| Unit Name: | 291st Engineer Combat Battalion |
| Dates: | 29 March 1943-20 October 1945 |
| Country: |  United States |
| Type: | Combat engineer |
| Nickname: | Damned Engineers |
| Colours: | --> |
| Colours Label: | --> |
| Battles: | World War II |
| Decorations: | Presidential Unit Citation |
| Notable Commanders: | Colonel David E. Pergrin |
The 291st Engineer Combat Battalion was one of the most decorated engineer combat battalions of the United States Army during World War II,[1] playing notable roles both in the Battle of Bulge and the Rhine river crossing at Remagen.
The battalion was activated at Camp Swift, Texas, on 29 March 1943, by the redesignation of the 2nd Battalion, 52nd Engineer Regiment.[2]
Commanded by Colonel David E. Pergrin, it earned a Presidential Citation for its performance in the Ardennes, blowing up bridges and fighting as infantry in helping stunt the German advance towards Antwerp. Scouting parties of the 291st discovered 17 survivors of the Malmedy massacre on 17 December 1944.[3] After nearly a month of grueling counter measures against the initial Panzer forces led by Joachim Peiper, the battalion's C Company returned to Malmedy to discover the bodies of 86 murdered US GIs frozen under a thick blanket of snow on 14 January 1945.[3] [1]
The battalion led the construction of the first pontoon bridge across the Rhine at Remagen to take traffic pressure off the severely damaged Ludendorff Bridge before its tragic collapse. The span made a material contribution in facilitating the U.S. Army's drive into central Germany.[1]
From an initial force of roughly 600 men, the battalion suffered 93 wounded and 8 killed in action by war's end.[3] During its tour of Europe, the 291st had constructed 23 timber bridges, 44 Bailey bridges, 7 treadway bridges, constructed 11 bridges under fire, destroyed 6 bridges, made 7 river assault crossings, deactivated 15 bombs, cleared 7000 mines, and taken 8500 German prisoners.[4] The battalion was inactivated at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia, on 20 October 1945.[5]
As a combat engineer battalion the 291st was capable of providing combat support essential to sustaining operating forces in the theater of war.[6] These spanned such diverse activities as construction, demolition, sanitation, map production, minefield clearing, and unit intelligence.
Combat engineer battalions also fielded defensive .30 cal. and .50 cal. machine gun squads, anti-tank rocket and grenade launchers, and were required to fight as infantry when needed.[7]
The range of services provided included but was not limited to:[8]
These included the deployment and operation of assault boats and the construction of various pontoon bridges,[9] including M1 treadways, and modular steel truss Bailey bridges.
The 291st received a Presidential Citation for its "outstanding performance of duty in action" for holding a defensive position against a German offensive from 17 December to 26 December in the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge:
As authorized by Executive Order No. 9396 (sec. I, Bul. 22, WD, 1943),superseding Executive Order No. 9075 (sec. III, Bul. 11, WD, 1942), citation ofthe following unit in General Orders, No. 30. Headquarters First United StatesArmy, 18 February 1945, as approved by the Commanding General, EuropeanTheater of Operations, is confirmed under the provisions of section IV, CircularNo. 333, War Department, 1943, in the name of the President, of the United Statesas public evidence of deserved honor and distinction. The citation reads asfollows:The 291st Engineer Combat Battalion is cited for outstanding performance ofduty in action against the enemy from 17 to 26 December 1944, in Belgium. On17 December 1944, at the beginning of the German Ardennes break-through, the291st Engineer Combat Battalion was assigned the mission of establishing andmanning roadblocks south and east of Malmedy, and with the defense of thetown itself. The battalion set up essential roadblocks and prepared hasty defenses.Shortly thereafter, numerically superior enemy infantry and armored columnsmoving in the direction of Malmedy were engaged. Though greatly outnumberedand constantly subjected to heavy enemy artillery, mortar, and small-arms fire, theofficers and men of the 291st Engineer Combat Battalion stubbornly resisted allenemy attempts to drive through their positions. Repeated attacks were made byenemy armor and infantry on roadblocks and defensive positions and, in eachinstance, were thrown back with heavy losses by the resolute and determinedresistance. The determination, devotion to duty, and unyielding fighting spiritdisplayed by the personnel of the 291st Engineer Combat Battalion, in delaying andcontaining a powerful enemy force along a route of vital importance to the Allied effort, are worthy of high praise.[10]