OPERATIONS OF THE 247TH ENGINEER COMBAT BATTALION IN EUROPE

The 247th Engineer Combat Battalion was actively engaged in continuous operation against the enemy from 13 June 1944 to 25 April 1945 in France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany. The Battalion has cleared of mines and debris 35,000 miles of road, patrolled, repaired and maintained approximately 100,000 miles of road and constructed 5,842 feet of bridge.

On 7 July 1944 supporting the 30th Infantry Division in its assault crossing of the Vire River at Ariel, France, the battalion's mission of repairing the existing bridge was completed in a matter of minutes, but the construction of a new bridge at the same site in order to provide 2-way traffic soon came under apparently observed artillery fire and even though one company suffered 29 casualties, the bridge was constructed in record time.

On 27 July 1944 at the time of the St. Lo Break Through, the Battalion having been assigned the mission of building a by-pass around St. Lo moved through the outpost of the 35th Infantry Division, made its own assault crossing, captured a bridgehead, built a Bailey and a Treadway bridge and had traffic over the by-pass in 12 hours. Two days later the Battalion had completed 4 miles of new road to improve the bypass.

In a period of 68 hours, beginning the night of the 15th of August, during the development of the Falaise Pocket, the Battalion constructed 4 timber trestle bridges, one Bailey and one Treadway bridge of an average length of 41 feet each. The nearest engineer supply dump, from which all materials had to be procured was 143 miles distance, the entire Battalion and its transportation had to work night and day to accomplish this feat.

On 29 August 1944 the Battalion enlisting the help of the FFI to assist in providing tha far shore security constructed at Poissy, France, the first Heavy Ponton bridge across the Seine River north of Paris. This 590 foot reinforced Heavy Ponton bridge was constructed in only 4.5 hours. Two days later a similar bridge was constructed in 6.5 hours in the same vicinity.

Immediately upon completion of this bridge the Battalion started on the Sweep through Northern France and Belgium, clearing the roads of mines, road blocks, and debris as it went. Having started with all the gasoline it could carry the unit was able to continue its drive at full speed when the other elements of the Corps had to slow down for the lack of fuel. The Battalion drove to the Albert Canal and with the 246th Engineer Combat Battalion and two batteries of Anti-aircraft Artillery, held the line of the Albert Canal until they were relieved by armor and infantry which arrived 4 days later. As soon as they were relieved of their infantry role the unit resumed its engineering duties with one company building a 180 foot Bailey bridge over the Albert Canal and two companies building a reinforced Heavy Ponton bridge over the Maas River.

 

On the 25th of September the Battalion started constructing the longest Bailey Bridge constructed in Continental Europe, a 640 foot bridge. One Span of this bridge, the longest single span of its type known to be constructed for operational purposes, weighing 284,240 pounds, was constructed in only 36 working hours. This 190 foot Triple-Triple Bailey span still serves the people of Maastricht, Holland.

In the XIX Corps' successful attack on the penetration through tho "Siegfried Line" the Battalion supported the 30th Infantry Division, with one company supporting the 117th Infantry Regiment and one, the 119th Infantry Regiment. In the sector of the 117th Infantry Regiment, Company C installed a Treadway bridge and a Bailey bridge, both bridges were constructed over the Wurm River at Marienberg, Germany under heavy artillery and sniper fire. The attack jumped off at 1100 hours the 2nd of October and by 1830 one of the bridges had been installed with the company manning its own machine guns right at the bridge site to keep the enemy from overrunning the bridge site. By the next morning the company had installed its second bridge working all night in complete blackout under intermittent accurate artillery fire. Company B, later, relieved by Company A, was in support of the 119th Infantry Regiment in their crossing of the Wurm in the vicinity of Rimburg Castle. Here as at Marienberg, it was necessary to get the bridges of 40-ton capacity in at the earliest possible moment in order to provide tank support to the Infantry soldiers in their assault on the concrete fortifications of the Siegfried Line. The attack started here also at 1100 hours on the 2nd of October. The enemy reaction at this point was most vigorous, for a period of 45 minutes, the enemy put over a battery concentration every five seconds. The enemy had direct observation on this area until several days later when the attack forced their OP's off the high ground to the north and south of the Break Through. Attempts to install a Treadway bridge over the Wurm River near the castle during daylight were rendered impossible by enemy artillery. The bridge Was finally installed al night under heavy harassing fire from both artillery and small arms and was ready for traffic by daylight 3 October. The bridge was subsequently knocked out twice and damaged several times, but repairs were made immediately. On the 4th of October, a similar bridge was placed by the first one in order to provide two-way traffic. The enemy still had observation on the site at this time.

Without rest, the Battalion went into the line relieving the 2nd Battalion of the 116th Infantry Regiment northwest of Aachen and as the Aachen pocket was reduced it moved on to relieve the 1st Battalion of the 116th Infantry Regiment. The unit then found itself facing the concrete dragons teeth and pillboxes of the Siegfried Line.

Oh 15 October 1944, unusual to the employment of Engineers, the Battalion took the offensive against the concrete fortifications of the Siegfried Line. With two companies in line and the third company using one platoon in reserve, one demining roads and one demolishing pillboxes, the battalion attacked the Siegfried Line without previous artillery preparation. The unit moved forward 16 kilometers in 4 days of continuous fighting. Nearly all of these fortifications were taken with only small arms fire. Some were made to surrender by pouring gasoline down the ventilators and igniting it. Artillery support was held to a bare minimum due to the shortage of ammunition on the Western Front at that time. On the 22nd of October the Battalion was relieved of its Infantry role as it had driven from Kerkrade, Holland to Aachen, Germany. During this time capturing 22 concrete pillboxes and 196 prisoners, in the reduction of the Aachen Pocket. The unit then reverted to its engineering role and started making its plans for crossing the Roer River.

 

Then the Battalion was hurriedly shifted, to the northeast corner of the Bulge, created by the Ardennes offensive of the Germans. Here in the Hurtgen Forest from the 22nd of December 1944 to the 4th of February 1945 the unit constructed 4 Infantry Regimental reserve positions, 3 barrier lines across a divisional front; prepared all bridges and culverts for demolition in the 78th Infantry Division's area and destroyed 36 concrete pillboxes to prevent their being reused by the Germans in the event they were recaptured. Here during the month of January 1945 the construction of gun positions was most difficult, all of them having to be dug in frozen ground. Bulldozers, road graders, improvised snow plows and all available dump trucks had to work 24 hours a day for as much as a week at a time to keep the roads clear of snow and ice. On 30 January 1945 the Battalion supported the 78th Infantry Division in its attack to clear the Roer River dam area. The night proceeding the attack the entire unit worked all night clearing the approach roads of snow drifts, some of which were 8 feet deep. The snow, being too, deep for mine detectors to function or for tank driven mine exploders to operate in, had to be cleared from the roads by bulldozers operated by the Battalion in order to give armored support to the attack. The 247th Engineers had 12 bulldozers blown up by anti-tank mines in this operation. In closing phases of this attack the unit passed through the Infantry outposts and with only a dismounted Cavalry patrol furnishing security constructed the First Bailey bridge across the Roer River.

The unit then moved opposite Julich on the Roer River where it took part in the Ninth Army's assault crossing of the Roer River. The mission assigned to the Battalion was to construct a Treadway bridge, a Bailey bridge, to prepare the site for a Ponton bridge, and to clear the town of Julich of rubble. At H plus one hour 23 February 1945, the morning of the attack across the Roer River, Company B started construction of a Treadway bridge in an effort to get armor across the river to assist the Infantry assault the Citadel at Julich. At 0930 120 feet of the bridge had been completed when it was knocked out by artillery fire causing 22 casualties in this Company. The site was abandoned due to heavy artillery fire and the Company relieved. Company C, the reserve company, was called in and under heavy to light artillery fire constructed a Treadway bridge about 100 yards up stream from the ruined bridge. This bridge was open for traffic the next morning. Company A at H hour commenced clearing rubble on the outer approaches to the town. Then built the approaches for the construction of a Heavy Ponton bridge. During the night of D-Day and D plus 1 with Company B, they cleared streets in Julich under heavy artillery fire. On D plus 2 Company C began the construction of a 60-ton capacity Bailey bridge at the site of the previously existing highway bridge. This bridge was 300 feet in length and had to be supported by two piers thall were built in mid stream. This 240,000 pound structure was completed in only 30 hours working time and helped speed the Second Armored Division on its way to the Rhine River. When the XIX Corps passed through the XVI Corps' bridgehead across the Rhine River and started its push toward Berlin, the Battalion crossed the river on 29 March and by April 24th had reached the outskirts of Magdeburg, Germany, a distance of some 220 miles. In this short time the Battalion cleared 400 miles of road, removed 36 roadblocks, bridged 2 canals of 140 feet, and built a floating Bailey bridge across the Wesser River.

This ended the combat phase of the war with Germany for the 247th Engineer Combat Battalion, but there was still work to be done. The supply lines were extended and gasoline was short so from the 25th of April to 5 May 1945, the Battalion put into operating condition about 150 miles of railroad track, repaired engines and coaches enough to operate 12 passenger and 2 freight trains daily. Displaced persons and freight were moved both ways between Magdeburg, Hildesheim and Northeim, Germany and within a period of 10 days the passenger traffic had amounted to one quarter of a million passenger miles. The 247th Engineer Combat Battalion in its operation against Germany captured, before the final collapse of the enemy began, more than its own strength in prisoners of war, a total of 660.

Source : www.247thcombatengineers.org