World War II: War Department Amphibian Command Records 1942-1944 & Amphibious Warfare Documents

World War II: War Department Amphibian Command Records 1942-1944 & Amphibious Warfare Documents

 

This collection contains a total of 11,571 pages of Correspondences, Reports, Memoirs, Monographs, Books, After Action Reports, Maps and Photographs. They cover the inception, development, training, administration, implementation, and review of all aspects of amphibious warfare used by the United States in World War II. The materials date from 1942 to 2019. The files contain a text transcript of all computer recognizable text embedded into the graphic image of each page of each document, creating a searchable finding aid. Text searches can be done across all files in the collection.

 

This collection contains:

 

War Department Engineer Amphibian Command Records 1942-1944

 

3,806 pages of War Department Office of the Chief of Engineers, Engineer Amphibian Command records and documents dating from 6/10/1942 through 1944.

 

In the early days of World War II, in preparation for amphibious operations, the United States Army trained personnel in the operation and maintenance of landing craft. The Engineer Amphibian Command was created on 10 June 1942 at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts under the command of Colonel Daniel Noce and his chief of staff Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Trudeau.

 

The Engineer Amphibian Command (EAC) was responsible for the activation, organizational, administration, training and equipping of engineer amphibian units. Amphibious training included water transportation of troops and equipment by small boats in shore to shore operations, beach and special assault operations, and the maintenance and modification of boats and engines. The command was composed initially of various Army quartermaster, engineer, and ordnance units; it was later augmented by personnel from other services, such as the Navy and Coast Guard, representatives from allied military forces, and specialists obtained from civilian life.

 

This collection consists of pages of correspondence of the Commanding General and members of his staff with the Adjutant General of the Army, Office of the Chief of Engineers, and other War Department offices. Additional types of records include, but are not limited to, messages; maps; photographs; and drawings. The correspondence relates to command and sub-unit organization, mission, staffing, and equipment; personnel duty assignments and commendations; training; transportation; and coordination with other activities.

 

Documents are arranged by the War Department Decimal Filing System.

 

In addition to the documents above this collection includes:

 

Notes on Training of an Amphibious Division (1942)

 

Produced by the Headquarters Ninth Infantry Division

 

Abstract: The purpose of amphibious training for an infantry division is to permit the division to participate in the operations incident to land on a hostile shore in an effective manner. The amphibious phase of an operation is purely a means to an end--the delivery of the troops and equipment of the division on the shore in condition to engage successfully in battle for the designated objective.

 

 

Training Program, Amphibious Training Center, Camp Carrabelle, Florida. (1943)

 

Training material produced by the Camp Carrabelle, Floridan Amphibious Training Center.

 

Abstract: The mission of this Training Center is to teach by academic and practical means, all phases of amphibious operations involving a shore-to-shore movement, and to outline the basic principles of a ship-to-shore movement through the medium of lectures and conferences. The objective to be attained by each division, and by all attached troops in the development of a highly efficient, well-coordinated, hard-hitting, and fast-moving amphibious force thoroughly qualified to act independently, or in conjunction with other army troops and naval forces in a combined operation. This objective also includes the mental and physical hardening of all officers and enlisted men for arduous field service and battle.

 

 

Engineer Amphibian Troops - Engineer Amphibian Command Tentative Training Guide No.4 (1943)

 

Abstract: Aid to training engineer amphibian unit. Covers amphibious operations, engineer special brigades, engineer boat and shore regiments, engineer boat battalions, engineer boat companies, engineer shore battalions, engineer shore companies, brigade signal communications, medical service, ordinance maintenance companies, quartermaster service, marine maintenance, and weapons.

 

 

Program For Amphibious Training of Army Divisions (1944)

 

Produced by the War Department, War Department General Staff, Organization and Training Division

 

Contains memorandums on the amphibious training of Army divisions, as well as tables of equipment for amphibious training and operations (chemical warfare, engineer, medical, ordnance, quartermaster, Signal Corps, and Transportation Corps equipment).

