29th Quartermaster Company, 29th Infantry Division (United States)

29th Infantry Division
Divisional patch of the 29th Infantry Division, which the members of the 29th Quartermaster Company would have worn
Country	United States
Branch	National Guard of the United States

The Quartermaster Company of the 29th Infantry Division was the quartermaster company of the 29th during WWII. It is known to have served the 29th on D-Day in June 1944, and would have served the unit until the end of the war.

World War One

18 July 1917 - Possible constitution of the company with the 29th Division

The Quartermaster Company was possibly created during the 29th Division's creation during WWI. This would have happened on 18 July 1917.

World War Two

1 June 1944

On 1 June the Company boarded onto some LSTs from some Hards nearby Plymouth and the Helford River, near Falmouth, Cornwall, in England. The company then prepared for the coming invasion of France. After that was done the equipment and members of the 29th Quartermaster loaded onto eleven different craft possibly by trucks. Some of the trucks were loaded with around 33000 C and K-rations, some grease, oil, kerosene, gasoline, and diesel oil, which were for the divisional reserve. Blanket rolls were loaded into some of the trucks for the 175th Infantry Regiment. Division Reserve Office supplies, Division Forward Echelon equipment, Division Finance Equipment, and Division Reserve Cl II (clothing and equipment) were loaded onto the trucks as well as Yukon pack boards, American Red Cross Comfort articles, Cleaning and Preserving Supplies, graves registration and burial impediments, Ordnance impediments, and finally the equipment for the Quartermaster Company and the Office of Division Quartermaster.

All of the groups of the company were scheduled to land on either the first or second waves of the landings.

6 June 1944

This day was the beginning of Operation Neptune for the 29th Division. All the groups that were scheduled to land on the first or second waves had arrived off-shore on time for this. The first members from the Quartermaster Company to land were 2nd Lieutenant Robert Rosenberg as well as three other enlisted men (the names of which aren't known), all four of which were attached to the 116th Infantry Combat Team. The four got on a 4×4 C&R (weighing 1/4 tons) truck and would have landed either on the first or second waves at Omaha at their originally scheduled time as representatives of the Division Quartermaster as well as to conduct reconnaissance for the Division Quartermaster and the Company itself.

The other groups however were left waiting off-shore due to an insufficient amount of ferries. Due to the nature of the cargoes and weight, were top-side loaded on the ships, and therefore were around 1000 yards (914.4m) off-shore and so were being exposed to enemy shell fire and bombing attacks.

7 June 1944

Morning

Captain Charles V. Moore along with three men of enlisted rank, would have gotten onto a 1/4 ton 4×4 C&R and a 2½ ton 6×6 cargo truck. The cargo truck was loaded with the Grave Registration Service impediments. They would have been waiting along with the other groups offshore Omaha beach for ferries to land, as there wasn't many available to transport all of them. This morning they landed past their scheduled time of the first or second waves of the previous day (would have landed on Omaha). They were to conduct reconnaissance for a cemetery, and were liason to the 115th Infantry Combat Team.

Around 2000

At around 2000 Captain Hines Jr was at the head of three sections of fourty-three enlisted men in total which in total of fifteen 2½ ton 6×6 cargo trucks with trailers and one ¼ ton 4×4 C&R. The one 4×4 could be interpreted as being the lead vehicle which possibly had Captain Hines Jr in it. The first section was under Staff Sergeant Harrington and consisted of four 6×6 cargo trucks with trailers. The second was under Sergeant Woody, and the third consisted of over half the group. Like the rest of the groups they would have been waiting off-shore for a ferry to land.

At around this time the first section under Harrington went ashore Omaha. The LCT ferry grounded on a sand bar, and the four trucks with trailers tried to reach the shore in water that was too deep. One of the trucks was lost with all its cargo during this process and no one died. The other three were able to make it to shore.

Around 2300

The second section under Sergeant Woody went ashore Omaha at around this time.

Approximately 0000 June 7 to 8

Nine enlisted men along with Captain Hansel E. York, got onto a ¼ ton 4×4 C&R, and four 2½ ton 6×6 cargo trucks each with 1 ton trailers. the trailers were loaded with the Division Forward Echelon Command Post equipment along with cleaning and preserving materials. Like the rest of the groups, they would have been waiting off-shore after their scheduled landing over a day prior in the first or second wave. At around midnight 7 June, one day after D-Day, they landed presumably on Omaha.

