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Post by riley on Jan 19, 2012 17:01:48 GMT -5
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Post by connie on Jan 23, 2012 12:04:57 GMT -5
Hi, Again, welcome to the site and best wishes on your search. Please keep us posted on what you learn and on your questions. As you have already discovered, there are several members of this site with connection to the engineering battalion. If you look at the Site Soldier Index and focus on the listings under 81st Engineering Battalion you can find links to several of their posts: 106thdivision.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=index&thread=423&page=1 I believe that Jim West has posted group photos from Camp Atterbury on the Indiana Military Site. I'll check on the link. Be warned that some of these are not clear and some members of the units are missing because of the timing (before they joined the unit; on leave, etc.) Connie |
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Post by Jim West - Indiana Military Or on Jan 23, 2012 13:56:53 GMT -5
I have added him to the 106th Roster at tinyurl.com/106th-Roster Please take a look and if you can fill in any of the blanks, please let me know. Jim West IndianaMilitary@centurylink.net |
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Post by riley on Jan 23, 2012 22:11:56 GMT -5
Wow, you guys are great!! Thanks so much for helping me out and adding him to the roster. However, today I visited my mothers and grabbed all his V-mail (40 or so letters, ranging from 1942 to 1945). Now, I based all my original research on his official discharge papers which stated he was A Company, 81st Engineers. While looking closer at his letters I noticed the return address was to the 33rd Assault Engineer Battalion, 7th Armored Division. Today I spent a couple hours (definitely not complete) researching this battalion and it seems he may have been a relief force for the battle of St Vith and the 106th. So to be honest I really don't know exactly what battalion he was fighting with. I know individuals were frequently moved around between battalions, so it looks like I will need to read some more of the letters to really figure out where he was. Below, I posted a picture of the letter he wrote on January 1st, 1945. I figured most of you would like to read it since he was either with, or very near the 106th. He discusses being very cold and spending the holidays hunkered down in a house with kids and how some sort of plane that looks like a flying cross with flames. I will post more as I read them and if anyone has any particular time periods they would like me to look into to see what he had to say let me know. Keep in mind he couldn't disclose his exact locations or exactly what was going on. If you need help reading his writing let me know. Page 1 Part 1  Page 1 Part 2  Page 2 Part 1  Page 2 Part 2  Uploaded with ImageShack.us |
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Post by Diana E on Jan 25, 2012 8:14:58 GMT -5
Riley--Thank you for your effort in posting those images. It is so interesting to read letters to home. Someone with more knowledge, please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the 7th armored division was in the tank battle at Poteau (less than 5 mi. northwest of St. Vith.) He writes that they had "plenty of everything," which fits with what I'd read about the 7th. That division was sent to back up the 106th in the St. Vith area, but before heading to that area, the 7th stocked up on what they would need. I assume that means that along with stocks of food and ammunition, they had proper camouflage and winter clothing. The Ardennen Poteau '44 Museum www.museum-poteau44.be/ has done a fantastic job of preserving the history of the battle there. I posted a slide show from that museum in the travel section of this board if that is of interest to you. Link: 106thdivision.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=travel&thread=385&page=1#1280 |
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Carl W.
Active Member
Administrator
The Golden Lions
Posts: 265
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Post by Carl W. on Jan 25, 2012 16:06:52 GMT -5
Hi Riley,
My guess is that your dad was transferred to the 81st late in the war, after serving combat duty with the engineers of the 7th Armored.
I always like what the GI's wrote home about in their V-mails. They couldn't really disclose much about their activity so they talked about normal everyday things. Like POW's wrote a lot about food in their secret diaries.
Greetings
Carl
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