World War II

The 23d Engineers in World War II

The following is excerpted from "Spearhead in the West" with minor editorial changes

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The 23d Armored Engineer Battalion reactivated on 15 April 1941 at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana with the 3d Armored Division.  Cadres were made up of 28 officers and 729 enlisted men from the 17th Engineer Battalion of the 2d Armored Division.  Major Fremont S. Tandy was the first commanding officer.

The 23d trained at Camp Beauregard and Camp Polk, Louisiana; at the Desert Training Center, California; Camp Pickett, Virginia; and Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, before sailing for Europe early in September 1943.  Upon arrival in the United Kingdom, the battalion was stationed at Fonthill Bishop, Wiltshire, England, and took part in extensive maneuvers over Salisbury Plain, and along the coast.My Image File

Lt. Colonel Lawrence G. Foster led the 23d Armored Engineer Battalion through all five campaigns in the west.  He and  his troops went ashore on Omaha Beach on 23 June 1944.  The hedgerows of Normandy presented an immediate problem.  Some method had to be devised to get tanks through or over these formidable embankments.  After blasting passages with TNT at bloody Villiers Fossard and Haut Vents, Foster's men invented a double blade hedge cutter which was attached to the division's Sherman tanks by maintenance crews.  These proved to be successful.

My Image File The battalion's first big combat bridging operation was carried out near Corbeil, France when 540 feet of treadway were thrown across the Seine River.  After the Seine, the engineers bridged the Marne, Aisne, and a number of other streams which paved the division's march into Belgium.  At Mons, they exchanged shovels for machineguns and declared a Roman holiday by mowing down disorganized enemy columns trying to break out of encirclement.  Two bridges at Namur, one across the Meuse, and one spanning the Sambre Canal, were built under hazardous cirMy Image Filecumstances.

Working under vicious mortar, artillery, and sniper fire, men of the 23d mastered the dragon's teeth of the Siegfried  Line, lifted thousands of mines, destroyed pillboxes, and cleared road blocks.  During the Ardennes fighting [Battle of the Bulge], units of the battalion aided in the successful defense of Lierneux, Cherain, and Sterpigny.  The normally hazardous work of lifting mines was made more difficult by severe cold and snow which prevailed during the period.

My Image File Back in the Rheinland, then engineers constructed four bridges across the Erft River and Canal under observed enemy artillery, mortar, and small arms fire.  In the final great offensive, the bridge company also aided an engineer group in the bridging of the Rhein near Bonn.  The battalion's last operation, the bridging of Mulde River, was abandoned by army order.  The 23d came of out the line with reason to feel that its combat record added much to the proud history of the original "Road Builders of the AEF."

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23rd Engineers Soldiers who Gave Their Lives in World War II

 

