IX Engineer Command

GERMANY

On May 1, 1945 our battalion was alerted to move to Germany. We were relieved from assignment to the 2nd Airfield Maintenance Regiment and assigned to the 925th Engineer Aviation Regiment. The battalion was relieved of responsibilities connected with its various airfields by the 109th Labor Supervision Center and the 876th and 877th Airborne Engineer Aviation Battalions.

Rhine crossing

When the orders were received the Battalion Headquarters with H & S Company was located at Fourdrain, Company A was at Miens, Company B at Couvron, and Company C on Orly Field in Paris. A route of march was set up with overnight camps at Metz and Strasbourg. Company B left Couvron on May 1st, reaching Metz that night, Strasbourg on May 2nd, crossed the Rhine into Germany and arrived in Ulm, Germany, on the 3rd of May. Companies A and C followed approximately the same route, one day behind Company B.

Upon reporting to the 925th Engineer Aviation Regiment at Ulm, Captain Davis, commanding Company B, was ordered to move on to Munich, which city had been captured by American advance units during the three days of the trip. Captain Davis sent Company B on to Munich under Lt. Stein, while he returned to Strasbourg to advise the S-3 officer and the other company commanders of the change in plans.

The three letter companies completed their rendezvous at Oberwiesenfeld, Munich, on the 4th of May. A and B Companies were ordered to Munich-Riem airdrome, while Company C remained at Oberwiesenfeld. Headquarters and H & S Company reached Munich on May 6th.

The first work assignments in Munich called for Company C to construct a 5000-foot Pierced Steel Plank runway and other facilities for a Fighter Group at Oberwiesenfeld. However, field surveys proved it was impossible to build the 5000-foot runway at Oberwiesenfeld due to the small size of the existing field and numerous flying hazards. At the same time A and B Companies had been assigned the construction of a Heavy Bomber field at Munich-Riem, with a 6000-foot concrete runway and hardstands. German materials and concrete equipment were requisitioned, drawings completed and the runway staked for concrete.

On the 8th of May the war in Europe came to an end, but not the work of the Engineers. The Ninth Engineer Command’s plan for Occupational Air Force facilities was put into effect at once, which changed the assignments previously made. C Company was sent west to Landsberg, Germany, to repair and extend the concrete runway and to construct facilities for an Air Depot for the Occupational Air Force. A and B Companies moved to Neubiberg, Germany, to construct a 5000-foot Pierced Steel Plank runway, taxitrack, and hard-stands for a Fighter Group.

In contrast to the mud and rain of France the work in Germany progressed very rapidly. The underlying soil was gravel, with some 6 to 10 inches of top soil, which made earth moving and compaction an easy job. A large number of P.O.W.s were available for labor, as they were used for the back breaking work of laying PSP, while our men enjoyed their new job as supervisors. The operational date of June 20th and the completion date of July 2nd were both met on schedule at Neubiberg, which brought a letter of commendation from the Regimental Commanding Officer.

Upon the completion of Neubiberg, A and B Companies were assigned the mission of constructing a 6000-foot Pierced Steel Plank runway, taxitrack, hardstands, and living facilities for a Troop Carrier Group. The runway, taxitrack and hardstand became routine work with the ideal weather and soil conditions at hand, and the field became operational on the 1st of August.

During this period material was being assembled for the housing project, which consisted of living quarters, mess halls, recreation halls and latrines for 2900 men. Lt. Stein started construction of this work with a staff of non-cons, supervising a force of German contractors and POWs, while the main portion of the battalion concentrated on the runway assignment.

Soon after our arrival in Munich we saw the concentration camp at Dachau and many of the people who had only recently been liberated from the horrors of these camps. They travelled on foot, on bicycle, by horsecart,-- the ex-slave laborers of the Reich, -- the DPs. And in contrast we saw the Germans, well-fed and comparatively well-clothed. We saw the beautiful rich farming country of southern Germany and the modern cities that the nation had built. In spite of the devastation it was easy to see from these cities, the fine highways, and the rich farms that we had helped defeat a strong and resourceful nation. That we had helped defeat a ruthless, cruel nation was evidenced in the inhuman torture camps like Dachau.

