Very interesting story. Love the fact about the S hook on the front of the jeep. Engineers are always so enterprising, aren't they?

CaptO, I just finished talking to my Dad and he does not remember anything about the " Olive's Old Man " sign painted on the jeep. He said the jeeps were assigned to them but occasionally they would go in for repairs and get swapped. Maybe someone else will recognize the name or have another picture with that jeep in it. Marion, they were, their job was to do what it took and evidently they were pretty good at it. Thanks for that.

Glen Blasingim

I would be surprised if he remembered that unless it was personally tied to him somehow. I know that I would remember few details about my HMMWVs over the years I've been in (and that was no more than 20 years ago!)

The 160th Engineer Combat Battalion lost twenty four men in its battles across France, Luxembourg, Germany and Austria. Chester P. Rydelski, Pfc. and Joseph S. Rydelski, Pfc. served with my Dad in B Company and are two of them that I especially remember. I had never even seen a picture of them until a few months ago but for years my Dad told me about them. B Company was on the west bank of the Moselle River, across from Metz close to Arnaville, France, attempting to build a  treadway bridge.They were taking an intense artillery barrage that lasted for hours. They were dug in and Dad was sharing a foxhole with Joseph. A ways away a call came out for medics but they were not able to get near because of the shelling. When the medics did get in word spread that it was Chester and it was bad. Men advised Joseph not to come over to him so my Dad and Joseph stayed away. The men thought that an artillery shell had hit a tree not very far away and exploded in air spraying shrapnel. The next day they came and got Joseph and took him back to a field hospital to see his brother. Chester died shortly after that.That happened in September, a few months later in February, every platoon in B company was involved in the assault crossing at Echternach. It was a bloody and costly battle and Joseph did not come back. A few days later Joseph was declared Missing in Action. These pictures of Chester and Joseph had been packed away in an album that had been given to Dad years ago. He was moved when he saw these pictures for the first time and quickly named Chester and Joseph. Dad says that they were good men, good soldiers and good friends. Dad hasn't forgotten these brothers and we haven't either.

Chester and Joseph's other brother, Walter, passed earlier this year, he proudly served his country in World War II in the U.S. Navy.

Robert L. Nichols, Pfc., 160th Engineer Combat Battalion, B Company, gave his life at the Echternach crossing also. His nephew, Wayne, has been searching for information about his Uncle Robert, with Marion's help. Marion has some detailed accounts of that crossing linked to her website.

I cannot post this without thanking Edie and Sue who helped me get in touch with the Rydelski family. They took some risk replying to a strange person asking for help with this and in no time they connected me to the family. They were so kind to take the time and trouble and I thank them.

Glen Blasingim

Memorial page from Battalion Book.

List of men From 160th ECB lost in WW 2.

Chester Rydelski, top row, right end, Tennessee maneuvers Winter 1943/44.

Chester Rydelski shaving, Tennessee maneuvers Winter 1943/44.

Joseph Rydelski, Tennessee maneuvers, Winter 1943/44.

Joseph Rydelski, Camp Rucker, Spring 1944.

MIA Memorial, Luxembourg.

Close up of MIA plaque showing Joseph's name.

Such a sad story. Was thinking of the brothers' parents. It's awful to lose anyone during the war, but to lose two sons like that.

Again, thank you for this account. So many bittersweet memories for your dad to bring back to life.

Like many of the U.S. Army's Engineer Combat Battalions that were destined for Europe, the 160th went on maneuvers in middle Tennessee. My Dad was from middle Tennessee and he had traveled most of the main roads and knew quite a few people in the area. This area was picked because of its close resemblance to France, Belgium and Germany.The 160th traveled by train from Camp Ethan Allen, Vermont to Nashville, Tennessee in the fall of 1943. At Nashville they formed a convoy and Dad said they went all over Tennessee. Their first assignment was to catalogue bridges. They would drive all the roads, mapping bridge locations, inspecting them for condition and load bearing capabilities and taking pictures for the records. They would occasionally stay in squad tents. Squad tents would sleep 10 and they had a small wood burning stove but they usually stayed in pup tents. When they were someplace that didn't have a blackout they would build a bonfire. The fires were great for warming up and drying clothes but embers would sometimes come down on the canvas pup tents and make small holes in them that leaked rain. The 160th maneuvered all over the state, sometimes they would camp for as little as one day. They camped for a few weeks close to Camp Forrest by Tullahoma, they camped in the Manchester area for several weeks of training. They camped at Murfreesboro where they were able to load up in trucks and go to Nashville for R&R on weekends. They spent several weeks at Watertown where they were able to stay in a public building. They ate a lot of rations but often they would be close to a rolling kitchen that would set up close to large concentrations of men and serve hot meals. They had little contact with civilians when they were on maneuvers and they did not eat any food that didn't come from the U.S.Army, except when they were on R&R. The 160th learned to build bridges and roads and to be sufficient with what they carried. They learned to shoot .30 cal and .50 cal machine guns but mostly they toughened up and got used to the cold and the living outdoors. Dad said he thought that conditions on the Tennessee maneuvers were harsher than when they were trying to get across the Rhine. Except that in Tennessee they weren't taking enemy fire.The 160th left Tennessee in the spring and convoyed to Camp Rucker, Alabama. These are a few pictures taken on those maneuvers.

Men in the first picture, top row left to right:

Yewey W. Lambert,Pfc. Trenton, Fla.

Roby D. Turner, Tec5 Royboro, N.C.

John F. Terry, Sgt. Rural Hall, N.C.

Joseph W. Bolek,Sgt. Hammond, Ind.

Chester P. Rydelski, Pfc. Erie, Penn.

Bottom row, left to right:

Ralph L. Smith,Pfc. Chambersburg, Penn.

