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The 133rd Engineer Battalion is a military engineering unit of the Maine Army National Guard. One of the largest and oldest units in the Maine National Guard, the battalion has responded to natural disasters at home and undertaken military deployments overseas. It has the capacity to execute a variety of Army Engineer missions, from horizontal construction, vertical construction, combat engineer missions and surveying. The battalion has two horizontal companies, one vertical company, one combat engineer company, a forward support company, a survey and design detachment and a headquarters company.
The 133rd Engineer Battalion is the oldest unit in the Maine Army National Guard and one of several National Guard units with campaign credit for the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Known as "Maine's Regiment", the 133rd traces its beginnings back to the formation of the Cumberland County Regiment of the Massachusetts Militia in 1760 and its subordinate element, the Portland Light Infantry in 1804. The Portland Light Infantry manned the defenses around Portland, such as Forts Preble and Scammell, to prevent British attack in 1814 during the War of 1812.
Other militia units flooded Portland that year, responding to a British invasion from the north that had seized Bangor and Castine. The British had taken control of portions of Maine and re-established the Crown colony of New Ireland. Several thousand British troops assembled in Castine with seven ships of the line, intent on taking Portland in 1814. However, American militia units from all over Maine put up such a strong defense that after a few skirmishes on the outskirts of town, the British decided that an attack would be too costly and cancelled the invasion.
Civil War
Maine men would be called on again in 1861 when war divided the nation into North and South. The Portland Light Infantry was designated as Company A of the 1st Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, a 90-day regiment, and marched off to Virginia but was not engaged in the Battle of Bull Run. The 1st Maine was mustered out of service on August 5, 1861.[1]
Many members of the 1st Maine Volunteer Infantry reenlisted as members of the 10th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment when it was formed in October 1861. It fought at the battles of Cedar Mountain and Antietam in 1862. Most enlistments in the 10th Maine expired on May 8, 1863, except for 3 companies of "three year men" who were retained in service as the 10th Maine Battalion. The 10th Maine Battalion served as the Provost Guard for the Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Gettysburg. The 29th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment was mustered into service on December 17, 1863, and was transferred to the southern theater, fighting in Louisiana in the Red River Campaign from March to May 1864, and then in Virginia from July 1864 to April 1865. On 29 May 1864, the 10th Maine Battalion was consolidated with the 29th Maine, thus establishing continuity with the 10th Maine Regiment and the 1st Maine Regiment. The 29th Maine served on occupation duty in South Carolina starting in June 1865 and was mustered out of service on June 21, 1866.[1]
Also in 1862, the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment was raised from the Brewer area. The 20th would become one of the most famous units in the Civil War. The regiment saw limited action at Antietam but made up for it at the Battle of Fredericksburg, where they were part of the assault element that aimed to take the Confederate defenses on the high ground. The 20th sustained heavy casualties and was pinned down for over twenty-four hours under enemy fire in the cold December weather. They were positioned on the far left of the Union line at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 and sustained multiple enemy attacks until the regiment had nearly run out of ammunition. They had been ordered to hold to the last man, and the regimental commander, Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain gave the order, "Bayonet, Forward!" knowing that he could not withdraw or the enemy would outflank the Union forces. The bayonet charge by the Mainers took the Confederates by surprise and ended their attacks entirely. For his actions, Colonel Chamberlain was awarded the Medal of Honor. The 20th would serve until the end of the war, fighting with distinction in the savage battles through Virginia, such as the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Petersburg. The 133rd Engineer Battalion carries on the lineage and traditions of the 20th Maine.[1]
1865-1916
At the end of the war, the Soldiers came home and returned to their civilian lives. Many kept up their military experience by membership in the 1st Maine Volunteer Militia, organized in 1873. The 1st M.V.M. had companies in Portland, Augusta, Skowhegan, Auburn, Norway, Bangor, Belfast, Hampden, and Old Town, laying out the footprint for the future 133rd Engineer Battalion. In 1893, the Maine Volunteer Militia was re-designated as the Maine National Guard, and the 1st M.V.M. was designated the 1st Maine Infantry. The 2nd Maine Infantry was also brought under the Maine National Guard when it was formed from the Maine Volunteer Militia in 1893.
In May 1898 the 1st Maine Infantry was mobilized as the 1st Maine Volunteer Infantry for service in the Spanish–American War. It served stateside and was mustered out of service on 13 December 1898.[1]
In 1909, the 1st M.V.M. reorganized and re-designated as the Maine Coast Artillery Corps, eventually forming thirteen numbered companies with batteries stationed from Bath to Kittery. In 1917 it was mobilized to protect the Maine coast, manning coast defenses, primarily near Portland. In December 1917, four of the companies were combined with Regular Army companies to form the 54th Artillery (Coast Artillery Corps)[1] and deployed to France, where they fought on the Marne and the Meuse-Argonne Campaigns. The remaining companies remained in Maine until they were demobilized in December 1918.
