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The Victory Engineers: Anglo-Canadian and American Engineering Operations in Northwest Europe 1944-1945

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The Victory Engineers: Anglo-Canadian and American Engineering Operations in Northwest Europe 1944-1945 “When another night came the columns, changed to purple streaks, filed across two pontoon bridges. A glaring fire wine-tinted the waters of the river. Its rays, shining upon the moving masses of troops, brought forth here and there sudden gleams of silver or gold.” -Stephen Crane The Victory Engineers: Anglo-Canadian and American Engineering Operations in Northwest Europe 1944-1945. By Eric Burton Greisinger M.A., History, Indiana University Of Pennsylvania, 2001 B.A., History, Saint Vincent College, 1999 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor Of Philosophy in the Graduate Academic Unit of History Supervisor: J. Marc Milner, PhD., History Examining Board: Trevor Hanson, PhD., Civil Engineering, Chair David Charters, PhD., History Lee Windsor, PhD., History External Examiner: Roger Sarty, PhD., History, Wilfrid Laurier University This dissertation is accepted by the Dean of Graduate Studies THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK June, 2015 ©Eric B. Greisinger, 2015 ABSTRACT Volumes of studies have investigated the strategy and tactics used in pursuit of Allied victory in Northwest Europe during World War II. These focus primarily on the actions of the combat arms – infantry, armor, and artillery – with vital supporting elements such as engineering given limited exposure. This is unfortunate, since the victory of mechanized Allied armies would have been impossible without effective combat engineer support. This study presents the operations of Anglo-Canadian and American engineering troops during the Northwest European campaign, highlighting the efforts of such troops as vibrant, necessary elements in the pursuit and final defeat of German forces in 1945. Drawing upon extant source material this study highlights Allied engineering equipment, doctrine and operations as the foundation for Allied operational and tactical mobility. Basing their doctrine on historical models and preparing to support “mechanized” armies during the inter-war period, Allied engineers developed methods, equipment and procedures to support armies engaged in highly mobile, mechanized combat. Practices developed during the training stages of the inter-war period were first used on the battlefield in the North African, Sicilian and Italian Campaigns. As a result of lessons learned in those early campaigns, Allied engineers refined their doctrine and equipment in order to provide unimpeded avenues of advance for the Allied armies driving across Northwest Europe. Without demolition removal missions, road, rail, bridge reconstruction efforts and river assault crossing operations of front-line engineers, Allied combat forces would have never landed on the Normandy coast nor been able to drive into Germany to achieve final victory. ii This study draws on Allied engineer documents, reports and publications to demonstrate how Anglo-Canadian and American engineers approached fundamental problems of battlefield mobility. It outlines equipment, method and doctrine evolution over the course of the war, and then focuses on engineering maturity in the final push into Germany in 1945. It reveals that despite the different and unconnected starting points, Allied combat engineers developed a professional approach to sharing ideas, equipment and methods resulting in an approach that laid the ground work for what eventually became the NATO standard for military engineering in the field. iii DEDICATION Dedicated to the memory of my great uncle, Sylvester J. Hergenroeder. Technician 5th Grade HQ & Service Company 591st Engineer Boat Regiment, 1185th Engineer Combat Group, 2756th Engineer Combat Battalion North Africa to Germany Essayon iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As with all substantive scholarly works there are many people to thank and many people involved, beyond the author, that allow the author to reach the final goal. Therefore, in the spirit of recognition for assistance and dedication in supporting this project I would like to recognize those that inspired me to keep at it. Most were directly influential and others either influenced my formative historical understanding or were in some way supportive through the process of writing this dissertation by listening and being there. Foremost, I would like to thank all the veterans of past and current conflicts for their service, particularly those that fought in World War II. I was taught early on that World War II veterans’ are a unique and dedicated group and was always told as a child to shake their hand and say “thank you”. I hope in some way that this work serves as my indelible “thank you” for the courage and sacrifice they displayed and continue to display. They have always been my role models and I strive to keep their memory continuous within the fabric of our society. Beyond those that fought in uniform I would like to thank those that stayed on the home front and supported soldiers