- Activation. The 14th
officially came into being on 1 August 1942 at Camp Rucker, Alabama.
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- Officers and Enlisted Men.
The 14th typically consisted of 4 officers and 119 enlisted men. The officers
were: a Captain, who commanded the company; a 1st Lieutenant, who served as the 14th's
Executive Officer (second-in-command); and 2 Lieutenants, each of whom commanded 1 of the
company's platoons.
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- Work Performed. Based on
official reports by the 14th, it typically salvaged or repaired damaged 4.2 inch mortars,
flamethrowers, smoke generators, gas masks, and gas decontamination equipment.
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- United States. From 30 July
1942
until 03 December 1943 the 14th was stationed in the United States at the following locations in the
following order: Camp Rucker, Alabama; Manchester, Tennessee; Camp Forrest, Tennessee;
Donelson, Tennessee; Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia; Fort McClellan, Alabama; For Benning,
Georgia; Camp Wheeler, Georgia; Camp Gordon, Georgia; and Camp Shanks, New York.
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- Departure. The
14th embarked on troop transport number NY 631 at Pier 90 in New York City at 0300 (3:00
a.m.) on 3 December 1943. They sailed for Europe later that morning in a convoy
of ships.
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- Crowded. On the troop
ship the 14th was quartered in a section constructed to
hold a Maximum of 150 men, but there were 315
men using it because they had to share it with 2 Army Air Corps Companies. The 14th's morale
was rated as only "fair" due to the
crowded quarters.
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- Arrival in Europe. The 14th
disembarked at Gourock, Scotland (near the Port of Glasgow) at 1100 hours (11:00 am) on 9 December 1943 after a 6 day
crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.
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- 1st U.S. Army. The 14th
was assigned to the 1st U.S. Army from 14 December 1943 until 16 May 1945.
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- United Kingdom. From 9
December 1943
until 26 June 1944 the 14th was stationed in England at these locations in the following
sequence: Stanford-in-the-Vale; Camp Columbia "A" and
"B" at Thatcham; Camp Brockley at Somerset; and Marshalling
area "L" at Saltern Park.
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- Omaha Beach. After
sailing from Plymouth, England, a small
advance party from the company landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, at 2030 hours
(8:30 p.m.) on 26 June 1944 (D-Day Plus 20) and bivouacked overnight in Transit
Vehicle Area No. 4. At 1420 hours (2:20 p.m.) the next day it was joined by the rest of the company, which
spent that night in Area No. 4 also.
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- France and Belgium. From 26 June 1944
until 04 March 1945 the 14th was stationed in France at the following locations in the
following order: Mosles, Saint Marceuf, Moffet, La Loupe, La Capelle, Bruyers, and
Ensival, Belgium.
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- Good Conduct. Twenty-two
of the 14th's enlisted men were awarded the Good Conduct Medal on 14 December 1944.
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- Bronze Star. The
following members of the 14th were presented the Bronze Star Medal on 8 January
1945:
Captain Donald S. Angell
First Lieutenant Walter Kovacs
Technical Sergeant Carl Bigler
Technical Sergeant
______ Ingvaldson
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- Casualties. Private First
Class Jodice was killed during a German
bombing raid in late July 1944. Private First
Class Washburn and Private J. Johnson were wounded by metal fragments from a land mine
explosion on 23 March 1945.
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- Germany. From 04 March
1945 until 12 June 1945 the 14th was stationed in Germany at these locations in
the following order: Rolsdorf, Duisdorf, Marburg, Warburg, and Nordhausen.
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- Headed Home. On 12 June
1945 the 14th was transferred from Germany to Camp Lucky Strike at St. Valery, France and
then to Le Havre, France. From there it sailed at 1415 (2:15 p.m.) on 24 June 1945 aboard
the "Benjamin Huntington." The
14th arrived at New York City on 7 July 1945 after spending 19 months overseas.
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- 30 Days at Home. Starting
8 July 1945 almost all of the 14th's officers and enlisted men were "placed on
temporary duty at their homes for 30 days recuperation."
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- Camp Polk. Starting 13
July 1945 the 14th was stationed at Camp Polk, Louisiana.
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This page Copyright by
Our
Father's Footsteps All Rights Reserved.
Created July 4, 2001. Last updated
March 8, 2009.
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