2nd Engineer Battalion (United States)

Last updated

2nd Engineer Battalion
2 Eng Bn CoA.jpg
Coat of Arms
Active1861 - 2005
2008 - Present
CountryFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Branch US Army Corps of Engineers
Type Combat Engineer Battalion
SizeBattalion
Part of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division
Garrison/HQFt Bliss
Motto(s)Sapper Steel, Ardeur et Tenacite
Engagements
Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia 2 Eng Bn DUI.jpg

The 2nd Engineer Battalion is an engineer battalion in the United States Army which can trace its lineage back to 1861.

Contents

Lineage

Organized 31 December 1861 in the Regular Army at Washington, D.C., from new and existing companies of engineers as a provisional engineer battalion (constituted 28 July 1866 as the Battalion of Engineers)

Expanded 14 March-7 June 1901 to form the 1st and 2d Battalions of Engineers (1st Battalion of Engineers—hereafter separate lineage)

2d Battalion of Engineers expanded, reorganized, and redesignated 1 July-1 August 1916 as the 2d Regiment of Engineers

2d Regiment of Engineers expanded 21 May-20 June 1917 to form the 2d, 4th, and 5th Regiments of Engineers (4th and 5th Regiments of Engineers—hereafter separate lineages)

2d Regiment of Engineers redesignated 29 August 1917 as the 2d Engineers

Assigned in September 1917 to the 2d Division (later redesignated as the 2nd Infantry Division (United States))

1st Battalion, 2d Engineers, reorganized and redesignated 16 October 1939 as the 2d Engineer Battalion (remainder of regiment disbanded)

Redesignated 1 August 1942 as the 2d Engineer Combat Battalion

Redesignated 1 March 1954 as the 2d Engineer Battalion

Inactivated 15 June 2005 in Korea

Headquarters and Headquarters Company activated 16 October 2008 at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico (Support Company concurrently constituted and activated)

Inactivated 30 April 2015 at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico [1]

Activated 10 June 2015 at Fort Bliss, Texas as part of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division.

World War 1

The 2nd Engineer Regiment was deployed to the Mexican border prior to US involvement in the First World War. On the US entry to the war the 2nd Engineers deployed to the Western Front in France as the organic Engineering element of the 2nd Division.

The regiment arrived in theater under strength. On 15 December 1917, 400 men from Companies D, E and F of the 116th Engineers (Idaho National Guard) assigned to the 41st "Sunset" Division. The remainder of the 116th Engineers formed the cadre of new military training depot in Angers, France.

The 1st and 2nd battalions of the 2nd Engineers participated in the Battle of Belleau Wood in direct support of the 4th Marine Brigade of the US Army's 2nd Division. Elements of the 2nd Engineers provided combat engineer support and fought as infantry throughout the battle. In the words of author and U.S. Marine Corps veteran John Thomason, "There were always good feelings between the Marines of the 2d Division and the Regular Army units that formed it, but the Marines and the 2d Engineers – 'Say, if I ever get a drink, a 2d Engineer can have half of it! Boy they dig trenches and mend roads all night, and they fight all day!'"

Korean War

In late fall of 1950 Chinese forces surprised and overran U.S. and U.N. troops, including the U.S. Eighth Army and the 2nd Infantry Division. By the last week of November, U.S. and U.N. troops were forced to withdraw south. The 2nd Engineer Battalion was the organic combat engineer battalion assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division. The battalion was ordered to hold the town of Kunu-Ri protecting the rear and right flank of the Eighth Army as it retreated. Companies from the battalion were attached to two infantry regiments, the 9th and 38th, to fill gaps in the defending lines. The lines eventually gave way to brutal assaults by three Chinese divisions. By 26 November, after three days of heavy fighting, the three enemy divisions had grown to five, with more on the way. On 29 November, the battalion received orders to relocate south to Sunchon, but the Chinese had blocked the only escape route south at a mountain pass. The 2nd Engineer Battalion moved forward to clear a path through the obstacle and open the road. Once the road was cleared, the battalion was told to hold the line with the 23rd Infantry Regiment and A Battery of the 503rd Field Artillery. Early on 30 November, the massive 2nd Infantry Division convoy began to slowly make its way across the mountain pass through a six-mile gauntlet of Chinese sniper and mortar fire. Within hours the situation turned from bad to worse as swarms of Chinese troops engulfed the retreating column. The 2nd Engineer Battalion was the only unit left to oppose the massive Chinese assault. The engineers successfully held off the enemy long enough for the remainder of the 2nd Infantry Division to evacuate through the pass.

Burning of the colors

Unfortunately, by this time the engineers' window of opportunity to escape had closed. At 7:30 p.m. on 30 November, Col. Alarich Zacherle, battalion commander, ordered all equipment destroyed. Magnesium grenades were dropped on heavy equipment tracks and engines. Tires were filled with gasoline, thrown inside vehicles and set ablaze. Zacherle then ordered the battalion colors, its custom-made box, and the 25 combat streamers that adorned it soaked in gasoline and set on fire. He wanted to prevent the Chinese from capturing it as a war trophy. About 30 minutes after Zacherle gave that order, the Chinese forces overran the engineers. "Burning the colors and getting the hell out of there" were the only two things on their minds, but very few escaped. When the battalion regrouped after the battle, just 266 of the original 977 Soldiers remained. One officer was present; all others had been killed or captured.

Reenactment

Every year since the mid-1990s, the battalion has held a solemn nighttime ceremony where those actions are remembered and the unit's colors burned. During the re-enactment, a roll call is taken for the soldiers who endured the battle. Soldiers of the current 2nd Engineer Battalion answer by calling out the status of each, most often "Killed in action, sir." Retired Major Arden A. Rowley, one of many soldiers captured during the battle by the Chinese, answered for himself during the roll call of 22 November 2013. [2]

Campaign participation credit

Civil War: Peninsula; Antietam; Fredericksburg; Chancellorsville; Wilderness; Spotsylvania; Cold Harbor; Petersburg; Appomattox; Virginia 1863

Philippine Insurrection: Streamer without inscription

Mexican Expedition: Mexico 1916–1917

World War I: Aisne; Aisne-Marne; St. Mihiel; Meuse-Argonne; Lorraine 1918; Ile de France 1918

World War II: Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe

Korean War: UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea, Summer-Fall 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korea, Summer 1953

Decorations

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9th Infantry Regiment (United States)</span> Military unit

The 9th Infantry Regiment ("Manchu") is a parent infantry regiment of the United States Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Ranger Battalion</span> Military unit

The 2nd Ranger Battalion, currently based at Joint Base Lewis–McChord south of Seattle, Washington, United States, is the second of three ranger battalions belonging to the United States Army's 75th Ranger Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">26th Infantry Regiment (United States)</span> Military unit

The 26th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Army. Its nickname is "Blue Spaders", taken from German soldiers in World War I, seeing the spade-like device on the regiment's distinctive unit insignia, and calling those soldiers “Blauerspadern”. The 26th Infantry Regiment is part of the U.S. Army Regimental System; currently only the 1st Battalion is active and assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">14th Infantry Regiment (United States)</span> Military unit

The 14th Infantry Regiment is a United States Army light infantry regiment. It has served in the American Civil War, Boxer Rebellion, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Operation Restore Hope, Operation Uphold Democracy, Operation Joint Guard, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Gothic Serpent, Operation New Dawn, Operation Resolute Support, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 14th Infantry Regiment did not take part in combat during World War I. It has also conducted peacekeeping and humanitarian missions in the Sinai Peninsula, Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, Bosnia, and Kosovo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">73rd Cavalry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 73rd Cavalry Regiment is a Cavalry Regiment in the United States Army, first formed in 1941. The three squadrons of the 73rd Cavalry Regiment provide reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) to the Brigade Combat Teams of the 82nd Airborne Division. 3rd Squadron is assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Squadron is assigned to 2nd Brigade, and 5th Squadron is assigned to 3rd Brigade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Infantry Regiment (United States)</span> Military unit

The 2nd Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the United States Army that has served for more than two hundred years. It was constituted on 12 April 1808 as the 6th Infantry and consolidated with 4 other regiments in 1815 to form the present unit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Provincial Company of Artillery</span> Military unit

During the American Revolutionary War, the New York Provincial Company of Artillery was created by the New York Provincial Congress in 1776 to defend New York City from British attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment is an active duty airborne infantry battalion in the United States Army, assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team and stationed at Caserma Del Din, Vicenza, Italy. The battalion has served with the 2nd Infantry Division, the 11th Airborne Division, the 24th Infantry Division, The 25th Infantry Division, the 82nd Airborne Division, the 101st Airborne Division, and the 173rd Airborne Brigade; has been stationed in Korea, Germany, Italy and the United States; and earned campaign credits in World War II, the Vietnam War, Operation Enduring Freedom—Afghanistan, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th Field Artillery Regiment</span> Military unit

The 6th Field Artillery Regiment is a Field Artillery Branch regiment of the United States Army first activated in 1907 from numbered companies of artillery. It was first organized with two battalions.

The 8th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1916. The regiment served in World War I, World War II, and Korea, and regimental units have served in Vietnam, Honduras, Panama, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Currently organized as a parent regiment under the U.S. Army Regimental System, the regiment's only active component is the 2nd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery Regiment, currently assigned to the 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division and stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">15th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)</span> Military unit

The 15th Field Artillery Regiment (FAR) is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1916. A parent regiment under the U.S. Army Regimental System, the 15th FAR currently has two active battalions: the 1st Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, is assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, while the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, is assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.

The 16th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army. The regiment served with the 4th Division in World War II and with the 4th and 8th Divisions between the World Wars. As the 16th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, it served with the 9th Armored Division during World War II, and with the 2nd Armored Division after the war. Designated a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental system, and later the U.S. Army Regimental System, since 1957, regimental elements have served with the 1st, 2nd and 4th Armored Divisions; the 4th, 8th, and 81st Infantry Divisions; and the 1st Cavalry Division. Regimental elements have participated in combat in Vietnam, and in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The regiment currently has a single active battalion, the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery, assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division and stationed at Fort Cavazos, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment</span> Military unit

The 43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an air defense artillery regiment of the United States Army first constituted 1918 in the Regular Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">300th Field Artillery Regiment</span> Field artillery regiment of the US Army

The 300th Field Artillery Regiment is a Field Artillery regiment of the United States Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">146th Field Artillery Regiment</span> US military unit

The 146th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the Army National Guard first Constituted in 1886 as the 1st, and 2nd Regiments of Infantry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">180th Cavalry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 1st Squadron, 180th Cavalry Regiment is a formation of the United States Army, headquartered in McAlester, Oklahoma. It is a part of the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard and is one of the oldest units in the brigade.

The 132nd Engineer Battalion is an engineer battalion of the United States Army. It has been formed twice, once associated with the lineage of the 196th Infantry Regiment in 1942–46, and thirty years later, in the California National Guard. Officially, due to the lineage system of the United States Army, neither unit formed under this designation is associated with the other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Infantry Division Artillery (United States)</span> Military unit

The 2nd Infantry Division Artillery (DIVARTY) or "Warrior Strike" is the Force Field Artillery Headquarters for the 2nd Infantry Division. The DIVARTY served with the division from 1917 to present, including combat service in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. In addition to peacetime service with the division at Fort Lewis, Washington, Fort Benning, Georgia, and in Japan and Alaska, the DIVARTY spent 40 years in Korea. After seven years stationed at Joint Base Lewis–McChord, where the DIVARTY provided fire support coordination and mission command for the training and readiness of five field artillery battalions, the Army restationed the DIVARTY to Camp Humphreys on 16 September 2021.

The 120th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the Wisconsin Army National Guard.

The 10th Engineer Battalion is a unit of the United States Army that deploys to designated contingency areas and conducts combat and/or stability operations in support of a brigade combat team. It is a divisional mechanized combat engineer unit, composed of four line companies and a headquarters company. As of 17 January 2015, the battalion exists as the 10th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Fort Stewart, GA under the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.

References

  1. "Final Goodbyes". Archived from the original on 15 June 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  2. Janessa Maxilom (24 November 2013). "White Sands Missile Range burns colors, re-enacts Korea's 'Battle of Kunu-Ri'". Stars and Stripes . New Mexico: Alamogordo Daily News. On Friday, the White Sands Missile Range 2nd Engineer Battalion commemorated actions performed by their battalion 63 years ago during the Korean War's 'Battle of Kunu-Ri' by burning their unit colors.

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from 2d Engineer Battalion Lineage and Honors. United States Army Center of Military History.