Description:

(D-DAY) JOURNAL OF THE 1ST ENGINEER COMBAT BATTALION
WILLIAM B. GARA (1917 - 2001) was an American Army Lieutenant Colonel, commander of the 1st Engineer Combat Battalion, 1st Infantry Division. Gara was a genuine war hero by any definition. He led his 700 men from North Africa to Sicily, he landed among the very first soldiers on Omaha Beach, was heavily engaged at the Battle of the Bulge, and fought into Germany until the end of the war. His most valiant service was at Omaha Beach where the 1st Engineers were tasked with landing minutes after the infantry, clearing obstacles to allow more landing craft to safely arrive, and continuing to clear barbed wire, mines, anti-tank obstacles and ravines, etc. from the beaches to a point a few miles inland to clear the path for infantry, tanks, and then truck transports. Under intense enemy small arms and anti-tank fire, Gara's engineers, along with elements of the 37th Engineers Battalion, opened the first and most important exit from Omaha Beach, E-1, allowing American GIs to flank the German defenses and begin their drive inland. By war's end, Gara had received two Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars. Gara's personal copy of the typed combat journal of the 'First Engineer Combat Battalion 8 November 1942 - 31 May 1945', originally marked 'SECRET' on every page, signed twice by Gara, on the first page when reclassified as 'Restricted' and again on p. 3 on an update letter, July 5, 1945. Almost all of the report was obviously created immediately after the events described, as would be normal procedure and as evidenced by the different types of paper used in the various reports. These being carbon copies and retained by Gara make it clear this was Gara's personal copy. This is a complete, very highly-detailed hour-by-hour history of this exceptional battalion, from its service following the Algeria-French Morocco landings, service in Tunisia, destruction of enemy pillboxes and landing obstacles in Sicily, valiant effort to clear the first exit from Omaha Beach on June 6, 1942, service in the Hurtgen Forest, and advance into northern France, the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and central Europe. The reports are arranged in reverse chronological order, and show Gara, initially a major, commanding the battalion from the start. The most significant reports include one describing action commencing on Jan. 29, 1943, when the entire battalion was sent to the front in Tunisia, in the Ousseltia Valley, where they laid 8,000 anti-tank mines and repaired roads. From Feb 21-25, following the American debacle at Kasserine Pass, the battalion counterattacked at that pass with the 16th Combat Team, taking the pass and planning its defense. May 22, 1943, as the battalion clears hundreds of mines, often under mortar fire, with some men killed and wounded. On July 6, 1943, the battalion sailed from Algiers for the invasion of Sicily, landing on July 10, five minutes after the first Americans hit the beach. They move inland with the 16th Infantry and immediately take six prisoners. Within a few hours, they defuse mines on bridges, and repair and mark a landing strip. The battalion remains in constant service in Sicily until Oct. 23, as it blasts new roads, demolishes roadblocks, constructs bridges, marks trails and roads, defuses booby traps, and so on, again very often under heavy fire and taking losses. Some of the battalion returned to England on Nov. 6 and commenced intense training for the D-Day landings, with a large detachment returning to Oran in North Africa to engage the enemy at Oran, securing the docks and port facilities from Nov. 8-10. The battalion reassembled in England for months of training for the D-Day landings, and every phase of the preparations is discussed in detail. On June 6th, Gara's entries tersely describe the desperate situation: '...0645...landed on OMAHA Beach...under intense artillery, AT, mortar, MG and small arms fire...unable to blow underwater obstacles due to enemy fire, casualties...previous attempted landings at 0730 driven off by enemy fire...pinned down on beach...Craft hit by AT fire 3 officers and 1 EM wounded. Craft unable to get through underwater beach obstacles...Co. A began work on exit road using bulldozer of 37th Engrs. Joined by elements of Co. C. Work begun on clearing road inland...15 ft. AT ditch filled...' In his narrative, Gara also notes: '...several paths were cleared through barbed wire and minefields by use of bangalore torpedoes. These allowed troops to get off the beach to the comparative safety of the bluffs backing the beach...It was not until 1200 hours that enemy fire was sufficiently eliminated to allow work to begin on the beach exit road...' Thereafter, the battalion cleared mines, identified, marked, and rated bridges and roads, extinguished fires with explosives, and prepared dugouts for field headquarters. The battalion then served in support of Operation COBRA, and as the front advanced, it constructed bridges, cleared mines, laid barbed wire, cleared and filled roads, and took prisoners attempting to escape the Falaise Pocket. This support continued through eastern France, into Belgium and Germany. Before Aachen, the battalion laid nearly 4,000 mines under heavy fire, taking significant casualties, and closely supported the 1st Infantry Division in the capture of the city. In the Hurtgen Forest, the terrible roads were repaired where possible, with corduroy roads often installed or Sommerfeld track laid, and command post dugout fashioned. Between Dec. 20-31, in reaction to the German breakthrough in the Battle of the Bulge, the battalion laid evacuated a hospital, established roadblocks, laid wire, and laid an incredible 24,519 mines. The battalion expanded the bridgehead at Remagen, and participated in the taking of Bonn. Much more excellent content in these monthly reports, where every movement and action is fully described. Each report is also preceded by a summary narrative followed by Gara's suggestions on deficits and often including appeals for urgent material. Some of the reports a just a little blurry, but all are entirely legible and overall very good. Gara's ownership and signatures within, as commander of the battalion, make this piece unique. A definitive combat history from perhaps the most distinguished combat engineer unit of World War II.

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January 25, 2023 10:00 AM EST
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