 

 

Amphibious Operations During the Period August to December 1943 (1944)

 

Produced by the United States Fleet, Headquarters of the Commander in Chief

 

Abstract: This publication, "Amphibious Operations", is a continuation of the series entitled "Notes on Amphibious Warfare no. 1 and no. 2". It promulgates material originating from reliable sources and arranged according to operations and the areas in which they took place. It contains comments and expressions of opinion concerning war experience that were available at the time the operation under discussion was completed. Contents include landing operations, air support, naval gunfire, intelligence, logistics, ship to shore movement, landing craft, communications, and miscellaneous.

 

 

Chart – Maps for "Omaha" Beach, Operation "Overlord", Normandy – France, North Coast, June 1944. (1944)

 

Abstract: Contents of this folder: chart - maps 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004; profiles to accompany above chart - maps; tide curves for the period 30 May - 12 June 1944; index of the chart - maps developed for the operation; and instruction sheet for the use of chart - maps

 

 

Smoke Screens for Amphibious Operations (1944)

 

Produced by Navy Department, United States Fleet, Headquarters of the Commander in Chief

 

Abstract: This manual contains a description of the methods for laying smoke screens to protect the assault phase of amphibious operations. It includes a discussion of the meteorological conditions which affect the smoke operation, and a description of the available munitions and equipment. This manual is published for the use of the amphibious forces in planning and for the training of personnel in the use of smoke. The tactics included in this manual are based upon extensive tests conducted in connection with landing operations at the United States Amphibious Training Base, Fort Pierce, Florida by the Research and Development Center, Amphibious Training Command, U.S. Atlantic Fleet.

 

 

Summary of Operations Omaha Beach Command for the Week Ending 281800 October 1944 (1944)

 

Produced by the Headquarters Omaha Beach Command

 

Abstract: Parts: the shipping situation; tabular and graphical comparison of operations; dump operations; comparison of ports and beaches; special study - by 21st Weather Squadron; and special study.

 

 

History of the 5th Engineer Special Brigade (1944)

 

Produced by the United States Army Engineer Special Brigade, 5th

 

The document details organization and training in the United States and Great Britain, planning for the invasion of western Europe, Operation Neptune, and other phases of development.

 

 

776th Amphibian Tank Battalion, SOP for Amphibious Operations (1945)

 

This Standing Operating Procedure is the result of experience acquired by the 776th Amphibian Tank Battalion during its attachment to the Seventh Infantry Division in the Leyte Campaign. Its purpose is to make available for study those details of procedure which are unlikely to change, and thereby to enable the unit to abbreviate its field orders.

 

 

Seventh Amphibious Force, Command History, 10 January 1943 to 23 December 1945 (1945)

 

Produced by the Southwest Pacific Seventh Amphibious Force

 

Abstract: For almost three years, the SEVENTH Amphibious Force trained its personnel, fought a determined enemy, and carried Allied troops forward with accelerating pace and swelling power. Its strength and its success derived from the qualities of the individuals who composed it—foresight, courage, indefatigable energy, resourceful "know-how", the will to endure danger and suffering and hardship.

 

 

Amphibious Sketch: Its Junction in Amphibious Training and Operations, its Preparation and Reproduction Afloat. (1945)

 

Produced by the Hydrographic Office, United States Navy

 

Abstract: The Amphibious Sketch is a weapon of war. The necessities of amphibious warfare have required its creation. In assisting assault personnel to establish a beachhead on a hostile shore, it has become a tool of victory and a new and needed addition to the field of cartography.

 

 

Amphibious Operations: Capture of Iwo Jima, 16 February to 16 March 1945 (1945)

 

Produced by the United States Fleet, Headquarters of the Commander in Chief

 

This report contains information drawn from action reports of amphibious operations on Iwo Jima. Included is a narrative of events, naval gunfire, air support, military intelligence, ship to shore movement, landing craft and logistics.

 

 

Amphibious Operations, Capture of Okinawa (Ryukus Operation), 27 March to 21 June 1945 (1945)

 

Published by Navy Department, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations

 

Abstract:  This publication "Amphibious Operations—Capture of Okinawa (Ryukyus Operation)- 27 March to 21 June 1945" continues the series promulgating timely information drawn from action reports. It follows "Amphibious Operations—Capture of Iwo Jima, CominCh P-0012". Material contained herein has not been subjected to exhaustive study and analysis, but is issued in this form to make comments, recommendations, and expressions of opinion concerning war experiences readily available to officers engaged or interested in amphibious operations. This publication is under the cognizance of and is distributed by the Chief of Naval Operations. Chapters include the following contents: naval gunfire; air support; intelligence; communications; and logistics.

