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Post by connie on Jul 25, 2009 9:09:12 GMT -5
As the war in Europe ended, Americans were still very much engaged in war elsewhere. Those who remained in the 106th were being prepared to move to another Theater of Operation. (I know there was also some Army of Occupation Duty. I don't know if these two duties overlapped or not.) Any memories on these preparations...?
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roger
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Post by roger on Jul 29, 2009 12:41:58 GMT -5
When my father's unit (6951 OH Guard (Prov) Bn) that was attached to the 106th at PWTE A-1 (Remagen) immediately following VE Day was no longer needed (45 Jul) and deactivated, he was assigned to the 69th Amphibian Tractor Bn at Ettersberg. This unit was formed from the 69th Tank Bn (formerly part of the 6th Armored Div). The new unit was training and staging for invasion of Japan.
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Post by connie on Jul 30, 2009 9:06:19 GMT -5
Roger,
You noted that after Prisoner of War Temporary Enclosure Duty assignment for your father was over, he was assigned to a unit (Preparing for the Invasion of Japan) that "was formed from the 69th Tank Bn (formerly part of the 6th Armored Div)." Was this former part of the 6th Armored Division at this time also assigned to the 106th Division or to some other division?
Whatever the case, the fact that he also was preparing for the invasion of Japan is of interest to me. I never realized until I began reading my father's letters that, after surviving the Battle of the Bulge and other hazards in the ETO, VE Day did not bring hope for all of these men for a lasting end to their involvement in combat.
Connie
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Post by floydragsdale on Jul 31, 2009 11:05:51 GMT -5
Hello Connie:
In late July (I believe) we were relieved from our job of guarding P.O.W.'s at Bingen, on the Lahn River in Germany. We (the 106th Div.) were shipped to Camp Lucky Strike, in France and were being prosessed for Shipment to the States. Everyone in the Div. was to get a 30 day furlough & then the Div. was to be shipped to the Pacific for the invasion of Japan.
At this point I was transferred to another out-fit who was being prepared for shipment direct to the Pacific Theater of operations. We were within one Day of boarding ship for the Pacific War Zone when the first "A" bomb was dropped on Japan. Then all shipments were froze. Japan surrendered a few weeks later.
I served seven more months in Europe before going back to the States.
That is another story and a part of Army Politics.
Floyd
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roger
Active Member
Posts: 134
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Post by roger on Aug 5, 2009 21:34:03 GMT -5
Connie
I don't think the 69th Tank Bn was attached to the 106th although you raise a good question. In looking at listings of 106th composite units and detachments/attachments I have never seen it noted. I am sure that Carl or Jim could answer the question.
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Carl W.
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The Golden Lions
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Post by Carl W. on Aug 6, 2009 10:22:41 GMT -5
I think most of these late war reassignments were due to the fact that many of the men did not have a sufficient number of points to be discharged (85 were necessary). The point system became very important to alot of people after VE day in May 1945. Many troops having survived the battles in Europe now faced the prospect of being shipped to the Pacific since the war there was still going on. US fighter and bomber crews also had their own rotation system based on number of combat missions (for the B-17's usually it was 25 missions an you were home free if you survived. The odds of surviving 25 missions however, were not very high.
The 69th Tractor Bn was not an attached unit of the 106th. I believe these were units that manned the tracked landing craft used preferably by Marine units. In 1945 after VE-Day many enlisted men and officers would be transferring to other units and divisions that were still engaged in combat or that were planning to be sent to a combat zone.
Carl
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