D-DAY - UNITS

37th Engineer Combat Battalion (Omaha Beach)

   
Lionel F. Smith

Charles L. Peckham
   
 
Activated in January 1941, the 37th Engineer Regiment underwent mobilization and training in several locations, and was eventually broken up on 18 March 1943, into the 1106th Engineer Combat Group, the 209th Engineer Combat Battalion, and the 37th Engineer Combat Battalion Amphibious. The 37th Engineer Combat Battalion was subsequently assigned to the 5th Engineer Special Brigade and participated in Operation Overlord, landing with the initial waves on Omaha Beach.
After the Invasion of Normandy, the battalion spent several months on the beach unloading troops and equipment, clearing roads, and repairing port facilities. Later, the battalion was detached from the 5th Engineer Special Brigade and moved through Belgium and the Netherlands, supporting the Allied advance.
 
      
 
Commanding Officer: Lt. Colonel Lionel F. Smith (KIA 6 June 44)  [view folder]
S-1:
S-2:
S-3:
S-4:
  Headquarters & Service Company:
  A Company: Captain Louis J. Drnovich (KIA 6 June 44)  [view folder]
  B Company:
    1st Lieutenant Charles L. Peckham  [view folder]
  C Company:
    1st Lieutenant Robert P. Ross  [view folder]
  Medical Detachment: