Kent your pictures are great, thanks for sharing them with us. I find it interesting in the first picture the soldier in the middle is wearing an Army Air Forces patch on his left sleeve. Have a good one!

 

Randy

 

 

 

Randy,

That is interesting. Perhaps the picture is from a local watering-hole where soldiers would socialize ?

Kent

 

Nice catch there Ralph, I missed that one! I don't think there is any doubt about that being a 44th Infantry Division patch on Kent's father's uniform. I looked at my Stanton's book this evening and it shows the 63rd ECB and the 104th ECB belonging to the 44th ID, maybe he was originally attached to one of these units before being assigned to the 292nd. Perhaps Kent might be able to shed some light on it.

 

Randy

Hello Randy,Ralph,

I noticed that too. That could be the case since he joined in March 1943 and the 292nd was formed in November of 1943.

Perhaps the picture is from boot camp graduation before he joined the 292nd ?

I just found the national archives webpage for requesting veterans records: http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/index.html

I'm going to see if I can get a copy of his personnel file. Maybe that will give me a better picture of how he came to be in the 292nd.

Kent

 

Randy,

 

That is interesting. Perhaps the picture is from a local watering-hole where soldiers would socialize ?

 

Kent

Kent,

I would say you are correct about it being a local watering hole. I don't recognize the labels on the bottles as being domestic, perhaps this from his time in England?

Randy

 

Hello Randy,Ralph,

 

I noticed that too. That could be the case since he joined in March 1943 and the 292nd was formed in November of 1943.

Perhaps the picture is from boot camp graduation before he joined the 292nd ?

 

I just found the national archives webpage for requesting veterans records: http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/index.html

 

I'm going to see if I can get a copy of his personnel file. Maybe that will give me a better picture of how he came to be in the 292nd.

 

Kent

Kent,

If the NPRC still has your father's complete personnel file, it will most certainly answer any questions you may have about his service. Don't know if you have read on the website about the infamous fire of July 1973 that occurred there. Roughly 85% of all the Army and Army Air Forces personnel files stored there at the time were destroyed. Not to discourage you, just be prepared that they may not have anything left of your father's file. You definitely should try though,some files survived intact and pieces of some files were recovered. The only thing they had on my grandfather's file was a copy of his final pay voucher, it wasn't much but was still pretty cool to have.

Randy

Folks,

 

Thanks to Ken (aka Tony's Boy) the scan of one of the platoons of A Company using the photo that his family has and is in much better shape then the one my family has is complete (see attached image). Here is a link to a much higher res version (7000 x 2838):

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5ghnJbeN7Qkem1LTmxaM2F4NTA/view?usp=sharing

 

Anyone interested in an even larger version can message me and I'll make it available. Just a heads up, this ultra high res version is 30000 x 12164 resolution and is around 50 megs.

 

Later, Friends,

 

Gary

Gary,

Thanks for doing this teamwork has paid off on this one. I hope everyone can enjoy a version of this if they had been seeking this out.

Warm wishes,

Ken

Gary,

Thanks for doing this teamwork has paid off on this one. I hope everyone can enjoy a version of this if they had been seeking this out.

 

Warm wishes,

 

Ken

Ken,

Teamwork is the name of the game, my friend! I look forward to seeing you again to return your family treasure.

Gary

It was a pleasure collaborating with Ken this week. He took a leap of faith in allowing me to borrow his family treasure for scanning and I thank him so much. I look forward to more collaboration with Ken and any and all others interested in our common interests.

Gary

 

Kent,

 

If the NPRC still has your father's complete personnel file, it will most certainly answer any questions you may have about his service. Don't know if you have read on the website about the infamous fire of July 1973 that occurred there. Roughly 85% of all the Army and Army Air Forces personnel files stored there at the time were destroyed. Not to discourage you, just be prepared that they may not have anything left of your father's file. You definitely should try though,some files survived intact and pieces of some files were recovered. The only thing they had on my grandfather's file was a copy of his final pay voucher, it wasn't much but was still pretty cool to have.

 

Randy

Ah remember, there are other places that can provide the info that NARA in St Louis had.

https://ww2combatengineers.comengforum/index.php?showtopic=23

Just want to make sure that peeps know they have other options.

Ah remember, there are other places that can provide the info that NARA in St Louis had.