 

 

Japanese Defense Against Amphibious Operations, Special Series, No. 29. (1945)

 

Produced by the Military Intelligence Division, War Department

 

This document addresses the following topics regarding Japanese defense against amphibious operations: tactics and organization; beach obstacles, barricades, and mines; fortifications and airfields; Japanese coast defense guns; dual-purpose, antiaircraft, and machine guns; and detection and communication.

 

 

Amphibious Training Center Army Ground Forces Study No. 22 (1946)

 

Produced by the Historical Section, Army Ground Forces

 

Abstract: Table of contents: background; activation and mission; from birth to death; organization; execution of training mission; training at Camp Edwards; training at Camp Gordon Johnston; and an epilogue.

 

 

History of the Second Engineer Special Brigade. United States Army, World War II. (1946)

 

Abstract: This is the story of the Second Engineer Special Brigade in World War II. An amphibian unit of the Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, it was first designated as the Second Engineer Amphibian Brigade, the present title having been adopted after arrival in Australia early in 1943. Its entire foreign service was devoted to the Pacific theater of operations, and at no time after the brigade entered combat in New Guinea was it ever pulled out for rest, which caused General Krueger, Sixth Army Commander, to observe that the brigade has been in more combat operations than any other unit in the theater.

 

 

Down Ramp! The Story of the Army Amphibian Engineers by Brigadier General William F. Heavey (1947)

 

From the book's forward: "This book strives to present the accomplishments and operations of the Amphibian Engineers in World War II. It is the story of the six brigades and the two separate battalions the Corps of Engineers launched to help win the Victory.

 

 

Engineers of the Southwest Pacific, 1941-1945. Volume IV - Amphibian Engineer Operations (1947)

 

A report by the Office of the Chief Engineer, General Headquarters Army Forces, Pacific, Major General Hugh J. Casey, Chief Engineer

 

Abstract: Amphibian Engineer Operations introduces a new and little-known type of Engineer a soldier-seaman. Organized by the Corps of Engineers into Engineer Special Brigades, these specialists in invasion played a vital role in nearly 150 major and minor landing operations in the Southwest Pacific where amphibious warfare was the only feasible strategic method for seizing advance bases in order to extend Allied air, ground, and naval operations. These Engineers were recruited initially from among boatbuilders, small boat operators, marine enginemen, and others familiar with the sea, as well as landlubbers from all branches of military and civilian life. In actual operations afloat and ashore the Amphibian Engineers, in accord with their motto, "Put 'Em Across" the enemy-defended and reef-barricaded beaches of widely scattered objective areas in the Southwest Pacific.

 

 

Assault Landings (World War II): List of Amphibious Battles (1949)

 

Produced by the Adjutant General

 

A complete list of assault landings made during World War II. Pages are dated 31 July 1949, and there is a breakdown of landings, dates from and to, units listed in, and amendments.

 

 

Armor in Operation Neptune (establishment of the Normandy Beachhead) (1949)

 

Published by The Armored School, Fort Knox, Committee 10

 

Records the role of Armor in assaulting the Normandy beaches and expanding the beachhead; and, to present conclusions and recommendations relative to such employment.

 

Abstract: The purpose of this report is twofold: first, to record the role of Armor in assaulting the NORMANDY beaches and expanding the beachhead; and second, to present conclusions and recommendations relative to such employment. The committee compiled the report from information secured through after-action reports of the tank battalions engaged, interviews with participants, and published works concerning the operation as a whole. The study revealed that the tank destroyer units were not used on their primary missions since no enemy armor was encountered; and that the armored field artillery reinforced divisional artillery supporting infantry. Therefore, the actions recounted are limited to the separate tank battalions because only they were in the role of armor.

