Donald Edward SIMMONS

Source : Frogman

 CEMTERY TEMPORARY of St Laurent/Mer N°3582

Story of Cemetery Temporary 

Map of Normandy American Cemetery

The 336th Engineer General Service Regiment was activated at Camp Rucker, Alabama, on 25 July 1942, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William D. Bridges. On 7 April 1943, it was redesignated the 1119th Engineer Combat Group, with its 1st and 2nd Battalions becoming the 336th and 234th Engineer Combat Battalions respectively. The 1119th Engineer Combat Group moved to Fort Pierce, Florida, on 15 April, where the 348th Engineer Combat Battalion was assigned as the third battalion of the group on 21 April. The group moved to Camp Pickett, Virginia, on 16 June. The 234th Engineer Combat Battalion was detached on 15 August, and replaced by the 37th Engineer Combat Battalion on 22 August. The group staged for overseas movement at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts. It left the Boston Port of Embarkation on 21 October, and arrived in the UK on 1 November. It was redesignated the 5th Engineer Special Brigade on 12 November 1943 at Swansea, Wales. The following day, Colonel William M. Hoge assumed command of the brigade.

Unlike the brigades in the Pacific, those in the European Theater had no boat units, although they did have additional service units to handle cargo over the beaches. When Hoge stepped up to command the provisional Special Brigade Group, he was replaced by Colonel Doswell Gullatt. For the invasion of Normandy, the brigade had a strength of 6,756 men. It landed on Omaha Beach, where it was responsible for the eastern beaches, Easy Red, Fox Green and Fox Red. Gullatt was hospitalized due to illness in July 1944, and Bridges assumed command on 31 July. The brigade operated Omaha Beach until it was closed on 19 November 1944. On 4 January 1945, the brigade was transferred to the Seine Section of Paris, where it supervised construction activities. It returned to the United States on 11 July 1945, and was inactivated at Camp Gordon Johnston on 20 October of that year.