abroad. The children, wives, sweethearts, brothers, fathers, friends of those that went to war also served in a way that is often overlooked. This was the case with my great aunt Catherine whose husband inspired this work. The two most influential people involved with this work were Professor Marc Milner and Professor Lee Windsor. Both wholeheartedly accepted my concept, welcomed me to their native country and provided the framework for me to build this project upon. Professor Milner taught me three valuable lessons, the importance of v “pausing” to see the big picture, the need for exploring every possible question concerning subject matter and the importance of patience. Beyond this Professor Milner also posed the very important question, at each stage of this process, “what does it mean”? Professor Milner was exceptionally kind to my wife and me and taught us Canadian culture by introducing us to things like snowshoeing, which made long cold days easier to bear. I will always remember fondly our informal “chats” over Tim Horton’s coffee and our time together teaching Plato To Nato. Professor Lee Windsor likewise showed warmth and friendship to me and my wife throughout our residency in Fredericton. His inquisitive nature pushed me to ask deeper questions concerning strategy, tactics, and large scale operations and how those elements, when combined, led to ultimate Allied victory. Professor Windsor also gave me a much richer sense of the importance of the Italian Theater in World War II. A subject on which, he is no doubt, a leading authority. Both Professor Milner and Professor Windsor were instrumental in helping me take unwieldy first drafts and pairing them down to the essential lean core which can be found in the text which follows. Thanks must also be extended to the entire staff of the Gregg Centre For The Study Of War & Society. Within the Centre I would like to especially thank Dr. David Charters for his kindness and good conversation. He, like Professors Milner and Windsor, provided a framework for me to build upon throughout my graduate studies and his friendship was always apparent. Within the greater Department of History at the University of New Brunswick I would like to thank Erin Morton and Jeff Brown both of whom I worked for in the capacity of teaching assistant. Also, I would like to thank Sean vi Kennedy and Elizabeth Arnold who always made sense of my sometimes complex email queries. Extensive thanks must be given to the staff and soldiers at Canadian Forces Base/Area Support Group Gagetown, in particular curator Sandra Johnson Penney and her team, Sergeant Christopher Dymond and Sapper Jonathan Morro at the Canadian Military Engineers Museum. Without them this work would not exist. The staff of the Combat Training Centre Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering Technical Library, Laurel Gardiner Knorr and Craig Tanner and those soldiers who photocopied and collated information I had requested including Privates Christopher Fenner, Stephen Pennell and Kenny Poisson. Though not the most glamorous duty they took it as seriously and with as much conviction as any other task. These fine young men also provided good conversation on each of my visits. I wish them all the best. The Office Of History, United States Army Corps Of Engineers opened up their archives to me and allowed me to fully comb the massive amounts of raw data they have on engineering operations in World War II. I would like to thank Michael Broadhead, now retired, who was an amazing asset to that organization, an invaluable resource to me and truly kind soul. The staffs of the United States Military History Institute and U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center were instrumental in finding material for this work. Among those that assisted me at the USMHI and USAHEC I would like to specifically thank Colonel Douglas V. Mastriano. Thanks also to Beth F. MacKenzie at the Center Of Military History, United States Army. The Library and Archives of Canada provided the final important primary documents. I would like to particularly thank Sarah Cozzi who vii assisted me in my search for those final documents at the Library and Archives of Canada. Also the staff of the Directorate Of History and Heritage and The National Archives (United Kingdom). For their individual help and expertise on the subject of Canadian military engineering, John Sliz, Bill Rawlings, Doug Knight, Dave Carney, Executive Director/Canadian Military Engineers Association and Brigadier General (ret.) Dave Edgecombe. One of the most influential organizations that I have been privileged enough to be a volunteer part of, is the Center For Northern Appalachian Studies at Saint Vincent College. This organization and its many facets including the “Meadhall” group known as “Wissolik’s Irregulars” have had a major impact on the way in which I interpret the history of conflict and human experience during war. The broad spectrum groups of veterans and scholars that represent the core of the Center have done something very unique in preserving military history and I have been lucky to be a part of it. I would like to thank my colleagues at CNAS, Dr.
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