51st Engineer Combat Battalion (United States)

The 51st Engineer Combat Battalion, formally 1st Battalion, 51st Engineer Combat Regiment, was an Engineer Combat Battalion of the United States Army during WWII.

Formation and history

13 June 1942 - Activation of 1st Battalion, 51st Engineer Combat Regiment

On 13 June 1942 the 1st Battalion, 51st Engineer Combat Regiment was activated in Camp Bowie, Texas.

18 March 1943 - Reorganization of 51st ECR to 1111th ECG, and the 1st Battalion into the 51st ECB

On 18 March 1943 the 51st Engineer Combat Group was reorganized into the 1111th Engineer Combat Group, which was put under the command of Colonel Harry Wallis Anderson. 1st Battalion was also reorganized now as the 51st Engineer Combat Battalion, and put under the command of Captain Robert Brooks Yates.

The new 51st spent their time in March 1943 at Macomb Reservation State Park, nearby Plattsburgh, New York, apparently the reservation being a cold barren post. At the reservation the 51st learned how to build a dismantle tactical military bridges. They would combine H-10 grade steel bridge and wooden trestle over the Salmon River at nighttime, and then the next day recover the bridge. On the frozen Lake Champlain they also conducted pontoon exercises, building a 30ft high timber trestle bridge.

April 1943 - Stay in New York

In the month of April the Battalion stayed in New York City. Throughout the month they lived in pup tents as well as put up pontoon bridges across newly thawed lakes. The members of the battalion, along with bridge construction, at the platoon, company, and the battalion level itself conducted combined training exercices. They practiced combat firing, attacking a fortified position/area, city combat, laying and removing mines, as well as road construction.

September 1943 - End of training, moving towards service overseas

In September, the battalion transported by train at the maneuver area of XIII Corps which was near Elkins, West Virginia. There they participated in a ten day exercise, activities including road, landing strip, and a Bailey bridge construction.

October 1943 - At Fort Dix

In October, in order to prepare going overseas, the battalion moved to Fort Dix, New Jersey. The organizational equipment of the battalion went to the Los Angeles Port of Embarkation. The troops went to Hampton Roads, Virginia to begin shipping out. While they were out at sea, the battalion received orders to ship to the Mediterranean Base Section, Oran, Algeria, for transshipment to India.

5 December 1943 - Debarkation in Oran

On 5 December the battalion debarked in Oran. However their equipment had not arrived yet as it was still being shipped from Los Angeles to Asia, and so they received an unscheduled break in training.

5 December 1943 to 12 January 1944 - Waiting for their equipment

While they waited in North Africa, due to change in Allied plans, instead of going to India, the 51st was chosen to go to England to participate in the invasion of Europe. At this time they would have moved towards Casablanca, Morroco.

12 January 1944 - Leaving Casablanca

On 12 January 1944 the battalion left Casablanca and began their journey to Liverpool.

20 January 1944 - Arriving in Liverpool

After an eight day journey the battalion arrived in Liverpool on 20 January.

20 January to 19 June 1944 - Time in England

For the next five months the unit spent their time in England. They were assigned to First United States Army under General Bradley. They resumed training, consisting of combined and specialist activities, including bridge, Bailey and fixed bridge, and road construction, mines and minefields, explosives and demolitions, and night operations.

19 June 1944 - Boarding ships to cross the channel

On 19 June 1944 the 51st loaded onto three separate Liberty ships to wait to cross the English Channel into Normandy.

26 June 1944 - Crossing the channel

After the members of the battalion waited for a week, they finally crossed the channel in their ships, and landed in Normandy, probably 26 June (seven days after).

26 June to October 1944 - Helping First Army

During the next four months the 51st would participate in providing combat engineer support for First Army. They mostly worked on road repair and maintenance, mine clearing, engineer reconnaissance, and water supply. At the same time the battalion suffered a total of six wounded from an exploding stray artillery shells and a German plane strafing.

4 September 1944 - Moving to Soissons near Paris

On 4 September the 51st moved 152 miles from the Chartres area west of Paris to near Soissons northeast of Paris due to the rapid German retreat in which they destroyed bridges and culverts as well as cratering roads. The battalion now started mainly doing bridge and culvert construction instead of road maintenance and repair, in the process replacing Bailey bridges and other temporary bridges for reuse in forward areas.

17 September 1944 - Moving towards Germany

On 17 September , the battalion moved 110 miles east of Soissons towards Germany, almost to the Luxembourgish border. They started building bridges there.

1 October 1944 - Moving to Malmedy, Belgium

After two weeks of building bridges new Luxembourg, the battalion was moved to Malmedy, Belgium, where they began keeping busy with themselves training as infantry.

22 October to December 1944 - Sitting in the Ardennes sector operating sawmills for First Army

After having trained as infantry for three weeks, for two months the battalion began operating 30 sawmills throughout the Ardennes sector in order to produce lumber for constructing winter quarters for the troops of the First United States Army.

14 December 1944 - Major Yates returns from the hospital

After having been in the hospital for several months, the easygoing Major Yates, now the 51st's executive officer, returned to the battalion.

15 December 1944 - Lieutenant Colonel Harvey Fraser assumed command

A day after Yates returned, Lieutenant Colonel Harvey Reed Fraser assumed command of the 51st. Due to being six years out of the Military Academy, the peripatetic man became known as "Hurry Up Harvey" soon after.

22 October to December 1944 - Sitting in the Ardennes sector and operating sawmills

For two months before 16 December 1944, therefore during October and November 1944, the 51st ECB had been operating 30 sawmills throughout the Ardennes sector in order to produce lumber for constructing winter quarters for the troops of the First United States Army.

16 December 1944 - The Germans attack

On 16 December the Germans attacked. Since the 51st was now being thrown onto the front lines unintentionally, facing German armor and infantry attacks. They had to move from producing lumber from their 30 sawmills to quickly start putting up roadblocks, mining and destroying bridges, among other things they could do for the 25 mile front to stall the German advance, waiting in the meantime for stronger and better forces to relieve them.

Bibliography

Hechler, Ken. Holding the Line: The 51st Engineer Combat Battalion and the Battle of the Bulge December 1944 - January 1945 (PDF) (Reprint 1988 ed.). Fort Belvoir, Virginia: United States Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 November 2023.