NarrativeHistory 146th ECB

On 1 June 1944, The Battalion boat teams were starting their seeminly interminable wait about their respective transports for the arrival of D-Day and H-Hour.

Those of the boat teams aboard the Princess Maud (an ex-pleasure craft) were well housed but did not fare so well in the matter of food, although the newly experienced 10 - in - 1 rations provided ample nutrition.

The days slid by with personnel having brief exercise periods, receiving their last briefings and checking their equipment with last minute adjustments. Morale was very high - - at last, the time to put into effect the results of intensive training had arrived. No more "dry runs" and more "dry runs" on mock courses. The real thing was on hand. And the previously simulated enemy was now to be a very definite factor of oposition.

Then on the eve of 4 June 1944, officially backed word was flashed around. This was "it" ! ! ! D - Day was to-morrow- - the 5th and H - Hour - - 0620. But no, the original dates and time were not to hold. For reasons known only to higher Headquarters, (although as it appeared change might have been caused by unsuitable weather and rough channel waters), a few hours later the D - Day date was changed to the 6th of June and H - Hour moved up to 0630. (See Foot note below)

So having remained in Waymouth Harbor until the 5th of June, the Princess Maud sailed at 1600 hours that day, heading towards channel waters. After supper, the troops were caused to go to their bunks for a rest or sleep period -- both dificult to do with the mounting excitement and expectations.

At 0030 they were called for a hot meal, for at 0130 loading of the boat teams onto their respective LCM's was to begin. But this loading was delayed. LCM's put in a delayed appearance; the sea of the channel was rough and choppy. The LCM's tossed about and were hard to control. However, by 0600, all LCM's had been loaded and headed for "Omaha" assault beach.

Meanwhile, starting at Portland Harbor, similar procedure took place. The LCT's with the assault boat teams aboard, remained in the harbor until June 4 June 1944. The men slept upon the decks with plenty of blankets available for warmth and as for food a plentiful supply of 10 - in - 1 rations was available.

On the 4 June 1944 at 0200, the LCT's sailed along the coast towards the English Channel but with the change in D - Day date put into effect, then put about and returned to Portland at 1100 hours.

Once again, at 0200 on the 5th, the LCT's put forth again, sailing towards the channel. Sailing all day at 1600, the Isle of Wight was in the offing and at that point, course was changed , heading in a southerly direction for the "Omaha" Assault Beach.

King, (the rendezvous point) was reached at 0530 and very shortly thereafter the boat teams were aboard their LCM's heading for the beach. During the dark early morning hours, preliminary aerial and naval bombardment of the enemy held coast was visible. All that activity created quite a spectacle of light display coupled with the dull booming of guns and thud of bombs carrying over the watery expanse of the channel to the waiting assault troops.

The LCM's did not land at the "Omaha" assault beach as originally scheduled with one assault wave, followed by support boats. Instead, landing times of the LCM's varied. Coupled with the fact that supposedly infantry assault waves were in some places landing with the engineers and utilizing obstacles to be blown as cover, planned procedures suffered setbacks. Also, despite the efforts and briefing to isure correct landing places during training -- most of the LCM's were not beached at the beach sector that they were scheduled to land.

Most of the LCM's landed to the left of the stretch of beach scheduled for gap clearances by the 146th. Four boat teams, support boats A, B, C and D landed in fact on the section of the beach assigned to the 299th Engineer Combat Battalion.

However, as the boat teams landed the leaders and boat team members vaiantly made best of the situation they found. Despite enemy fire of all type upon the beach, all those who possibly could, worked in preparation to blowing their gaps as scheduled. How well they succeeded is attested to by the fact that under the adverse conditions, at least part of the original mission (see Field Orders) was accomplished, four full gaps and one narrow gap being blown.

Then - - since the work being done was on a rising tide, high tide interrupted obstacle blowing activity. But on the second tide of D-Day all boat teams were able to complete gaps and those who initially made gaps widened them from west to east. On D + 1 day the same system of working from west to east was continued on all gaps.

Utilizing darkness and making full use of low tide conditions during early morning hours, the men and officers of the Battalion labored on throughout the first and second nights on the beach.

During these days and nights, the engineers of the Battalion, as well as their ever present and very active medical personnel, continued thr exemplary accomplishments despite that death and destruction continued on all sides. Many gave their lives and singular personal accomplishments were many - - later recorded in a measure and attested to by appropriate awards and citations.

By D + 2, the beach and sorrounding area became relatively quiet as allied forces contunued to beat the enemy further and further inland. Work continued in removing the beach obstacles with mechanical equipment with the help of dozers from the Navy and Beach Battalions of the Engineer Special Brigade, but from this point on, removal by demolition was seldom used, due to the crowded condition of the beach.

Late on D + 2 , armored D- 8 dozers, assigned to the Battalion for the operation, also come onto the scene and also were utilized to a full degree on the days, D + 3 and D + 4. Thus the Battalion labored thru, together with Beach Brigade Units from almost chaotic beach conditions until order started to appear on the beach.

By D + 4 day (10 June 1944) the 146th Battalion reverted from direct V Corps control, thru the Engineer Special Task Force Headquarters, to control by the 1121st Engineer Combat Group, and retiring from the beach, the Battalion bivouaced * at Montigny. The first breathing spell since H - Hour had arrived.

At Montigny and Bricqueville, the Battalion "licked its wounds", rested and reorganized and waited to be joined by its residue. The 1st. increment of the residue did arrive to join the Battalion at Bricqueville and from the period of 14 June 1944 to 30 June 1944 the Battalion preformed** normal engineer duties consisting primarily of road maintenance.

It was when the Battalion had moved to the vicinity of Tournieres that the last increment of the residue joined the Battalion proper and once again the 146th was in its entirety -- a full-fledged unit of the field.