| The battalion was constituted in the Army of the United States in
February 1943 and activated on April 12, 1943 at Camp Maxey, Texas
where it trained until September 1943. The battalion participated in
maneuvers at the Louisiana Maneuver Area in October and November
1943 before returning to Camp Maxey, Texas. In mid-February 1944 the
unit moved to Camp Shanks, New York for staging overseas. The
battalion departed from New York Port of Embarkation, aboard the USS
Lyons to join a large convoy and arrive in England on March 9, 1944
and spent two months in intensive training in Chipping Norton, Eng.
The 157th Engineers left Southampton, England and landed at Utah
Beach, Normandy, France on June 25, 1944. It served in France until
March 1945 and subsequently served in Germany and Austria. The unit
is credited with participation in the Normandy, Northern France,
Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe campaigns. The unit
served with the First Army, Third Army, Seventh Army and they were
also attached to the 1109th Engr. Combat Group. They provided aid to
DeGaulle's Free French. Members of the outfit built the first bridge
across the Seine River and built a bridge for General Patton's Third
Army at Mantes. When Patton moved into Paris, those affiliated with
the 157th Engrs. were among the first soldiers to enter the city.
Thereafter they went to Germany and Austria and became the personal
Engineer Battalion for General Mark Clark. Army records show 157th
Engrs. Experienced one of the longest continuous combat records, a
total of 324 consecutive days. The 157th Engrs. left the port of
Marseilles, France, on December 10, 1945, returning to the Boston
Port of Embarkation on December 21, 1945. The following day the
battalion was inactivated at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts. The
157th Engineer Combat Battalion was later consolidated with the
370th Engineer Combat Battalion, the consolidated unit being
designated as 370th Engineer Amphibious Support Regiment. It served
in the Army Reserve from 1946 to 1954. |
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