Name Rank Date Kill inction Serial Number
Anderson, Raymond C.  CPL 8/12/1944 3709624  Buried at: Plot C Row 12 Grave 10
Brittany American Cemetery
St. James, France
Anger, Duane F. Pvt 8/5 1944 36404241
Athorne, Albert R. Pvt 1/16/1945 31440063 Buried at: Plot F Row 10 Grave 70
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery
Henri-Chapelle, Belgium
Bacon, William E. 1LT 9/17/1944 0456491 Buried at: Plot E Row 15 Grave 23
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery
Henri-Chapelle, Belgium
Beaty, James F. Pvt 8/8/1944 33540656 Buried at: Plot F Row 16 Grave 2
Brittany American Cemetery
St. James, France
Bellis, Andrew D Pvt 7/15/1944 36397354
Bellomy, Everett Cpl 11/3/1944 35264666
Bezubick, Anthony J. Sgt 12/16/1944 33139502
Blake, Lewis E.  Pfc 8/8/1944 38042384
Bornemann, Albert L. Jr Pfc 4/14/1945 37130130
Botts, Earnest E. Pfc 9/3/1944 38072099 Buried at: Plot E Row 14 Grave 16
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery
Henri-Chapelle, Belgium
Bowling, Maxwell S. Sgt 8/14/1944 37120292 Buried at: Plot C Row 10 Grave 12
Brittany American Cemetery
St. James, France
Breedlove, Edward G. Pfc 8/2/1944 34195417
Brown, Charles A. Pfc 7/9/1944 36327188 Buried at: Plot G Row 8 Grave 32
Normandy American Cemetery
Colleville-sur-Mer, France
Callahan, Joseph B. Pvt 4/14/1945 36645449
Canavan, Fredrick J. Pfc 11/17/1944 31064613
Carlson, Norris D. Pvt 9/14/ 1944 36397234
Contreras, Richard E. Pvt 4/14/1945 39562844
Cook, Felix Pvt 7/30/1944 33328524
Crossland, Charles Pvt 12/28/1944 32196502
Davis, Harold N. 1Lt 4/15/1945 01107385 Buried at: Plot I Row 2 Grave 6
Netherlands American Cemetery
Margraten, Netherlands
Day, Harold J. Pvt 12/25/1944 33706708 Buried at: Plot G Row 4 Grave 58
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery
Henri-Chapelle, Belgium
De Perro, Albert A. Tec 5 3/3/1945 36118161
Dondelinger, Floyd W. Pvt 1/13/1945 39467652
Dunham, Robert L. Pfc 8/17/1944 33064796 Buried at: Plot H Row 15 Grave 71
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery
Henri-Chapelle, Belgium
Esgueda, Joe L. Pfc 8/17/1944 38032630
Falls, Max E. Cpl 4/14/1945 36023654 Buried at: Plot K Row 4 Grave 9
Netherlands American Cemetery
Margraten, Netherland
Fiedler, Paul C. Pvt 12/21/1944 36579148 Buried at: Plot F Row 15 Grave 65
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery
Henri-Chapelle, Belgium
Goff, Ivan P. Sgt 8/15/1944 36037125 Buried at: Plot X Row 99 Grave 999
Brittany American Cemetery
St. James, France
Gossau, Edward J. Pfc 9/3/1944 36036986 Buried at: Plot A Row 29 Grave 47
Epinal American Cemetery
Epinal, France
Gottlob, John H. Pfc 9/4/1944 37120534 Buried at: Plot E Row 14 Grave 37
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery
Henri-Chapelle, Belgium
Green, Marshall H. Sgt 10/8/1944 38072629
Gunderson, James L. Pvt 1/18/1945 37655650 Buried at: Plot C Row 11 Grave 29
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery
Henri-Chapelle, Belgium
Hardy, Gordon B. Pvt 6/29/1944 14019083 Buried at: Plot C Row 30 Grave 17
Ardennes American Cemetery
Neupre, Belgium
Hearn, Stafford G. Pvt 8/11/1944 35104487 
Henagan, Edwin C. 2LT 4/15/1945 01996490
Howard, Harold W. Sgt 6/29/1944 37119826
Jantac, Anthony V. Tec5   36039244 Buried at: Plot B Row 13 Grave 18
Netherlands American Cemetery
Margraten, Netherlands
Johnson, Walter G. Sgt 9/11/1944 33264918 Buried at: Plot E Row 15 Grave 37
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery
Henri-Chapelle, Belgium
Jones, Lonnie W. Pvt   14032319
Kagy, Kenneth H. Pfc 9/21/1944 15075248 Buried at: Plot E Row 14 Grave 58
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery
Henri-Chapelle, Belgium
Kee, Darrell G. Cpl   35266039 Buried at: Plot E Row 16 Grave 13
Brittany American Cemetery
St. James, France
Lewis, John D. Cpl   38056910
Linder, Clarence L. Sgt   38043556
Lutz, Charles E. 1LT   01101097
McBride, Richard J. Pvt   36327098
McCullough, Robert C Pvt 8/8/1944 36397293 Buried at: Plot A Row 7 Grave 8
Brittany American Cemetery
St. James, France
Miller, Clarence H Pfc   37132351 
Miller, Leroy  Pfc   36024216
Muirhead, Rufus R. Pvt 28/12/1944 34637086 Missing in Action or Buried at Sea
Tablets of the Missing at Ardennes American Cemetery
Neupre, Belgium
Mussatto, James J. Pvt   36327197
Neville, Dennis P. Cpl   36647062
Norton, Robert E. Pfc 12/23/1944 36155569 Buried at: Plot D Row 12 Grave 55
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery
Henri-Chapelle, Belgium
Odachowski, Thaddeus Pfc   36036675
Olson, Raymond W. Sgt   37095241
Oneil, James J. Pvt   35273864
Palmatier, Issac pvt   32316831
Peterson, Lloyd M. Pfc 14/4/1945 37032667 Buried at: Plot M Row 20 Grave 12
Netherlands American Cemetery
Margraten, Netherlands
Pezzotti, Joseph A. Pfc   32690012
Popovich, John Sgt   37353907
Randall, Delno E. Pvt 9/11/1944 39205505 Buried at: Plot H Row 9 Grave 55
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery
Henri-Chapelle, Belgium
Randolph, John W. Cpl 29/6/1944 35275038 Buried at: Plot E Row 14 Grave 3
Normandy American Cemetery
Colleville-sur-Mer, France
Reinhart, Andrew F. Pfc   35274251
Romeo, William A. Pvt 2/8/1944 35273849 Buried at: Plot F Row 11 Grave 6
Brittany American Cemetery
St. James, France
Rosenthal, Rudolf S. Sgt 9/23/1944 36010945 Buried at: Plot H Row 10 Grave 30
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery
Henri-Chapelle, Belgium
Rutledge, Dayton E. Pvt   38032181
Scally, Marvin E. Pvt 16-4/1944 34796046 Buried at: Plot K Row 7 Grave 16
Netherlands American Cemetery
Margraten, Netherlands
Schimmer, Alfred J. PVT 18/4/1944 37120054
Schultz, Joseph F. sgt   36327275
Sedlowsky, Frank E. Pvt 18/8 1944 13057541 Buried at: Plot E Row 8 Grave 13
Brittany American Cemetery
St. James, France
Shields, John E. Cpl   32233576
Siek, Glenwood R. Pvt 29/6/1944  37264635 Buried at: Plot J Row 3 Grave 21
Normandy American Cemetery
Colleville-sur-Mer, France
Smith, Hallie B. jr Pfc   38445246 
Spore, Charles C. 1LT   01107146
Stohs, Edgar H. Pfc 9/24/1944 36326949 Buried at: Plot E Row 5 Grave 28
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery
Henri-Chapelle, Belgium
Stokes, Elwood G. Pfc   36054148
Stucker, David R. Tec5   37059860
Szymanski, Victor E. Pfc   36171989
Tome, Lloyd W. Tec4 4/24/1945 36212593
Turula, Victor S. Sgt 8/8/1944 37032176 Buried at: Plot F Row 14 Grave 15
Brittany American Cemetery
St. James, France
Wagner, William A. Pfc 6/30/1944 32235763
Wells, Vernon F. Pfc 7/27/1944 37004343
Zuver, Lawrence A. Pvt 8/17/ 1944 36157403