 

 

The Assault on Peleliu by Frank O. Hough, USMCR (1950)

 

Abstract: Many factors combined to make the assault on Peleliu one of the least understood operations of World War II. Yet it was one of the most vicious and stubbornly contested, and nowhere was the fighting efficiency of the U.S. Marine more convincingly demonstrated.

 

At Peleliu the enemy proved that he had profited from his bitter experiences of earlier operations. He applied intelligently the lessons we had taught him in the Solomons, Gilberts, Marshalls, and Marianas. At Peleliu the enemy made no suicidal banzai charges to hasten the decision; he carefully concealed his plans and dispositions. He nursed from his inferior strength the last ounce of resistance and delay, to extract the maximum cost from his conquerors. In these respects, Peleliu differed significantly from previous campaigns and set the pattern for things to come: Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

 

Because the operation protracted itself over a period of nearly two and a half months, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that the strategic objective was accomplished within the first week: neutralization of the entire Palau’s group, and with this, securing of the Philippines approaches.

 

 

Iwo Jima: Amphibious Epic by Whitman S. Bartley, USMC. (1954)

 

Published by the Washington: Historical Branch, G-3 Division, Headquarters, United States Marine Corps.

 

Abstract: “At Iwo Jima the amphibious doctrines, techniques, weapons, and equipment which had proven so effective during the three previous years of World War II received the supreme test. On that island more than 20,000 well-disposed and deeply entrenched Japanese troops conducted an intelligent and dogged defense. There, more than anywhere else in the Central Pacific, terrain and enemy defense preparations combined to limit the effectiveness of American supporting amts, placing a premium on the skill and aggressive fighting spirit of the individual Marine.”

 

 

The Amphibians Came to Conquer - The Story of Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner Volumes 1 & 2 by Vice Admiral George Carroll Dyer (1972)

 

Abstract: This book is a story of a fighting man, Kelly Turner, of the maturing United States Navy, and of the people who helped develop the man into a fighting admiral. It is also a story of the seagoing part of the amphibious operations of World War II in which Kelly Turner fought.

 

Since Kelly Turner was a United States Naval Officer and fought only in the Pacific Ocean in World War II, this book deals primarily with the amphibious matters of the World War II Pacific campaigns. Kelly Turner's claim to permanent naval distinction arises out of his contributions to the amphibious phases of World War II in the South and Central Pacific Oceans. So, this volume moves from Pacific Island to Pacific atoll to Pacific Island again, as our bone crushing amphibious operations cleared the stepping stones to Tokyo.

 

It also tells a bit of the state of the purely naval aspects of the amphibious art when World War II started. And, more importantly, what happened as the war moved along to improve the art, as Kelly Turner and a million other Americans brought their minds to bear on "the most difficult problem" in warfare, an amphibious operation.

 

 

CSI BATTLEBOOK Operation Anvil/Dragoon: The Invasion Of Southern France by the 3d Infantry Division and Other Seventh Army Units, August 15 – 1 September 1944 (1984)

 

Produced by the Combat Studies Institute (CSI) at Fort Leavenworth

 

Abstract: The 3rd Infantry Division reinforced with numerous armor, chemical, medical, and ordnance units, was to land in the vicinity of St. Tropez and Cavalaire, Southern France; clear the enemy from the high ground, move rapidly inland and prepare to assist Seventh Army's attack against the ports of Toulon and Marseille. Even though the Normandy landings had been conducted two months previously, and the Naval buildup in the Naples area, the Germans were taken completely by surprise. This was the first daylight landing, and by noon, almost all the division's rapid advance through Southern France, makes this a classic in the history of amphibious operations.

 

 

Engineer Memoirs Major General Hugh J. Casey, US Army by Major General Hugh J. Casey (1993)

 

Produced by the US Army. Washington, DC, Office of History, US Army Corps of Engineers.

 

This volume is an edited version of the tape-recorded interview conducted by Dr. John T. Greenwood, then Chief of the Historical Division, with General Casey at his summer home in Bradford, Vermont, from 25 to 29 September 1979. Before his death on 30 August 1981, General Casey reviewed and revised the entire transcript of the interview.

