So I am trying to help out some one I met on the armyairforces site. Her grandfather was a veteran of WWII and it appears as he was in the 1106th Engr. Combat group. I am having a very hard time finding any information on this group. I have seen some quick mentions here and there but nothting solid. I have an e-copy of the DD214 but besides the obvious I am unable to find anything of real depth. Any suggestion? Thanks,
Tex ![]()
One-against-one, they are as good as anyone in the world. But when they fight together, they are the best of all. For though they are free men, they are not entirely free. They accept the Law as their master. And they respect this master more than your subjects respect you. Whatever the Law commands, they do. And this command never changes: It forbids them to flee in battle, whatever the number of their foes. He requires them to stand firm – to conquer or die."
"Go tell the Spartans, thou who passest by,
That here, obedient to their laws, we lie"
memorial at the hot springs of thermopolea
GO SPARTA
Have you tried contacting the 101st Airborne Division, since the 1106th was part of this division?
Screaming Eagles Veterans Website
Also have you seen these?
World War II In Their Own Words
Saving Private Ryan - Forces Assaulting Utah Beach
Hyperwar Logistics - Launcing the Invasion
Hope that helps you. Let me know. ![]()
Marion J Chard
Proud Daughter of Walter 'Monday' Poniedzialek
540th Combat Engineer - H&S Company
Thanks for those excellent links Marion. ![]()
"Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men" Douglas Bader
Your quite welcome. Getting to be a pretty good researcher as of late. Believe me, there's not many stones unturned while trying to dig up stuff on my dad. Wow, if I was getting paid to do this, I'd be rich this year! ![]()
In all honesty, I have had the help of so many wonderful people since I renewed my search in April of this year and feel it is my turn to help others find information on their dads and granddads. You know that old saying, "One hand washes the other!" So I am happy to try and piece the puzzle together for my new friends. ![]()
Marion J Chard
Proud Daughter of Walter 'Monday' Poniedzialek
540th Combat Engineer - H&S Company
The 1106th is going to tricky. They were all over the place on 6Jun44. They had pieces attached to the 101st they came ashore on Utah, they came ashore on Normandy. I have a feeling though that Tec5 Parker was with RHC 1106th Engr. Combat group. He recieved a purple heart for wounds received on Normandy and they only 1106th unit I can find also happanes to be the only one listed as having come ashore at Normandy. That's the trick when researching Combat Engineers, they spend most of their time attched to other units.
If my thoughts dreams could be seen
they'd probably put my head in gullotine.
but its alright ma, it life and life only.
--Bob Dylan
Yes, you are absolutely right. Certain combat engineer units, such as my dad's were independent units. At several points in time the 540th were attached to the 3rd, 34th, 36th and 45th Infantry Divisions on an as needed basis. Other engineer units were a permanent part of a division, so of course following their journey across the European continent would be much, much easier.
There are several courses of action that you can take:
- 1. Contact the Army Corps of Engineers
- 2. Contact NARA regarding morning reports of this unit
- 3. Contact an independent agent for research
The Army Corps of Engineers keeps history folders on units. Some are several inches thick and some may have just a few pages. They were able to help me.
Of course the NARA Morning Reports route will take a bit more effort. You either have to go there in person and go through records or you can hire a research student to help you with your quest. NARA is having problems with their site this afternoon, so you may want to try again later today.
I can recommend a very good historian who runs his own research company. You can contact Richard at: WW2 Connections. He offers several levels of research that are dependent on how much info you want and how much you (or anyone else) are willing to spend. He is extremely knowledgable and has over 5000 books in his personal library.
Good luck to your friend. Keep the faith! ![]()
Marion J Chard
Proud Daughter of Walter 'Monday' Poniedzialek
540th Combat Engineer - H&S Company