On March 11, 1945 the Navy Seabees were called upon to put General George Patton's 3rd Army across the Rhine river. The Seabees were asked to operate landing craft, build pontoon causeways and operate Rhino ferries to facilitate the breaching of German defenses.

Pontoons and landing craft were loaded on enormous trucks at Normandy and hauled across France and the German border to the banks of the Rhine.

They first crossed the Rhine at Remagen, other crossing followed.

On March 22, 1945, General Patton's armored forces were put across the Rhine at Oppenheim in a Frontal assault against Hitler's forces.

The rest of the story is history.

Props to the Seabees and other combat engineers whose role in all wars is not sufficiently acknowledged or appreciated. Of the WWII generals, Patton is my hero despite his issues/denial of PTSD (known in WWII as combat fatigue).

I was in the Sea Bee's......

It was amazing at all the stuff they did from dirt work, bridges,
stringing telephone and downed power lines even demolition.

Headquarters Company had it easy............
They just typed away and keep notes in the air conditioned offices....................

Through all my years in the Bees, we did all kinds of construction and demolition. These are some examples: heavy timber bridge, I'm third from the right, medium girder bridge, block walls, and metal buildings.

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We constructed many fighting positions. One of those air conditioned offices and me in front of my office.

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I've always associated Seabees with the Pacific. I guess I assumed that Army forces did similar work in Europe.


And I knew that the bridge at Remagen was captured and supposed that the bridge was the main means for the Army to enter Germany.


Well, live and learn!

Will you elaborate on what type trucks were used?

terry

I tried and failed to find a photo but IIRC they looked like the old fashioned MAC tractor with the boxy cab that one would associate with an 18 wheeler.

Nice to see the old pic of greens when did they go to camo Chief Thanks OldSeabee 63-67 I never seen camo

We went into camo in '94, IIRC. The old timers cried, you would have thought they'd lost their favorite hound. Every other service had already gone to camo so being in greens really stood out. The Viet vets were the most upset.

Well done Sir! We have some county roads that have bridges across ravines etc-that look like this---only-they are now rickety and made out of R.R. ties.

I think these have been around since the 20s or early 30s??

I doubt your bridges are exactly the same as this bridge is made of aluminum alloy. IIRC, it was designed for WWII by the British. It is packaged neatly on pallets to be dropped by parachute or cargo chute from low flying aircraft. It is used ahead of attacking forces to replace damaged bridges or were no bridge exist.

Some may not be aware that the USAF has a combat engineering organization parallel to the Seabees, called REDHORSE (Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer) and with about the same capabilities. There are 15 REDHORSE squadrons throughout the active Air Force, Reserves, and Air National Guard.

My Dad was in the Seabees in WWII in the South Pacific. I remember his stories about following the Marines after they had secured island beach-heads to begin building air strips. Islands he mentioned were Kwajaline, Eniwetok, and Bouganville among others (not sure about my spelling). He talked about operating heavy equipment while bullets were whistling past but thankfully the only injury he had was a broken ankle from jumping off a lumber pile. Wish he was still here to tell me more about it,

rolomac

I wonder if they were the M26. It was used to haul tanks, so it definitely falls under the heading of enormous. It was nicknamed the Dragon Wagon:

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

I had both greens and woodland. Should still have them stored somewhere on the place.

There is a Red Horse detachment at Camp Perry in Ohio.

In my Father military service time there was a saying: "Never hit a Seabee, as you might be hitting your Father".

Or grandfather.

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Oh well, what the hell.

I always enjoy your posts, Master Chief.

I'll bet you're still a squared away, tough-looking guy. Old habits die hard.

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Oh well, what the hell.

I did a short stretch in MCB133, a long time ago........

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dd884
JMHO-YMMV

HA! I was in MCB-5 from '74-'78. IIRC we followed you in the deployment rotation. Or the other way around. Or I could be totally wrong. The '70s are a bit fuzzy around the edges for me...

