Troops demonstrate military tactics. Official caption: "Railroad men from the 705th Railway Grand Division simulate defense against aerial attack. ASFUTC, New Orleans, La., 11/9/43." "

. Soldiers line up to eat dinner. Official caption: "Captain Chennault of the 720th Railway Operating Battalion supervises the messing of his company as they camp in the Combat Bivouac Area. ASFUTC, New Orleans, Louisiana, 7/14/43. Official U.S. Army Photograph. New Orleans Port of Embarkation. Publication Prohibited Unless Authorized. When published credit line must read: 'Photograph by U.S. Army.'" New Orleans, Louisiana. Photos donated by : Richard Vernon Powell Jr. was born 14 July 1920 in Beebe, Arkansas and served in the United States Army duing World War II. Powell had been attending Harvard Business School when he registered for service. He would later serve as a captain in the U.S. Army at the New Orleans Port of Embarkation (NOPE). Powell passed away on 17 August 1999 in Norman, Oklahoma. The collection consists of 200 black and white photographs, most created by the U.S. Army Signal Corps, that Powell collected during his service in Louisiana, Alabama, and Texas. Subjects include: The New Orleans Port of Embarkation (NOPE), the Army Service Forces Unit Training Center (ASFUTC), Services of Supply Unit Training Center (Camp Plauche/Camp Harahan), British Lend-Lease, Jackson Barracks, mosquito control, 814th Signal Port Company, 493rd Port Battalion, Sanitary Corps, Army Nurse Corps, 720th Railway Operating Battalion Transportation Corps Officer Candidate School, and the 400th and 393rd Stevedore Battalion. https://www.ww2online.org

Thanks so much to author, Michael Heinzel for providing to the blog an English translation of a chapter pertaining to MRS units from his new book, Buch Eisenbahn in Ostbelgien nach dem 2. Weltkrieg: Besetzung - Befreiung - Wiederaufbau (Railway in East Belgium after World War II: Occupation - Liberation - Reconstruction) 

Reports from a German, American and Belgian perspective The railways in the Belgian-German border area served as deployment lines for the German invasion of Belgium in the First and Second World Wars. 

During the First World War they were only slightly destroyed, but then mostly ceded to the kingdom. During the Second World War, the destruction was serious. The local events of the years 1940-59 can be reconstructed using original documents from the Federal Archives, diary reports by American railway pioneers and official SNCB files from the Belgian train station Weywertz, and interesting insights into the political upheavals of that time can be gained. 

You can purchase in German here you can purchase in German here: Softcover 14.7 x 21cm 103 pages : https://bityl.co/B7jj 

 

If you can't see image click here : https://drive.google.com/file/d/165mOKwCNngH8q7hrAjwgEaQJGOWIOzK9/view?usp=sharing

720th Timetable by on Scribd

Thanks to William for sending these ...

1945-11-09 GO-102 728TH ROB Normandy Campaign Award by Nancy on Scribd

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1945-11-13 GO-103 728TH ROB Detachment Northern France Campaign Award by Nancy on Scribd

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1945-12-11 GO-116 728TH ROB Central Europe Campaign Award by Nancy on Scribd

720.pdf by Nancy

thanks tim

720 ROB work shop plans by Nancy on Scribd

720th Railway Operating Battalion Lison Train Station by Nancy

Wonderful photos and documents from Joan whose Dad, Edward Warrington served in the 720th ROB.
Thanks to  Joan for sharing this great collection !

Letters and documents

720th ROB Warrington letters and docs by cunningb

Photos

720th ROB Warrington photos by cunningb

Klemp, Robert W."Bub"03-23-192305-22-20051, 112, 5--WW II, 720th Railway Operating Battalion Co C, s/o Julius & Myrna Groth Klemp

Oakgrove Cemetery Portage, Wisconsin

Cty Rd O off State road 16 on the West side of Portage Tombstone transcription 2001

JOHN REDMOND KINGMAN JR.



9/25/08 11:14 pm



SMYRNA - John Redmond Kingman Jr., 86, died Sept. 11, 2006, in Caribou. He was born April 20, 1920, in East Bridgewater, Mass., the son of John Redmond and Ina Mae (Severance) Kingman Sr. John was a veteran of World War II, serving in the 720th Railway Operating Battalion in Normandy and northern France. He was discharged Nov. 6, 1945. He is survived by his son, Dennis Bruce Kingman Sr. of Burlington; two daughters, Leona Lee Pasquini of Holyoke, Mass., and Jean Francis Donahue of Hingham, Mass.; 10 grandchildren, 30 great-grand-children, one great-great-grandchild; one sister, Katherine F. Taylor of Seminole, Fla.; several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents; first wife, Barbara Bennett Burgess; second wife, Mary Dewey; one son, James Redmond Kingman; grandchildren, Mary Anne and Karen Donahue; brother, William L. Kingman; and sisters, Mary K. Johnson, Ina Mae Leleux and Phyllis Hartman. A graveside service will be held at St. James Cemetery, Whitman, Mass. Arrangements by Bowers Funeral Home, Houlton.

Archive 17 1 Ww2 by Nancy

Emmanuel Delaville from Normandy, France emailed me about this photo if you have any information on this unit or this photo please email !

May you could help me:

I have attached one picture about men of the 720th Railway Operating Battalion who was taken on August 5, 1944 in the railway station of Lison in Normandy.
I have found this legend with the picture but it seems there is some errors ( Soldiers Ranks, number of soldiers ).
May you have in your archives an other legend?

Date: 5 août 1944.

Dispatchers office du 720th Railroad Operating Battalion..

L to R : .

