Merry Christmas


722nd ROB Robert Seeley C company

Greg is scanning his grandfather's photos from the 722nd ROB C co. his granddad was Robert Seeley.

722nd  

Also amongst his grandfathers rerecords Greg found an envelope of pictures from company B belonging to Richard Miramontes - please email me if you know or are connected to this soldier cunningb2@gmail.com

763rd Railway Shop Battalion, Company A reunion

Frank sent this great photo of the 763rd 1952 reunion that both his Dad and Uncle attended he writes .... 
763rd Railway Shop Battalion, Company A held a reunion at the Hotel Governor Clinton, NYC, on Aug 2, 1952. 

My dad (T/Sgt. Franklin W. Hurd) attended the reunion with his wife Dorothy.  Also in Company A and attending was my uncle T-5 Charles E Hurd. 

Thanks Frank!

MILITARY RAILWAY SERVICE REUNION - ARMED FORCES DAY WEEKEND (MAY 19 - 21) 2017- FT EUSTIS, VA

MILITARY RAILWAY SERVICE REUNION - ARMED FORCES DAY WEEKEND (MAY 19 - 21)


2017- FT EUSTIS, VA

Currently, there are no formal national organizations for Military Railway Service (MRS) veterans to unite, share their experiences preserving the history of military railway transportation, network, or develop relationships.  In post WWII, numerous MRS battalions formed veterans’ associations to carry on the comradeship developed during the war.  These WWII battalion level associations were united on a national level through The Military Railway Service Veterans.  Reunions were held at both the local battalion as well as the national levels.  For WWII Veterans, national level reunions were held through the mid-1990s.  The last of the battalion level reunions were held two to three years ago.  Similar veterans’ associations were formed following the Korean War with two of these continuing to hold reunions.

Following WWII, the 714th Transportation Railway Operating Battalion (TROB) at Ft. Eustis was the Army's primary active duty railway unit until deactivated in 1972.  Additional MRS units served on active duty at Ft. Eustis for short periods during the Korean War and Viet Nam War eras.  None of the active duty units that served at Ft. Eustis have a surviving veterans’ association. The post WWII reserve rail structure has mirrored that of the 714th TROB and has left no surviving veterans associations. With only the two Korean War associations remaining active, it is safe to say that many if not most Veterans assigned to the 714th TROB and other short lived active duty units as well as those who served in the post WWII reserve structure have not visited the U.S. Army Transportation Museum (TC Museum) or are members of the U. S. Army Transportation Museum Foundation (USATMF.)

To address this issue, the USATMF is in the preliminary planning stages of developing a MRS Reunion to be held at Ft. Eustis over the 2017 Armed Forces Day weekend (May 19 -21).  The Reunion is dedicated to the service of all active duty and reserve MRS Veterans from WWII to the current date.  This weekend endeavor will provide MRS Veterans, their families, friends and the general public the opportunity to unite as one group; to visit the TC Museum, to share their story and history of MRS railroading; to receive a formal, interactive historical rail presentation, from a former professor of military history and to tour the Fort Eustis rail network.

While dedicated and open to all MRS Veterans, their families, friends and the general public; it is USATMF's intention to recognize those Veterans who served in MRS units during WWII, the Korean War and the BERLIN DUTY TRAIN through the Korean War era as Honored Guests by sponsoring their attendance at this Reunion. The Honored Guest program's objective is to provide up to 25 MRS Veterans with round trip transportation, accommodations and meals for the two-day Reunion.  USATMF's intention is to fully fund the selected 25 MRS Veterans along with providing financial assistance to their escorts.*

We are currently endeavoring to identify MRS Veterans meeting Honored Guests criteria and interested in attending the Reunion.  If you are such a Veteran or know of such a Veteran and desiring additional information please contact LTC (R) Mark Metz at m-m-e@comcast.net or (717) 331-8405.  Additional general and specific Reunion details will be provided as they are confirmed.  Please mark Armed Forces Day 2017 on your planning calendars and plan to join us at Ft. Eustis.
** 2011 photo