 

https://ww2combatengineers.comengforum/index.php?showtopic=23

 

Just want to make sure that peeps know they have other options.

Absolutely! There are a ton of resources and information provided by Marion on this site, folks!

Gary

It's definitely an interesting dilemma. When it comes to the medical detachment, I can find no information on the members having any kind of white uniform and it would seem that they wore was pretty much what other members of the unit wore. Here's an informative page about WW2 Hospitals and medical personnel:

 

http://www.mtaofnj.org/content/WWII%20Combat%20Medic%20-%20Dave%20Steinert/wwii_medical_department.htm

 

The jackets that they wear seem more like lab or work coats and they are not wearing ties as all others are. The trousers seem to be white (although that could be from over exposure due to the white shirts) and the headgear seems to be the same as the other soldiers. It seems as though they are wearing some kind of work uniform so could this be a KP uniform or maybe an Orderly uniform for a hospital? Questions, questions...

 

Gary

I read on Wikipedia today that WW2 army companies all had 1 mess sergeant and 4 cooks so that might explain our 5 men dressed in white......Ralph

I read on Wikipedia today that WW2 army companies all had 1 mess sergeant and 4 cooks so that might explain our 5 men dressed in white......Ralph

Great job, Ralph! And there are five in white. Cool, find, my friend!

Gary

To those who serve and defend so the rest of us may do what we love... Thank You, Veterans!

Thanks to our good buddy Randy (aka buk2112) for providing a copy of the 292nd ECB WW2 Operations Map. He did this quite awhile ago. Despite the fact it's a reduced size copy, I have been able to get a decent scan for others to enjoy. So here it is in all it's glory, folks. Thanks again, Randy, for this opportunity!

p.s. I have it in much higher resolution for anyone interested. Just message me.

I'm not sure if this is the proper forum to post this but I thought I'd try here first. Please let me know if I should post to a different on as I am new here.

The tombstone of my uncle (and godfather), Herbert Joseph Rice (#32261778) says he was in Co A, 292^nd Eng C Btn. In searching for info on this unit I found this informative website so am hoping someone on here can help me figure out his connection to the 292^nd.

I tried the NPRC but only received the dates of enlistment and discharge. I am not next-of-kin -- he married but had no children.

Briefly, here is what I have pieced together so far on his military service:

1. Enlisted 23 Mar 1942, Fort Dix NJ – from NY (born in Ireland but brought to US as infant and raised in Manhattan NYC)

1. Photo (undated) – in dress uniform, MP slip-on arm band, Sam Brown belt, & pistol with barracks-type buildings in the background. Looks like the US south.

1. Was attached to 77^th Infantry Div (I have the actual patch he wore!!) - is listed as a Private in Co K in the Div roster but was transferred out before the 77^th went to the Pacific, March 1944.

1. Wedding photo Jan 1944 – jacket has patch of the 4^th Area Service Command.

1. Photo (undated) of Herb in uniform having a beer in a bar/club. Written on the photo is “178 (US) Gen Hosp Non Coms Club”. The 178^th was in the area of Reims, France.

1. A 3 ring binder covered with leather and hand tooled with “Reims 1945” on the cover which he sent home to his sister and now in my possession.

1. Excerpts from letters of medical tech father of a fellow researcher written in Reims, 1945, where he was with the 178^th Gen Hospital. He mentions “Rice from NY” who told him about the GIs trying to get photos at the school house where the surrender was signed; and then “Herbie Rice, a 253^rd man” and says Herb was the supply Sgt and in charge of the bar/beer garden.

1. Discharged 8 Mar 1946.

I can’t figure out is how the 292^nd fits into this -- from what I’ve read, they landed in France in Dec 1944 and then onward into Germany. I do not see him in the photo of Co A – he was 6'4", skinny as a bean pole, very high forehead, and ears standing way out.

Don’t know what the 253^rd was (as mentioned in the letter noted above) or when he was with the 292^nd. Could he have been left behind when the Btn went to Germany? Or gone there and come back or ????? I’ve come across 2 other Herbert Rices - one was a POW and another was a Ranger.

If anyone has any suggestions or ideas about this mystery, I’d love to hear from you. Thank you in advance !!

Welcome to the forum. As you can see, our members have quite the "thing" going for the 292nd. I think it's fantastic.