The American 348th Engineer Combat Battalion
and Robert Carlson
By his son Bob
I found out that my birth certificate says born in Reynoldston in the subdistrict of Gower at Stouthall maternity hospital. (see below) I find this weird considering my family lived in Swansea and would have had to travel some distance. My mother told me she was transported via US Army ambulance to the maternity hospital. The GI's said that where they were camped was about 8 miles from downtown Swansea and the movie theatre and they would all hop in trucks and jeeps to get a ride to town for the movies.
Bob Carlson
There were American Camps all over this area, They were in Penclawdd, Clydach, Pontardawe, Felindre, as well as several camps in the Clase and Morriston areas. As well as those at Singleton Park, next to Swansea University: Caswell Bay, Oxwich Bay, Port Eynon Bay and Clasemont Park, Morriston, to name a few. In addition there were many other facilities, such as Live firing Ranges, hospitals (Stouthall & Morriston and even a DUKW Training camp at Caswell. (A 'Duck' - Amphibious Truck).
Editor:
His story begins-
My interest is in the plaque being installed in Mumbles with a comment on the 2nd Infantry Division and other forces. I would like to add some color to that area and some further information about my father’s unit and a little of my story.
A cutting from the local newspaper concerning the plans for a Memorial
First of all the 348th Engineer Combat Battalion consisted of five companies totaling about 750 men shipping with equipment out of Camp Miles Standish, Massachusetts aboard the ship the Mauretania. It traversed the Atlantic outracing U boats and unescorted with several thousand GI's aboard. Arriving in Liverpool, they boarded trains that took them directly to Wales, in the Swansea Area where a tent city was prepared for them and called Camp Manselton near Oystermouth Castle in the Mumbles area.
My father and others would get rides into Swansea where they met with the locals and my father wandered out towards Bonymaen and missed the last bus ride to camp and began walking the several mile trip back when he met a young boy named William Thornton who was 16 years old on Mansel Road. They chatted and the lad invited my father to come to his home over on Tydraw Crescent where he introduced him to his parents and his family. His older sister arrived home from her position with the British Women’s Territorial Forces where she had been working and met my father. That is the start of my coming to be. The trips to Bonymaen became frequent and occasionally interrupted by military drills and rehearsals for the big day. In April of 1944, my father and mother were married at the Swansea Guild Hall, by Pastor Alden Grim, chaplain of my father’s unit with the approval of his company commander. Capt. Joseph Kaufman.
My father spent many nights away from his tent city and his in-laws home became his until June (sic late April?) when they were transported to Weymouth for the invasion. He was not to return to Swansea ever again. The 348th Eng. Btn. and its four companies were split into two units. They were a part of the 5th Special Engineers Brigade which was to take a pivotal role in securing the beach head with the 1st Infantry Division and the 29th Infantry Division at Omaha Beach. The companies B and C consisting of approximately 350 men were joined to the 37th Engineers of the Big Red One Division and were part of the initial Gap Assault Teams accompanying the 116th Regimental Combat Team. These over strength Engineer troops were to bear the brunt of the initial landings with hopes of helping to remove obstacles to allow the additional troops to land with less resistance and trouble. Platoons of these companies were in the first Tide in the initial assault and accompanied the
Rifle companies and in many cases joined in the assault when it became obvious that they needed to engage the enemy along with the infantry. My father’s unit was a Reconnaissance and Heavy weapons platoon that reinforced the demolitions units within the company. Multiple training resulted in a variety of skills of these troops. Men of this unit and the 5th Special Brigade are distinguished by the White Rainbow Arc on their Helmet fronts seen in many of the combat pictures of the landings on Omaha. It is also present on the top of the Pillbox Monument near Colleville Sur Mer at Omaha where the Brigade is commemorated along with the names of those lost in this battle and are buried in the cemetery above the Monument.
An earlier photo of SS Uruguay
In October of 1944 while my father was fighting in Belgium and hauling supplies via the Red Ball Express to the troops on the front lines, I was born in Swansea to my mother Mrs. Kitty or Catherine Thornton, now Carlson who lived in her home in Bonymaen. After the war when my father had been shipped stateside, we left Britain aboard the SS Uruguay with many British wives of American GIs as you have documented. I have a photo of my mother and I on the day we arrived via train from the port of New York. I can send you images of my mother and father on their wedding day, if you would like along with some photos of my Mother and I on our arrival day with my dad. The unit secretary has photos of Camp Manselton in Swansea as well back in 43 and 44.
Enough for now. If you would like more information about this, I have collected and continue to collect information about these times.
Thank you for your interest and work on these issues You may want to forward some of this information to the people of Mumbles and if they desire more specifics regarding the units other than the 2nd that was there I can provide.
Note the future undefeated champion of the World, Rocky Marciano, was a member of Company C, 348th Eng. Combat Div. Stationed in Mumbles with my dad, in 1944. This is a significant item of news for them. he is considered to be the greatest boxer ever.
Thanks again
Bob Carlson
The American Memorial was unveiled at Newton Village Hall,
by The Lord Lieutenant of West Glamorgan, D Byron Lewis Esq.,
jointly with Cliff Guard, an American GI veteran
We remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice
for our freedom on the long road to final victory,
who were never to return to the country of their birth
Lineage and Honors
40th ENGINEER BATTALION
Reorganized and redesignated 15 April 1943 as the
348th Engineer Combat Battalion
Inactivated 27 February 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey
Redesignated 17 February 1947 as the 40th Engineer Combat Battalion
Redesignated 16 October 1991 as the 40th Engineer Battalion; concurrently activated in Germany and assigned to the 1st Armored Division
Relieved 16 October 2009 from assignment to the 1st Armored Division and assigned to the 170th Infantry Brigade
CAMPAIGN PARTICIPATION CREDIT
World War II
Normandy (with arrowhead)
Northern France
Rhineland
Ardennes-Alsace
Central Europe
DECORATIONS
French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War II, Streamer embroidered NORMANDY BEACHES
Information as of 23 September 2010
The history of his unit
Travels of the American 348th Engineer Combat Battalion
from Nov. 2, 1943 to June 5, 1944
Selected passages from the Regimental History By: Keith Bryan
Part of the 5th Engineer Special Brigade