Researching MRS at the National Archives

National archives :
U.S. Army Chief of Transportation "Historical Program Files"
World War II historians should also take note of the records of the U.S. Army's Office of the Chief of Transportation (OCT), "Historical Program Files, 1940 50," which contain documentation of the role of the U.S. Army in the rail transportation system in the United States and information concerning foreign railroads during World War II. These files include records relating to army operation of all or parts of the U.S. railroad system in 1943, 1946, and 1950. A long report entitled Plan for the Possession, Control, and Operation of the Railroads by the Army, dated December 27, 1943, describes the army plan, mandated by executive order, to seize control of the nation's railroads in response to the threat of rail union strikes set to commence on December 30, 1943. The purpose of the plan was to ensure uninterrupted rail service in moving troops, war material, and equipment for the war effort. Army control of the railroads, assumed on December 27, 1943, was terminated on January 18, 1944, as the threat of strikes ceased.(21)
Other records in this file include historical reports of the Military Railway Service and the Transportation Corps, Rail Division; army technical manuals, plans, and regulations on hospital railway cars, railway kitchen cars, other troop cars, locomotive repair shops, and locomotive inspections; army field manuals concerning the Military Railway Service and the Railway Operating Battalions; copies of The Yankee Boomer, a newsletter of the Military Railway Service; reports concerning wartime traffic control and the relationships between OCT and the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Office of Defense Transportation; records of the American Association of Railroads including the scripts of The Line Behind the Lines -- The Story of Railroads in War, a series of ten weekly radio programs; correspondence concerning civilian labor recruiting due to manpower shortages; and a report entitled American Rails in Eight Countries: The Story of 1st Military Railway Service, which tells the story of supply and service in Europe during the war.
The Southern Railway System wrote a report called Well Done, which describes the efforts of Southern to teach the fine art of railroading to American soldiers who would be operating military railroads overseas. Southern trained the 727th Railway Operating Battalion and other units a total of six thousand officers and men. Also included in these records are the annual reports of the Pullman Company for the years 1942-1945 and the Railroad Retirement Board, 1942-1945.(22)
The U.S. Army Military Railway Service prepared reports on foreign railroads in Europe and Africa, including Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Libya, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal. These reports include photographs, maps, charts, and general information concerning the status of foreign railroads in 1942-1943.(23)

https://goo.gl/c3BBtt 

1st MRS Headquarters - Murphy

Railway Signaling and Communications, Volume 38 1945



712th Railway Operating Battalion Edward Rosenberg

Edward's son Mark is working hard digitizing (scanning)  and sharing photos of his father's service!
Thanks, Mark

 He writes ...My father was a med tech with that unit which confirms what I could discern from the 700+ photo archive I have of his. It seems that as a med tech with the support group instead of front lines he had a lot of time on his hands. 712thROB_Germany Dad

This is what's he's working on .. it's up to us ( the kids and grand-kids of the soldiers) to honor their service.

709th Railway Grand Division sign

German Reichsbahn Railway Eagle book released by Wilhelm Saris

Wilhelm Saris let us know his book about German Reichsbahn Railway Eagle was released


You may purchase a copy here www.bender-publishing.com

Previous article about the project here http://militaryrailwayservice.blogspot.com/2013/04/german-deutsche-reichsbahn-railway.html

741st Railway Operating Battalion and 710th Railway Grand Division Captain Ralph H. Deets













  



Sally is working on her dad's, Captain Ralph H. Deets photos from the 741st ROB and the 710th Railway Grand Division. Here is a little sample- Thanks Sally

741 st deets

727th Various documents part II

727th various documents.pdf by Nancy

727th TRSB Hall of Fame

The Last Pershing - the old 101 by LTC George Simpson 765th TRSB

Last Pershing.pdf by Nancy

765th Railway Shop Battalion -- pamphlet

765thRSB booklet.pdf by Nancy

U.S. Army Expeditionary Railway Center

US army exp railway center.pdf by Nancy

774th Transportation Battalion -- various documents

774Transport Batt.pdf by Nancy

790th Transportation ROB -- various documents

791st Transportation Battalion -- various documents

791.pdf by Nancy

770th Railway Operating Battalion -- various documents

770.pdf by Nancy

769th Railway Shop Battalion -- various documents

769.pdf by Nancy

768th ROB -- various documents

768.pdf by Nancy

767th Railway Shop Battalion -- various documents

767.pdf by Nancy

766th Railway Shop Battalion -- various documents

766.pdf by Nancy

765th Transportation Railway Shop Battalion -- various documents

765.pdf by Nancy

764th Transportation Rail Shop Battalion -- various documents

764.pdf by Nancy

763rd Railway Shop Battalion -- various documents

763.pdf by Nancy

762nd Railway Shop Battalion -- various documents

762.pdf by Nancy

761st TROB -- various documents

761.pdf by Nancy

760th ROB -- various documents

760.pdf by Nancy

759th ROB -- various documents

759.pdf by Nancy

758th ROB -- various documents

757th ROB -- various documents

757.pdf by Nancy

756th Transportation Railway Shop Battalion -- various documents

756.pdf by Nancy

754th Railway Shop Battalion -- various documents

754rob.pdf by Nancy

753rd ROB -- various documents

753rob.pdf by Nancy

752nd ROB -- various documents

752rob.pdf by Nancy

751st ROB -- various documents

751 by Nancy

750th ROB -- various documents

750.pdf by Nancy

749th ROB -- various documents

749.pdf by Nancy

748th ROB -- various documents

748.pdf by Nancy

747th ROB -- various documents

747 by Nancy

thanks tim

746th ROB --- various documents

746ROB.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

745th TROB -- various documents

745trob.pdf by Nancy

744th ROB -- various documents

744rob.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

743rd Railway Operating Battalion -- various documents

743ROB.pdf by Nancy

741st ROB -- various documents

741ROB.pdf by Nancy

740th ROB -- various documents

740.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

739th ROIB -- various documents

739.pdf by Nancy

738th ROB-- various documents

738.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

737th ROB -- various documents

737.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

736th ROB -- various documents

736 by Nancy

thanks tim

735th ROB -- various documents

735.pdf by Nancy

734th ROB -- various documents

734.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

733rd ROB -- various documents

733.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

732nd ROB -- various documents

732.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

731st Transportation ROB -- various documents

731.pdf by Nancy

730th ROB -- various documents

730.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

729th ROB -- various documents

729.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

728th ROB -- various documents

728.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

727th ROB -- various documents

727.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

726th ROB -- various documents

726.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim !

725th ROB-- various documents

725.pdf by Nancy

724th ROB -- various documents

723rd ROB -- various documents

723.pdf by Nancy

722nd ROB -- various documents

722.pdf by Nancy

721st ROB -- various documents

721.pdf by Nancy

735th Railway Operating Battalion Francis Lewis (more)

John says (thanks john!) .... I found some additional photos of the 735th ROB in my father’s WW-II album. Most of these pics were either taped or glued onto pages of his 70+ year old album and I did not take the time to remove them when I sent my previous photos to you in July, 2013. It was a tedious process removing the pics without damaging the pages or the mountings. In this grouping I was also able to identify several specific men who were members of the 735th. Most but not all were from company C.
I was able to connect a story my father had told me about the place where several 735th men stayed during their first three months in France. Only two days before they had landed at Omaha Beach Sept, 30, 1944. My dad said he was given orders to commandeer the ….hotel? for members of the 735th company C. He said it wasn’t a forceful thing at all as the owners welcomed the arrival of the Allied forces. If it was a hotel it was quite a facility (see photos).

Several years following the war in 1965, my father took my mother on a 2+ week vacation to northern Europe. He wanted to show her the places he traveled while in the Army. He went back to this hotel and they remembered him! It was a family owned business and when he first went in, he explained who he was to a descendent of the previous managers/owners that he knew from 1944.

My mom said he spoke to them in broken French that she didn’t understand, and it surprised her that they seem to understand him. She said suddenly this younger man he spoke with got real excited and started talking loud to others in the room. He disappeared to the back of the hotel and came back with his father. My mom thought something had gone wrong until this elderly man started hugging my dad. She said for several minutes it was a blur of foreign language. The elderly man tried to explain to my mom in broken English how much he and his family appreciated all of the American servicemen for their efforts and sacrifices liberating France. My mother said they had other places to see but the family kept them there for hours. She said they were very kind and prepared a dinner for them.

Please review the attached photos and add them to your site as you see fit. I enjoy doing my part in providing pictures of ROB servicemen for their descendants to enjoy. Last week I contacted the youngest daughter of Lt. Donald Baughman also of the 735th. I had not seen or talked with her in over 50 years. Her dad passed in 1973. She said that she also has photos that her father took when stationed at Fort Snelling and later overseas. Don and my father Francis Lewis remained close friends for many years. They were both promoted to Captain at war’s end, and both also worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad before and after the war. Michelle has promised to scan and send to me some of his photos. I will forward them to you after they are received.
Thanks so much for your efforts in developing your site to honor all American ROB members.
Best regards,
John

  https://goo.gl/photos/FmthtP7bRa3VDXBq8 735 Lewis 2

720th ROB -- various documents

720.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

719th ROB -- various documents

719.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

718th ROB -- various documents

718.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

717th ROB -- various documents

717.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

716th ROB -- various documents

716.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

715th ROB -- various documents

715.pdf by Nancy

thanks Tim

714th ROB -- various documents

714.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

713th ROB - various family

713.pdf by Nancy

Thanks Tim

712th ROB - various documents

712.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

711th ROB - various documents

711.pdf by Nancy

Thanks Tim

710th Railway Grand Division - various documents

710 th tim by Nancy

Thanks Tim

732nd ROB Isgrig various reports 2

732 Isgrig Reports #2.pdf by Nancy

752nd Co A Onstad Letters

752nd Letters by Nancy

Veteran's History Project Military Rail Soldiers / Veterans

Veterans History Project by Nancy

Veteran's History Project Military Rail Soldiers / Veterans

Veterans History Project by Nancy

727th Military Police Persian Gulf Command

727th MP BN.pdf by Nancy

3rd MRS Persian Gulf Command Various doc and photos

730th Railway Operating Battalion various documents

730th Persian Gulf Command various documents.pdf by Nancy

727th ROB Leaders photo

752nd Railway Operating Battalion Co. A Onstad

Amazing photos shared by Corporal Floyd Onstad granddaughter - Thanks Kris

George Vorndran Biography 721st Railway Operating Battalion




George Vorndran's son wrote a short bio of his Dad's story and included  two articles written by his battalion buddies. Thanks Mike

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




765th Transportation Railway Shop Battalion -- Thornton

765th Thorton letters docs.pdf by Nancy

Spearhead of logistics: history of the U.S. Army transportation corps

Spearhead of logistics: history of the U.S. Army transportation corps by Nancy on Scribd

721st ROB Hackett