150th Engineer Combat Battalion, XIIth Corps, US Army

Living History Group, WWII

We represent the role of the US Combat Engineer.  The Combat Engineers carried out many important roles for the army, ranging from construction of roads, camps, airfields and bridges, to mine laying and clearance, to the demolition of strategic assets to prevent them falling into enemy hands, to specialist camouflaging, and even to clearing the roads of the Ardennes of snow and spreading grit to allow them to be used.  In addition to these various tasks, on many occasions the men of the Engineer Combat Battalions were also used as front line infantry. 

Our display at Military Odyssey 2009 shows men of the 150th ECB near Regensburg, Germany in August 1945.  Like many Combat Engineers, the 150th were tasked with helping to rebuild the German Infrastructure.  Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe and kreigsmarine prisoners of war were assigned to the Engineers to help with this process, but as there was still a strong fear of the resurgence or National Socialism, members of the SS were not used for work details, and were actively searched-out at checkpoints.

The public will see a snapshot of life in the immediate post-war period, where former enemies were starting to work alongside each other, and civilians started putting their lives back together.  Be sure to read the information boards on the display.

The 150th ECB, XIIth Corps Living History Group are members of AFRA - the All Fronts Re-enactment Association.  Visit www.afra.org.uk for more details.

For more information on the group, visit www.combatengineers.forumup.org

For more information on the real 150th ECB, visit www.150th.com

 

Living History