Dale E. Miller,Pfc. Pleasantville, Ohio

Harry A. Cannon,Sgt. Nzssa, Ore.

Joseph P. Seuss,Pvt. Pittsburg, Penn.

Paul J. De Micheal, Pfc. Louisville, Ky

Wymer ( Dad sure of this last name, no other information)

Second picture, B Company camp on maneuvers in Tennessee.

A few more pictures of the 160th Engineer Combat Battalion on maneuvers in middle Tennessee.

First picture, four soldiers, left to right:

unknown

unknown

Joseph P. Seuss,Pvt. Pittsburg,Penn.

Paul S. De Micheal,Pfc. Louisville, Ky.

Second picture, four with 50cal., left to right:

William J. Campbell, Pfc. Philadelphia,Penn.

Edward J. Dawgiello,Pfc. Pittsburg, Penn.

Thelbert O. Kallam,Sgt. Stonefield,N.C.

Neoda S. Howard,Tech5 Terre Haute, Ind.

Third picture, two with ,50 cal., left to right:

James P. Guinnessey,Pfc. Louisville, Ky.

Joseph W. Bolek,Sgt. Hammond, Ind.

Fourth picture:

Thelbert O. Kallam,Sgt. Stonefield, N.C.

Fifth picture:

Joseph S. Rydelski, Pfc. Erie, Penn.

Sixth picture:

Chester P. Rydelski, Pfc. Erie, Penn.

I was in an Army Surplus store the other day and I picked up a couple of shoulder patches that I had seen in pictures of men from the 160th Engineer Combat Battalion. I have not seen this patch in any pictures of my Dad and he does not know what it is. Can anyone tell me something about it?

Glen Blasingim

That's a 3rd Army patch

Thank you, Marion. I knew that was an easy question for the right person. I have seen that patch here and there but could not determine exactly what it was. Wearing it must have been an option. I'll tell Dad tomorrow.

Glen Blasingim

Easy-peasey!

Account from Edwin N. Blasingim,First Sergeant, B Company, 160th Engineer Combat Battalion, as told to his son.

From Utah Beach, August 12, 1944, it took the 160th Engineer Combat Battalion eleven days to reach Fontainebleau, about 270 miles by their route of march. They went through towns where the 5th infantry division had just been, there were destroyed buildings and burned out vehicles that were still smoldering. When they reached Fontainebleau they were with the 5th facing the German front. Company C was in Fontainebleau getting the 5th across the Seine. B Company was about ten miles south of Fontainbleau completing a treadway bridge across the Le Loing River ( a tributary that flowed into the Seine just east of Fontainebleau ). It was August 24, 1944. A new Sherman tank, temporarily assigned from another outfit, was parked just above B Company guarding them as they built the bridge. This crossing was in the vicinity of Nemours and the 989th Engineer Treadway Bridge Company was working with B Company. There was a small deserted town across the Le Loing, up a gradual hill and about a half mile or so away. The town consisted of a few houses, a couple of buildings and a church. B Company was taking fire from a mortar position somewhere out of sight behind the town. They couldn't spot him but they figured that there was a forward observer in the town because the mortar fire was very accurate. Good ears could usually tell when the mortar fired but the fighting in Fontainebleau sometimes made it difficult to be sure, sometimes the whistle was the only warning but when you heard "incoming" you scrambled for the nearest foxhole. This was the first time these men had worked under fire and they were nervous, they were scared. Suddenly there was a huge explosion and everybody hit the dirt, scared to death and expecting the next blast. Men close to foxholes crawled in and men too far away hugged the ground in the lowest places they could find. There was silence until a 76mm shell casing rattled off of the side of the tank and fell in the dirt. The church and and it's steeple were gone, the old highest point in town. The tank crew had zeroed in on the church and fired one round, without telling anybody. The mortar fire stopped, for a while.

Pfc.James N. Corley, classified as a Demolition Specialist, was working on the bridge that day. He was assisting the 989th with inflating ponton bridge sections. Pfc. James H. Young was nearby when James Corley was hit with shrapnel. James Young told his son that there was a loud explosion and he turned to see James Corley on the ground. James Corley took a piece of shrapnel in the shoulder that resulted in the loss of the use of his arm. James N. Corley and James H. Young were awarded Purple Hearts, they have both passed but this account is remembered and shared by their sons. James Corley's son Keith has been trying to learn all that he can about his Dad's service in World War II. We made contact through Marion's website. Keith sent this picture of his Dad.

James N. Corley, Pfc.

Great recounting of that incident. Gives us a good perspective of what they saw and felt.

Fort Ethan Allen was the nicest place that the 160th Engineer Combat Battalion was stationed and trained. The fort was just inland from the west coast of Vermont, close to Burlington and on the Winooski River. The 160th was there in the Summer-Fall of 1943. The river was a great place to train for assault crossings and bridge building. Dad said that he took the longest march that he took in the Army while he was at Fort Ethan Allen.These are a few pictures of the fort in 1943. In this case, it was something to write home about.

Thelbert O. Kallam, Sgt., Herman S. Landrith, Ssgt., and unknown in front of barracks, Fort Ethan Allen summer 1943.

Barracks from front door.

From front porch.

B company barracks. Came from Fort Meade where there were no lawns, only sand.

From front porch.

Robert N. Weigand, 1stLt.

Edward J. Dawgiello, Pfc.

Unknown at Fort Ethan Allen.

Frank W. Prinz, Tec5.

O.G. Anderson, Tec5.

O.G. Anderson, Tec5.

O.G. Anderson, Tec5.

O.G. Anderson, Tec5.

Winooski River.

Great to see the pics from training camp too. Merry Christmas!