WW2 newsreel - "Railroads play dramatic role in America At War" - military train

Unknown Railway Operating Battalion in North Africa 1943 Pfc. Jack W. Smith

Anyone know what unit this is ??
Photos of five men of the "Best" railroad crew in the US Army in North Africa, 4-13-1943, all named on the back.
Photo is by or from Pfc. Jack W. Smith who was from Dennison, Ohio, and who served in a US Army railroad unit in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and France in WWII.

723rd Railway Operating Battalion Headquarters Roster

 


723 HQ photo Seated in front: 
 Left to right Row Chaplain Lt. Rusthoi, Lt McClooney, Capt Johnson 

Left to right Row (1) (1) Thomas D. Mooney, (2)Thomas leeper (3) Sidney M.Mellor, (4) Ivan D. Grable (5) William C. Hartigan (6) Leonard W. April (7) Melvin W. Malet (8) Robert L. Broviak (9) Robert C. Cox (10) Philip Giovengo (11) Arthur E. Rees (12) David M. Love (13) Richard O. Skinner (14) Harry R. Wallace (15) David H. Coffman (16) Walker McCoy (17) Mark J. Flum (18) Lyle W. Massoy (19) Richard D. Miller (20) Charles E. Murray (21) Cleveland S. Baker (22) Russell L. Carson (23) Roy P. Asfahl (24) Thomas A. Murray (25) Robert L. Cottle (26) Harold J. Kratze (27) Robert Borrego 

Left to right Row (2) (1) William C. Pjura (2) Arthur M. Smith (3) Luthor Horn (4) Walter S. Groesbeck (5) Arthur R. Hoveland (6) Cleo H. Kanodo (7) Carl E. Hippensteel (8) Paul L. Irish (9) John C. Lonac (10) Charles T. McKenna (11) Erwin Landy (12) Frank C. Beckham (13) Roman A.Viduski (14) Eldridge L. Schope (15) Howard G. Smale (16) Herbert B. Kohus (17) William D. Sears (18) Francis C. Burns (19) Thomas C. Aldridge (20) Harold A.Pleet (21) George F. Weber (22) Lloyd A. Bryant (23) Paul V. Owens (24) Thomas J. Bowes (25) James C. Kerschner (26) Leo R. Whalen 

 Left to right Row (3) (1) Oliver L. Hawkins (2) Randle Shumate (3) John T. Geary (4) Emerson O. Draper (5) Ralph C. Mueller (6) Paul W. Sorr (7) Raymond W. Maze (8) Max W. Larson (9) Russell J. Burloy (10) Orlen L. Stuart (11) Chester Conrad (12) Emil W. Madsen, Jr. II (13) Eugene E. Roody (14) William H. Guild, Jr. (15) Clifford Crooch (16) Doland Priestly (17) Bert A. Cramer (18) James E. Bragg (19) Earl W. Skiver (20) John J. Kujawa (21) Robert J. Hentschell (22) Barney M. Porter (23) Harry A. Morrison (24) Lawrence B. Gallenstein (25) Daniel R. Tafelski 

 Left to right Row (4) (1) George J. Herman (2) Harley A. Collier (3) John R. Davis (4) Eldon A. Hunt (5) Arthur H. Schorr (6) Walter D. Garman (7) Karl Schroeder (8) Edward S. Torres (9) Elmer T. Manning (10) Julius Levine (11) Oscar J. Mangold (12) Fred Z. McNeil (13) Wilbur A. Hunt (14) Nelson Morgan (15) Robert J. Rohn (16) James W. Wade (17) Clarence W. Burningham (18) Lelsie E. Frank (19) William R. Stipp (20) Clyde E. Myrphey (21) Harry W. Schmidt (22) Harvard G. Markentien (23) Harry E. Winson (24) Joseph M. Pacejka 

 Left to right Row (5) (1) William B. Davenport (2) Aloysius Trobitoski (3) Lawrence Daily (4) William H. McComas (5) Delmar K. Tucker (6) Maurice G. Gerrity (7) Wilber L. Thornton (8) Charles W. Shelton, Jr. (9) William J. Morris (10) Raymond L. Briggs (11) Clarence D.Giblin (12) Charles Smith (13) William C. Burnett (14) Francis J. Rau (15) Lawrence C. Wells (16) James W. Sullivan (17) Donnie N. Crenshaw (18) John G. Hayes (19) William H. Turner (20) Clare W. Crouch (21) Bernard M. Hedges (22) Argyle A. Coffman (23) Louis M. Morgan (24) Stanley Cohon (25) George G. Smith (26) James W. Tate (27) Darlington R. Hawkins (28) Ross E. Robinson 

Kevin writes … Thank you for posting the info and photos of the 723rd Railway Operating Battalion on the blog.  I stumbled onto it, and was interested---

In the HQ photo the Lt. McClooney seated in the front row center—he was my uncle.  James E. McClooney.  He now rests at Arlington National Cemetery here in Washington DC.

I heard many stories during visits to my uncle, while growing up as a child in the 1960s about the 723rd and his work in the Railway Operating Battalion.  At that time he was a civilian instructor at the Army Transportation School at Ft. Eustis

723rd Railway Operating Battalion Hqtrs Roster by Nancy

The 713th Rolls Into Action Santa Fe Railway Operating Battalion

713th the 713th Rolls Into Action Santafe by Nancy

722nd Railway Operating Battalion - Killian Tucker

Thanks to Bryan for sharing his Uncle Killian's great photos ..