Swimming at Landsberg

During this summer many of the men and officers were able to take furloughs to England, the Riviera, the Ninth Engineer Command Rest Home in Paris, or to St. Gervais, France, in the Haute Savoie, and lived for a week in the hotels there. In the days we climbed Mt. Blanc, or went by truck to a lake swimming resort at the foot of Mt. Blanc, to Chamonix, or to the shore of Lake Geneva and Evian Plage on the Lido. Plane transportation was furnished to all of these points. Week-end trips were taken to Berchtesgaden to see the ruins of Hitler’s famous mountain fortress hone, to the Brenner Pass, to Nurnburg, and to other historic locations. Excellent swimming pools and lakes were found near every, field, where we swam in company with German civilians and displaced persons of many nationalities.

At this time we were extremely “point conscious”. Considerable readjustment of personnel was made, especially among the newer members of the battalion. The low-point men and officers were transferred to battalions scheduled for direct shipment to the Pacific Theater. For the rest of us there remained the possibility of either being assigned to the Occupational Air Force to remain in Germany, or of being assigned to the Strategic Reserve back in the United States. After weeks of “sweating it out” the welcome news came that the 843rd Battalion had been assigned to the Strategic Reserve. Although this seemed like the best of news it was quickly surpassed by the event of paramount importance to the world and to us, -- the defeat of Japan!

With the end of the war additional pressure was placed upon the completion of the housing project. More and more of the battalion personnel were assigned to this work, while the German contractors made slow but steady progress on the repair of hangers and buildings which had been badly damaged by Allied bombing. Although the Ninth Engineer Command had planned to furnish Quonset huts for the housing, the huts did not actually arrive until the latter part of October. But by this time the battalion had improvised substitutes and had developed enough local material to provide the required housing. The battalion operated the Porenit factory at Haar, a pre-cast concrete plant; a sash and door factory to manufacture the needed millwork; a wood-working factory to manufacture wood panels; and a factory for assembly of wood roof trusses. For raw materials some of our men were sent to saw-mills 100 miles east of Munich to haul and load lumber,-- over a trainload of lumber was secured in this manner. Trucks were sent to Nurnburg for wire, hauled the wire to Ulm to be manufactured into badly needed nails, this involved over 400 miles of trucking to obtain nails. In another trip trucks were sent north to the Ruhr district for heating and plumbing supplies. This particular expedition produced a letter from British General Montgomery, through SHAEF, not to repeat this trip as some of our German procurement men had “purchased” some of the items in the British zone. Thus shortages of materials were overcome by improvising and the project was turned over to the Labor Supervision Unit on November 1, 1945 for completion of only final items. Since they were no longer needed here, the Quonset huts were reshipped to another field.

September 1, 1945 was declared a holiday by the Battalion Commander. It was the third anniversary of the activation of the battalion at McChord Field, and it also marked the completion of three years of service for many of us who had been assigned to the battalion immediately after its activation.

Heading home

Now we had completed our mission overseas. The victory over Japan had started us on a new “mission” , -- to return to the United States and to civilian life! The demobilization of the battalion began in September. Officers and men with the highest point scores were transferred from the battalion to start the first leg of their journey home. Lt. Col. Munson, who had commanded the 843rd from McChord Field, to England, to France, and to Germany, was transferred out on points: Major Rice assuming command of the battalion. The 23rd of September marked the first big shipment of enlisted men; 54 men, for the most part over 37 years old and a few high point men. On the 30th 40 more men left. On October 14th 79 more high point men left; the battalion strength was now 454 men. On October 15th Major Rice left and Major Archambeault replaced him as Battalion Commander. The majority of the remaining men and officers were transferred on October 28th to the 818th Engineer Aviation Battalion, a carrier battalion for the trip home. The remaining personnel were transferred to various carrier battalions during the first week in November, leaving only Captain Leibman and 10 men to deactivate the 843rd ENGINEER AVIATION BATTALION.

This is the story of the 843rd, -- a brief, factual account of the battalion’s part in World War II. Yet this is only an outline of the story, the most interesting part has not been told and cannot find room here, -- the work of the individual men and officers who made up the 843rd. We should have liked to pay tribute to Col. Munson, to Captain Bourns, Seward, Lebenzon, Lt. Rider and the Medical Enlisted Men, to Chaplain Moench, -- to each one of you. But that is impossible. Better than we could possibly know, each one of you realizes the part that you have played individually in the story of the 843rd. We have merely tried to set the stage so that in the years to come your own memory can again share the work and play of the 843rd Engineer Aviation Battalion.