81st Engineer Btn. Notes

[connie]

Hopefully, those interested in talking about things related to the history of the 81st Engineer Battalion will do so in responses on this thread. The first post will contain links to 81st Engineer Battalion info on this board and elsewhere.

Additional Info on 81st Engineer Battalion
Site Soldier Index to men from this Battalion mentioned on this site:
106thdivision.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=index&action=display&thread=423

History on Indiana Military Site:
www.indianamilitary.org/106ID/Publications/CubInReview/04-UnitHistory.htm#81st_Combat_Engineers
Colonel Thomas Riggs and unit: www.indianamilitary.org/German%20PW%20Camps/Prisoner%20of%20War/PW%20Camps/Unknown%20Camp/Thomas%20Riggs/Riggs-Thomas.pdf

Wikipedia History below is a quote from the 106th Division entry en.wikipedia.org/wiki/106th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)
After the surrender of the 422 and 4234d Infantry Regiments..."The rest of the Division, reinforced by the 112th Infantry Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division, withdrew over the Our River, and joined other units at Saint Vith. Along with the city of Bastogne to the south, St. Vith was a road and rail junction city considered vital to the German goal of breaking through Allied lines to split American and British forces and reach the Belgian port city of Antwerp. A scratch force of 106th Division personnel, in particular the division's 81st Engineer Combat Battalion, was organized and led by the 81st's 28-year-old commanding officer, Lt. Col. Thomas Riggs, in a five-day holding action (17–21 December) on a thin ridge line a mile outside St. Vith, against German forces vastly superior in numbers and armament (only a few hundred combat-green Americans against many thousands of veteran Germans). For this heroic stand, the 81st Engineer Combat Battalion was later awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for gallantry."

Engineers in the Battle of the Bulge by Baldwin:
140.194.76.129/publications/eng-pamphlets/ep870-1-42/c-7-4.pdf

Discussion Board Posts:
Some C company history recounted by Carl can be found on this thread: 106thdivision.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=other&thread=563&page=1

Photos a photo of 81 C is found on this discussion board: 106thdivision.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=photos&action=display&thread=714

[Diana E]

I'll be interested in anything that comes up on this thread. My grandpa was in this battalion.

[Diana E]

In the travel section of this board I posted several videos from my trip to the Ardennes in 2008. But this video is specific to the 81st. At Henri Chapelle Cemetery I visited the grave of each member of the 81st who rests there. I also took a picture of the wall of missing soldiers, where one member of the 81st is listed.

[connie]

Diana,

Thanks for adding this to this spot. I viewed the video and added a the names you showed on headstones and monument to the Site Soldier index with a link here.

I have some questions on the 81st Engineer locations/ units that I need to research-- unless you or others know.

I know that some of the engineers (headquarters?) were located in Heuem, just west of Schönberg at the time the Bulge broke out. Others, I believe, were in Schönberg itself. And there may have been other locations (??) Do you know which of the units within the 81st were where on December 16, 1944?

PS- VIDEO ACCESS NOTE: Some copyright considerations caused Diana to mute the above attached video. However, today when I first tried to access that video I had difficulties. Then, after fiddling I found myself on the YouTube page with her original copy. This one had music. Here's the link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfIEoJHTPXU&feature=relmfu

[Diana E]

Connie--Thanks for linking to the index. I hadn't thought of that. As for where different units of the 81st were located during the battle, my recollection is similar to yours, as to Heuem and Schonberg. But I know I've read more specific information here and there. I'm still reading "Hell Frozen Over," and I think there was quite a bit of location detail in the book that I could have noted at the time. I'll take a pass back through that part of the book when I've finished reading it through the first time.

[Carl W.]

Connie,

There was a company of engineers with each of the regiments. C-Co of the 81st received the PUC for participation in the St Vith defense action. HQ was at Heuem, there was a company at Auw in support of the 422nd, one in Schönberg with the 423rd and one further South with the 424th, probably in and around Winterspelt-Heckhuscheid. Can't recall the exact town right now.

Greetings (from a long absent)
Carl