Hi Shari,

Once I get the records from the National Archives I'll definitely share them...keep checking back on the forum for updates...THey said it'll take a month or two until I actually get them but we'll see I guess.

My father, Leo Welz, who passed away in 2005, served in the 1010th Engineer Treadway Bridge Company. Enclosed, please find a 15-page 1010th history document – because of the level of detail, it could be ‘official,' but the document does not include an author or date, and it is not on letterhead. Fascinating read, filled with names, dates, locations – written with a proud sense of accomplishment.

I hope that the children/grandchildren of Riederer and Dunfee are still following this topic – this is a fascinating read but also thrilling to see our father/grandfather’s place in history:

“At 2200 on June 5 [1944] the company of 150 enlisted men and five officers hiked nineteen and a half miles from Camp Rucker to Newton and back. . . Welz's endurance and Riederer's exuberance were outstanding."

As info, a copy of this document was donated to the WWII museum, a chance to honor the 1010th and their role in WWII.

Thank you,

M Welz

1010 Engineer Treadway Bridge Co.pdf

Hello:

It was nice chatting with you briefly via email earlier today and great to see your first post, above. Thanks for sharing that wonderful document with everyone here. I will take a few moments to read it after I have some late lunch.

Welcome!

My father, Leo Welz, who passed away in 2005, served in the 1010th Engineer Treadway Bridge Company. Enclosed, please find a 15-page 1010th history document – because of the level of detail, it could be ‘official,' but the document does not include an author or date, and it is not on letterhead. Fascinating read, filled with names, dates, locations – written with a proud sense of accomplishment.

 

I hope that the children/grandchildren of Riederer and Dunfee are still following this topic – this is a fascinating read but also thrilling to see our father/grandfather’s place in history:

 

“At 2200 on June 5 [1944] the company of 150 enlisted men and five officers hiked nineteen and a half miles from Camp Rucker to Newton and back. . . Welz's endurance and Riederer's exuberance were outstanding."

 

 

As info, a copy of this document was donated to the WWII museum, a chance to honor the 1010th and their role in WWII.

 

Thank you,

M Welz

Hey that's awesome thanks!!! The things I got from the National Archives ended up being quite the disappointment, really nothing even worth sharing.

I'm reading through this and my Grandpa is actually mentioned by name! This is AWESOME!!! How did you or your father acquire this?

Yes, isn't it exciting to actually see their name in print. I saw two instances of my father's name in the NARA archived docs from the 540th Engineers. I was just thrilled beyond words.

Regrettably, I do not recall how my father obtained the document. I wonder if it is missing a cover page, or something, to indicate the author.

Sorry that you were not aware of this document when your grandfather was still alive – could have been a great springboard for further discussion.

Many of the army documents do not have authors. These were often simply histories depicting the actions of the unit. Many of the units have these.

Almost every unit of company size or larger designated an officer or qualified NCO to keep a history of the unit as an extra duty. Copies of these unit histories would be sent up to higher HQs, ie: Co > Bn> Reg > Div> Corps etc, and used to assemble their histories. This narative of the 1010th was probably written by the company historian from his notes of the companies activities. It`s an unofficial history but factual in it`s content.

My father, Richard Baker was part of the 1010th. He enjoyed training at the camp in Alabama, then crossing to Great Britain, then France. He drove a truck carrying pontoon bridge parts across France to St Goar. He stood on the French bank watching tanks liked up and bombarding the German side as infantry crossed the Rhine under fire. His bridge parts were used to construct the pontoon bridge at St Goar and then he crossed and traveled with a tank battalion across Germany and Poland where he found the war ending.

Here's a link to a nice description of the St. Goar crossing; The 1010th is not mentioned, but this was perhaps my father's most memorable event of all his experiences in WWII as he was present with the 1010th or (tententh) as he called it before the bridge was built, through the bombardment, assisting in building the bridge, and then crossing it.

https://gallagherstory.com/ww2/chapter18.html

Thanks for your consideration.

My uncle, Kenneth Coleman, was a member of the 1010 Engineers Treadway Bridge Company. He was never married and passed away in his mid 50's. His belongings ended up in my posession, and I would like to provide pictures I have of the companies trek across Europe in the latter days of WWII. I know they would be of importance to the relatives of these brave heroes!

Keith Brown
 

5 hours ago, funonealso said:

Thanks for your consideration.

My uncle, Kenneth Coleman, was a member of the 1010 Engineers Treadway Bridge Company. He was never married and passed away in his mid 50's. His belongings ended up in my posession, and I would like to provide pictures I have of the companies trek across Europe in the latter days of WWII. I know they would be of importance to the relatives of these brave heroes!

Keith Brown
 

Hi Keith,

I would love to see these pictures, I would be happy to send the pics I have as well. Could you email them to me maybe? If they are too big, use wetransfer.com and you can send up to 2gb for free. J_riederer@hotmail.com. I would really enjoy seeing those and maybe my grandpa would even be in some. 

Thank you!

That's quite an extensive history. Thanks for providing that link. 

19 hours ago, j_riederer said:

Hi Keith,

I would love to see these pictures, I would be happy to send the pics I have as well. Could you email them to me maybe? If they are too big, use wetransfer.com and you can send up to 2gb for free. J_riederer@hotmail.com. I would really enjoy seeing those and maybe my grandpa would even be in some. 

Thank you!

Hi  J_riederer,

Give me a little time to get them scanned, and figure the ins and outs of this forum, and we'll get things worked out. I'd like to post them here, if possible!

Keith