Pancho Villa Expedition and World War I
The 2nd Maine Infantry was called into service in 1916 for service on the Texas border during the Pancho Villa Expedition and then again in 1917 for World War I where it was combined with a unit from New Hampshire to become the 103rd U.S. Infantry, which was one of the four Infantry regiments in the 26th Division (nicknamed the "Yankee Division").[1] They served on the front lines in France, taking part in the battles of Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, Saint-Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, Ile de France, and Lorraine. One soldier, Private First Class George Dilboy,[2] was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in single-handedly overrunning a German machine gun position.
Interwar period
103rd Infantry
The 103rd Infantry arrived at the port of Boston on 6 April 1919 on the troopship USS America and was demobilized on 28 April 1919 at Camp Devens, Massachusetts. Per the National Defense Act of 1920, it was reconstituted in the National Guard in 1921, assigned to the 43rd Division, and allotted to Maine. It was reorganized on 22 November 1921 at Farmington, Maine, by consolidation of the 2nd and 3rd Infantry Regiments, Maine National Guard and designated as the 171st Infantry. It was re-designated as the 103rd Infantry on 31 December 1921. The regimental headquarters was relocated in 1922 to Portland, Maine. The regiment conducted annual summer training most years at Camp Keyes, Maine, and some years at Camp Devens, Massachusetts or Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont. The 103rd Infantry was inducted into active federal service at home stations on 24 February 1941 and moved to Camp Blanding, Florida, where it arrived on 13 March 1941.[3]
240th Coast Artillery
The 54th Artillery Regiment, Coast Artillery Corps, was demobilized on 13 March 1919. Coast artillery units were reorganized in the Maine National Guard in 1920–21 with old and new coast defense companies. The companies were designated as the 1st Coast Defense Command, Coast Artillery Corps, Maine National Guard, on 15 May 1922, and assigned to the Harbor Defenses of Portland. The eight National Guard coast defense command headquarters constituted after World War I were, in effect, regimental headquarters for their assigned batteries in their harbor defenses, but their role in mobilization remained unclear. A regimental organization was later formally effected in National Guard coast artillery units, and Maine's 1st C.D.C. became the regimental headquarters of the 240th Artillery Regiment (Harbor Defense), Coast Artillery Corps, which was organized and federally recognized on 11 July 1922, and redesignated as the 240th on 17 September 1923. It was intended to be organized as a 12-battery regiment. Again redesignated on 14 May 1924 as the 240th Coast Artillery Regiment (Harbor Defense). The regiment, or elements thereof, was called up to perform the following state duties: two batteries for relief duties in connection with a major fire in Thurston, Maine, 15–17 September 1924; Batteries C and H for fighting a forest fire in Sagadahoc County, Maine, 3–13 September 1926. Reorganized in 1931 from 12 to 9 batteries and organized as follows; 1st Battalion as harbor defense; 2nd Battalion as 155mm gun, tractor drawn; 3rd Battalion as antiaircraft. Relieved from the Harbor Defenses of Portland on 1 October 1933 and assigned to the General Headquarters Reserve. Reassigned to the Harbor Defenses of Portland in 1938. Conducted annual summer training at Fort Williams, Maine, 1921–40. Inducted into federal service at home stations on 16 September 1940 at Portland, and transferred to Fort McKinley, Maine, arriving there on 23 September 1940, where it assumed the mission of manning batteries in the Harbor Defenses of Portland.[4]
World War II
As the United States prepared to enter World War II, the 240th Coast Artillery was mobilized to defend Portland on September 16, 1940. On 7 October 1944, the regiment was re-organized into the 185th and 186th Coast Artillery Battalions. On 1 April 1945, the two battalions were consolidated into the Harbor Defenses of Portland, which was inactivated in June 1946.[1]
During World War II, the 103rd Infantry, as an element of the 43rd Infantry Division,[1] served in the Pacific theater, fighting in the battles of Guadalcanal, North Solomons, New Guinea, and Luzon, helping General MacArthur liberate the Philippines. They were the first unit to reach the Ipo Dam, which controlled the water supply for Manila, a crucial step in liberating the city.
Post WWII
In February 1947, the Coast Artillery units were re-organized and re-designated as the 703rd Anti-Aircraft Gun Battalion.[1] They were mobilized from August 1950 to April 1952 to replace Regular Army units that had deployed to Korea during the Korean War.