8 June 1944

Around 0800

The third section, consisting of over half the trucks with trailers, reached the shores of Omaha beach at around 0800.

Early

Major William D. Putnam, the Division Quartermaster, was unable to get ferry service for his entire group. Given this, it is probable that Major Putnam was the one at the head of third section.

Between 0800 and 1100

Sometime before 1100 Lt Rosenberg, who would have been notified that the tanks of the Tank Battalion attached to and fighting with the 115th and 116th Infantry Regiments were in urgent need of gasoline at the time, sent a dispatch of two trucks and trailers loaded with gasoline headed by Captain Moore to the Tank Battalion.

Around 1100 - Setting up of bivouac on Omaha beachhead

The three sections were able to regroup by around 1100 (exactly which section Captain Hines landed with isn't known) 1½ miles inland from the beach south of Vierville-sur-Mer and were able to set up the 29th Quartermaster Company's bivouac, which was 3/4 of a mile from the frontline infantry. It intermittently sustained strafing and bombing attacks from German planes.

Between around 1100 to 0000

Immediately when the bivouac was established Major Putnam joined the company at it. As he joined he became in charge of the Quartermaster Service of the 29th Division from the bivouac. Also immediately once the bivouac was established to the end of D+2, the company's vehicles and men delivered C and K-rations to the Infantry that was fighting the Germans.

Between 1100 8 June to early 9 June 1944

Finally after waiting for ferries to cross to the beach, the remaining groups that could immediately come in came in and joined the company at the bivouac south of Vierville between its establishment and the early morning of D+3. These men and vehicles were from the 3604 Quartermaster Truck Company and attached to the Division by V Corps. One of the groups was under 1st Lieutenant William Gniecko which included four enlisted men and one ¾ ton 4×4 Weapons Carrier. Another was under 1st Lieutenant Lofton H. Alley, who was in charge of thirty-five vehicles and forty-six enlisted men. One of the other groups was under 2nd Lieutenant William E. Graf who was in charge of twenty vehicles and fifty-five enlisted men. Another was under 2nd Lieutenant John H. Rentschler who was in charge of twelve vehicles and twelve enlisted men. .

8 to 30 June 1944

Starting on 8 June and following throughout the month, the company continued to supply each unit in the division by distribution. Two oil and gasoline distribution points were established and maintained forward, one in the Division Rear Area for Administrative vehicles and the other for the service trains.

The other three bivouacs were established by the office of the 29th Quartermaster throughout the rest of the month, with four bivouacs in total for the month.

Throughout the month the Quartermaster operated oil, gasoline, and grease distributing points, providing clothing and equipage, cleaning and preservation materials, managing personal incoming and out-going mail, unit distribution of Class I and Class II rations, providing stove parts and office supplies, hauling of artillery ammunition, assisting ordnance and signal when changing bivouac, assisting the Division Forward Echelon when changing bivouac, locating, collecting, and evacuating the dead, hauling of soldiers for the Infantry, hauling of the Division Reserve, supplying Class I, II, and III, and finally the removal and collecting of salvage from the entirety of the Division Area. Possibly given to the 29th's major engagements throughout the month, the company had continuously served to support the division ever since the first group had landed at Omaha.

11 June 1944 - second to last group to land

On 11 June, the second to last group from the company landed with a ¼ 4×4 C&R truck with a 2½ ton 6×6 cargo truck with a trailer.

18 June 1944 - Last group of the company to land

On 18 June the last group for the company comprising of 2nd Lt. William T. Nogerty along with eleven men of enlisted rank, of which they brought one 2½ ton 6×6 cargo truck with a trailer, landed and joined the rest of the company.

Late June, July, or possibly beyond, 1944

After or at the end of June, Captain Hines Jr wrote an after-action report about the actions of the 29th Quartermaster Company during D-Day and throughout the month of June.

Bibliography

1. "29th Infantry Division (United States)". WWII Archives. 23 March 2023.
2. "Frank B Hines Jr". WWII Archives. 21 April 2023.
3. https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/research/subject-guides/pdf/dday-invasion.pdf