You must have been ahead of us. The montra was **** it leave it for 40..............

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dd884
JMHO-YMMV

Glad I was in when I was 63-67 Got to work with some plank owners Oh Lordy could them old farts drink To this day still amazed OldSeabee

Well, I was in the Navy, Chief, but I wasn't a Seebee. I have been to Remagen though, and I can only imagine what those guys had to go through to put a bridge there, under enemy fire. A very impressive feat.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

The very famous, Gen John K. Siglaub of WWII OSS and Viet Nam MACVSOG fame was credited with saying that the Navy Seabees would build anything, anywhere, any time, even under fire. He said that in defense of the Bees when after Viet Nam, the Pentagon was considering combining all combat engineers under one service. His argument must have worked as they are still around.

I suppose many may remember the WWII John Wayne movie "The Fighting Seabees." I suspect it was highly fictionalized. One of several in which John Wayne's character was killed at the end.

Heh heh, the way some of these were built-musta been strictly from after-thought. I worked for the Boll-wevil Foundation one season-many of the cotton fields I had to check--could only be accessed by crossing one of those R.R. tie bridges. You could hear them moan and groan--driving over them very slowly and carefully.

Many think of the the Seabees as a wedge issue

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Huh? Can you explain that?

In the 1944 John Wayne movie previously mentioned, he played the leading character Wedge Donovan (I don't think it's a real person) who was instrumental in creating the Seabees (at least in the movie). The movie was set in the Pacific.

OK, thanks. I was thinking along the line of a divider......

The club that houses the CPO & Officer's club as well as the EM club at Port Hueneme, CA( home of the west coast Seabees) is called Duke's in honor of John Wayne. The theme song of the movie "Fighting Seabees" is the anthem for the Bees. It was one of Wayne's more lame movies,IMO.

Chief you need to show the boys the marston matting for all the air strips . If you have any pic thanks OldSeabee

I also thought Combat engineers were in Europe and Seabee's in the Pacific.

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US Army 71-73 USMC 75-78

The marston matting was used for rapid runway repair. I couldn't find a photo of one but I did have a photo of NMCB-133 in Kandahar repairing a runway.

Also showing a photo of me that illustrates that some of us are grandpas.
Notice the ever present cup of coffee that CPOs are noted for.

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It was intended mainly as wartime propaganda and for morale building on the home front more than anything else, showing that our fighting men were invincible against the Axis.

There was also a large Navy presence in Europe and the Atlantic during WWII.

Has any EM made the mistake of washing out a CPO coffee mug ??

(does your rear still hurt ?)

Or having the Captain catch you sitting in his chair....

The development of Tinan into the world's largest airfield(s) is an epic of logistics and engineering in which the Seabees played a huge part.
If you care to read more this essay was written for a reunion of the 112th NCB.

Here's another monograph explaining the development of Tinian in greater detail.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

That was really great, thank you, TAROMAN.

"0347... conducted test of captain's chair. Test satisfactory. Log that."

When stationed at Keesler AFB, MS, the Seabee base was next door at Gulfport. Keeping things in the proper manner, the local TV station played The Fighting Seabees at least once a month.
And I watched it every time..

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

Refers to Wedge Donovan played by John Wayne in: The Fighting Seabees. Sorr if its already answered by now? no time to read all the posts.

Many Marines served in the ETO as well, not all on ships.

Master Chief, is the story true about how the Marine Corps was started by the Navy being jealous of the Army having the K-9 corps so the Navy started the Marine Corps .

I heard it was to give the sailors somebody to dance with.....

I have been on the Gulfport Seabee base several times, but not in over 15 years. Seems I remember that many of the streets were not paved with concrete or asphalt, but sort of like compacted gravel. I thought that was unusual. Perhaps that's changed by now.

About all I recall of the place was a giant pile of some sort of ore, bauxite, maybe?

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95