On 1 March 1959 Companies A, B, and C of the 703rd AA Bn consolidated with the 103rd Infantry and were reorganized and re-designated as the 103d Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR). Meanwhile, Headquarters and Company D of the 703rd AA Gun Bn were re-organized and re-designated, and consolidated with the 314th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion to form 1st Battalion, 240th Artillery. On 1 June 1961 the 103rd ACR, less the headquarters company, was reorganized and re-designated as the 20th Armor Regiment. At the same time, the Headquarters Company of the 103rd ACR was re-designated as Headquarters, 113th Armor Group.[1]
The 240th Artillery was converted, reorganized, and re-designated on 1 June 1961 as the 262nd Engineer Battalion with headquarters at Bangor.[1]
In 1962, the 3rd Battalion, 20th Armor was mobilized for the Berlin Crisis and stood ready in Fort Stewart, Georgia, until the crisis defused. In 1963, the 1st Battalion, 20th Armor was stood up in readiness during the Cuban Missile Crisis but the issues were resolved before the unit had to deploy. The 240th Coast Artillery served until the 1960's before being disbanded, but its lineage was assumed into the 20th Armor.[1]
On 31 December 1967 the 20th Armor consolidated with Headquarters, 113th Armor Group to form the 133rd Engineer Battalion.[1]
On 1 September 1993 the 133rd Engineer Battalion was consolidated with the 262nd Engineer Battalion while retaining its designation as the 133rd Engineer Battalion.[1]
133d Engineer Battalion
Since 1970, 133rd Engineer Battalion has served both at home for disaster relief missions and abroad in defense of the nation. In 1992 the battalion deployed to Panama to improve infrastructure in rural areas. In 1994, the battalion functioned as Mission Command in support of New Horizons, Task Force Dirigo, in Guatemala, a humanitarian and disaster relief mission. In 1997, units of the 133rd were deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Guard.
After 9/11, the 133d was mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II between 2004 and 2005.[5] The battalion served as the Engineer Task Force for I Corps' Task Force Olympia in the Multi-National Brigade-Northwest Area of Operations. As a battalion, the 133rd completed over 730 troop missions, completed host-nation improvements in excess of 15 million dollars, built over 12 kilometers of earthen berms for force protection, and completed 15 airfield assistance missions. In addition, the 133d completed 84 humanitarian assistance missions, donating 1473 boxes of school supplies, clothes, shoes, food, and toys to Iraqi communities as well as building roads, wells and multiple schools and medical clinics. The 133rd Engineer Battalion's area of operations (AO) spanned an area the size of the U.S. northeast, significantly larger than most Engineer battalion's normal span of control in Iraq. The 133rd was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation for their participation in the Transition of Iraq and Iraqi Governance Campaigns.[6]
In 2005, members of the 133rd responded to Louisiana to provide security and disaster relief assistance after Hurricane Katrina. [citation needed] Similarly, the 133rd sent Joint Task Force Maine to Vermont in 2011 to assist in Tropical Storm Irene recovery. The 133rd opened several key routes in Vermont that had been closed to debris or washouts, enabling communities to get assistance.
U.S. Army Spc. Symone Sherrill, an engineer with the 150th Engineer Company, New Jersey Army National Guard, assigned to the 133rd Engineer Battalion, Maine Army National Guard, carries a traffic cone while marking off her work area during a project to build an earth-filled barrier at Bagram Airfield in Parwan province, Afghanistan, Dec. 28, 2013.
Following Hurricane Irene in 2011, a task force of vertical and horizontal Engineers from the 133rd assisted communities in Vermont in their recovery efforts.[7]
Following Superstorm Sandy in 2012, a task force of vertical and horizontal Engineers from the 133rd assisted communities in Connecticut in their recovery efforts.[citation needed]
In the spring of 2013, the 133rd deployed a company of vertical engineers to El Salvador to assist in critical infrastructure repairs in support of Operation Beyond the Horizon.[citation needed]
An article in the Portland Press Herald dated April 30, 2014 stated the 133rd Engineer Battalion is under consideration for transfer to Pennsylvania and replacement in-state by an infantry battalion.[8] These plans were declared shelved in November 2015.[9]
Lt. Col. Lisa Sessions made history as the first woman to hold the post of commander in the Maine Army National Guard’s 133rd Engineer Battalion. The change of command ceremony took place on April 3, 2022, at the Brunswick Armed Forces Reserve Center. During this event, Lt. Col. Shanon Cotta handed over command to Lt. Col. Lisa Sessions, marking a significant milestone for women in leadership within the battalion.[10][11]
↑ Clay, Steven E. (2010). U.S. Army Order of Battle, 1919-1941, Volume 1. The Arms: Major Commands and Infantry Organizations, 1919-41. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press. p.406. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
↑ Clay, Steven E. (2010). U.S. Army Order of Battle, 1919-1941, Volume 2. The Arms: Cavalry, Field Artillery, and Coast Artillery, 1919-41. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press. pp.1, 110. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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