 

Abstract: Major General Hugh John “Pat” Casey will always be remembered as General Douglas MacArthur's chief engineer because his greatest achievements as an engineer came during his eight years with MacArthur. From the desperate fighting on Bataan through the long months it took to drive the Japanese out of New Guinea and the Philippines to the occupation of Japan, Casey directed an impressive engineer effort that allowed MacArthur's Allied ground, air, and sea forces to win the war and secure the peace.

 

 

Hitting the Beaches: The First Armored Amphibian Battalion in World War II, 1943-1945: Kwajalein, Guam, Okinawa by Dale L. Barker (1996)

 

This is a history of the First Armored Amphibian Battalion, USMC.

 

Abstract: This is the story of one Marine Corps battalion during World War II, based on the memories and recollections of its members fifty years ago. It is obvious this two-year period was a most important aspect in all our lives. For most of us the memories are deeply etched in our minds. A special thanks should be given to Dr. Dale L. Barker (former Technical Sergeant, USMCR), who spent untold hours and months putting together our widely varied recollection of events. Without his tremendous effort this history would never have been written.

 

 

Military Examples of Coastal Engineering by Robert L. Wiegel (1999)

 

A report produced by the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (U.S.), Engineer Research and Development Center of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

 

 

Engineer Amphibious Capabilities Development in World War II Lessons in Rapid Force Development by Major Stephen Foster Schuyler (2019)

 

Abstract: At the Arcadia Conference in December 1941, the United States pledged to conduct operations in North Africa by the end of 1942. This decision directly influenced a rapid force generation of amphibious troops. This proved challenging as the US Army had no existing amphibious units, no trained leaders in amphibious operations, no amphibious equipment, and no amphibious doctrine. With these significant handicaps, it took eighty-five days to man, train, and equip the first 7,000-man 1st Engineer Special Brigade and ship them to England in preparation for the North African Operations. The Engineer Regiment, initially tasked by the War Department to study the opposed beach landings, sought to become the principal proponent for training and execution of amphibious operations for the US Army. Brig. Gen. Daniel Noce and Col. Arthur Trudeau, as leaders of the Engineer Amphibious Command synthesized decades of US Marine Corps and Navy amphibious doctrine, prototyping, and experimentation into fighting formations influencing all of the amphibious operations during World War II. This monograph provides the historical context that set conditions for the Engineer Amphibian Command to grow at an exponential rate and discusses the possibilities of rapid force generation in the 21st Century.

 

 

Additional items include:

 

Amphibious Television Reconnaissance, Report 13-121 (1944)

 

Amphibious Operations (excluding Marshall Islands operations) January – March 1944 (1944)

 

Amphibious Operations During the Period August to December 1943 (1944)

 

Amphibious Operations, the Marshall Islands, January - February 1944 (1944)

 

After Action Report, 728th Amphibious Tractor Battalion, 13 Aug 44 thru 27 Nov 44. (1944)

 

After Action Report, 773rd Amphibious Tractor Battalion: 25 May 44 thru 4 Aug 44. (1944)

 

After Action Report, 728th Amphibious Tractor Battalion, 1 April- 30 June 1945 (1945)

           

After Action Report, 715th Amphibious Tractor Battalion, 21 Sept 43 - 31 Dec 44, 26 Mar thru 30 June 45 (1945)

 

After Action report, 715th Amphibian Tractor Battalion (May 1945)

 

After Action Report, 728th Amphibian Tractor Battalion, 1 April - 30 June 45 (1945)

 

After Action Report, 658th Amphibian Tractor Battalion, April 43 thru 15 January 46 (1946)

 

Commander Underwater Demolition Teams, Amphibious Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Commander Task Group 52.4, Operation Plan No. A1-4 (1945)

 

Headquarters V Amphibious Corps Landing Force, Iwo Jima: Report by Commanding Officer Corps Troops : Annex Dog. (1945)

 

Headquarters V Amphibious Corps Landing Force Report on Iwo Jima: Special Staff Section Reports, Appendices 5-14. Annex Charlie. (1945)

 

Battalion History: 56th Amphibious Tank and Tractor Battalion (1954)

 

CSI Battle Book: Crossing the Rhine River (1984)