborn for my own good and I guess the proof is in the puddin'.
These darned carpets get so dirty, though, with all these cats plus us tracking stuff in. I can't help but clean them twice a year. Can't stand them otherwise.
NEXT time, I'm gonna have to make Hubby Dear do it, though. This time did a bang-up number on my back. I don't know how long I'll be able to sit but, dang, I can't stand being laid up. Too used to being on the move and I'm going stir crazy these days. Things need to be done and are piling up.
And worse, I've gotten waaaaay behind here at FR! So much news about the troops overseas to catch up on!!!!!
106
posted on
02/20/2004 9:24:00 PM PST
by
radu
(May God watch over our troops and keep them safe)
To: SAMWolf
You're very welcome. The picture of the wall is different. I didn't intend to be visible in the reflection, it just happened. That somehow adds to it. Being there (1992) was very powerful emotionally. Looking at this photo brings it back every time.
To: radu
Yeah, being im mobile drives me up a wall. I thought husbands were supposed to do carpeting?
108
posted on
02/20/2004 9:26:04 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(Contrary to popular belief Hamas has nothing to do with ham. If you throw ham at them they get angry)
To: SAMWolf; CholeraJoe; Professional Engineer
Well it's about time we started posting pictures of MEN in here!!! I've had enough of those bicycle babes.
You guys are cuties!![](http://images5.fotki.com/v53/photos/1/133612/504192/heartbeat-vi.gif)
109
posted on
02/20/2004 9:26:07 PM PST
by
snippy_about_it
(Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
To: SAMWolf
Durn, look at that skinny "kid". I wish I had some like this of me.
To: Professional Engineer
Someday I'll get to The Wall.
111
posted on
02/20/2004 9:27:14 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(Contrary to popular belief Hamas has nothing to do with ham. If you throw ham at them they get angry)
To: snippy_about_it; Professional Engineer; CholeraJoe
Must be talking about you two. :-)
112
posted on
02/20/2004 9:28:16 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(Contrary to popular belief Hamas has nothing to do with ham. If you throw ham at them they get angry)
To: Professional Engineer
oops
The picture of The Wall is different.
To: Professional Engineer
Funny thing is I gained weight in the Army. I was about 10 lbs heavier after basic than when I enlisted. Someday, I'll have to scan some more of my photos.
114
posted on
02/20/2004 9:30:41 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(Contrary to popular belief Hamas has nothing to do with ham. If you throw ham at them they get angry)
To: snippy_about_it
Oh garsh, now I'm gonna turn all red and stuff.
To: Professional Engineer
LOL. Here ya go. You can borrow Sam's blushing face.
116
posted on
02/20/2004 9:40:08 PM PST
by
snippy_about_it
(Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
To: snippy_about_it
LOL thanks.
To: SAMWolf
Shoooo, the housework is all in my hands. Hubby has more than enough to keep him busy with other things around here. But come fall and spring, he's just gonna have to make a little time to wrestle with the carpet cleaner from now on. It's obvious my back has deteriorated more than I realized. I'm a bit concerned this time....in the past it was just an inconvenience. This time, I'm a little scared.
Like you, I don't like being immobile. Too much energy to burn off.
Plus, I'm at the mercy of all these cats! I keep finding myself buried underneath several of the lil boogers! LOL! I know they're just trying to "take care of Mommy, make her feel better" but it's hard to breathe with them piled on top of me. ROTFLOL!
118
posted on
02/20/2004 9:50:28 PM PST
by
radu
(May God watch over our troops and keep them safe)
To: PhilDragoo
BTTT!!!!!
119
posted on
02/21/2004 3:07:02 AM PST
by
E.G.C.
To: PhilDragoo
Ted Kennedy's defective DUKW! ROTFLMAO!
120
posted on
02/21/2004 12:49:28 PM PST
by
colorado tanker
("There are but two parties now, Traitors and Patriots")
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