Cpl Arthur Swisher, Corning, O.; .

M/Sgt John Verneiren, Springfield, Mans.;.

T/Sgt Archie Kidd, Nighgrove, Cal.;.

Sepper Buck, Ely Cambs, England; . ??

Sgt Melvin R. Holmberg, Minneapolis, Minn.; .

Sgt Warren E. Roberts, Minneapolis, Minn.; .

Lt George H. Shavel, Chicago, Ill.;.

T/Sgt John H. Toler, Pesch Orchard, Ark.;.

S/Sgt Ronald P. Stockman, Speener, Wisconsin. .

720THROBCOMPLTE31PGSrs by Nancy

~Brief Chronological Review of 720th Railway Operating Battalion ~
The 720th Railway Operating Battalion, Transportation Corps, was originally constituted in the Organized Reserves in 1923 as the 507th Engineer Battalion (Railway), and subsequently re-designated as 507th Engineer Battalion (Railway Operating), June 20, 1933; later as the 720th Engineer Battalion, February 21, 1941; and as the 720th Railway Operating Battalion, Transportation Corps, on December 1, 1942.
1943
• Aug.19- Ordered to be made active.
• Aug.26- Actual physical activation at Camp Harahan, New Orleans, La.; securing basic training.
• Nov. 1- Technical training at Camp Cushing, Ft. Sam Houston, Tex.
1944
• Jan. 4- Left Texas; heading north.
• Jan.19- Left Boston, Mass; overseas.
• Jan.29- Arrived, Liverpool, England.
• Feb. 6- Camp Seamills, near Bristol; deployed as 19 detachments; going East, West, South, for switching operations; engine and track maintenance; car erection- at depots in England, Scotland and Wales; as well as fitting up boats for "D" Day. Headquarters at Sudbury, Staffordshire.
• Apr.11- Recall of all units to Kirkham, Lancashire; for lectures on demolition, machine gun, and camouflage instructions.
• Apr.27- Deployed as 23 detachments. Task included railway operation; car erection; work on ships, in United Kingdom. Hdqrs, Newbury, Berkshire.
• May 25- Pfc. Sargent, of Co. "C", awarded the Soldiers Medal.
• JUNE 6- ALLIES LAND AT NORMANDY (D-DAY).
• July 12- Overseas alert orders; proceed for shipment to France.
• July 15- Motor Convoy and Company "C" arrive on the Continent.
• July18- Companies "A", "B", and Medical Detachment arrive.
• July 22- Headquarters Unit arrives. (All stationed at Cherbourg)
• July 22- "A", "B", "C", go to Lison, France.
• July 23- Hdqrs Co. arrives at Lison. Rehabilitation of tracks and switches, towers, power, and rolling stock; reconnaissance missions west to Lemans. The "720th" was specially assigned to handling supply trains moving from Cherbourg area, to support General Patton's drive to close the Falaise Gap. The first ten trains into the railhead were piloted by "720th" crews. Upon completion of the assignment, the territory- Lison to Vire, and Lison to Folligny- was controlled by "720th"
• Aug. 9- Tech.5/g J. Clardy Jr. killed.
• AUG. 15- ALLIES LAND IN SOUTHERN FRANCE.
• AUG. 19- AMERICAN WAR TANKS ENTER PARIS.
• Sept. 2- "720th" operated 48 eastward trains through Lison in a 36 hour period. (A huge task, of true unselfish devotion.)
• Oct. 23- Hdqrs. goes to Caen, France; control of Lison to Lisioux line; and also the Coursuelles line. (Long hours and hard work in adverse weather.)
1945
• MAR. 8- U.S. UNITS CROSS RHINE TO GERMANY
• Mar. 31- The "720th" enters Germany.
• Apr. 4- Headquarters at Wesel, Germany; enemy just evacuated.
• Apr. 8- Wesel to Munster line cleared by the "720th" of obstructions. First train was piloted by "720th" over Rhine on newly constructed Wesel Bridge. Enormous task of moving supplies for rapidly advancing 1st and 9th U.S. Armies; along with reconstruction, required superhuman efforts of all members of the 720th.
• APR. 12- PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT DIES SUDDENLY. VICE PRESIDENT TRUMAN BECOMES PRESIDENT.
• Apr. 28- 1st Lieut. Chas. Smith killed.
• MAY 7- GERMANY GIVES UP (MAY 8-VE DAY)
• June 1- Battalion cited in General Order for meritorious duty.
• June 24- Capt. J. King fatally injured.
• June 28- "720th" takes over transportation in Belgium.
• JULY 5- ENTIRE PHILIPPINES RETAKEN BY U.S.
• July 22- Battalion cited in General Order for superior duty.
• AUG. 5- ATOMIC BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA.
• AUG. 9- SECOND 'A' BOMBING AT NAGASAKI.
• AUG. 10- JAPAN GIVES UP (AUG.11-VJ DAY).
• AUG.14- PRESIDENT TRUMAN ANNOUNCES THAT JAPAN ACCEPTS SURRENDER TERMS.
• Aug. 25- Second anniversary observed by "720th" at Liege, Belgium.
• Oct. 18- The 720th begins demobilization; high-pointers being returned home; those over 64 points kept in 720th; under 64 points transferred to 743rd.
• Nov. 19- Those sent to 743rd, switched to 740th and other outfits, going to Marseilles, France.
• Dec. 5- the "720th" arrives in New York, aboard the Vulcania, from Le Havre, France.
• DEC. 9- GENERAL PATTON SERIOUSLY INJURED IN AUTO CRASH IN GERMANY, INJURIES PROVING FATAL DEC. 21. BURIED IN LUXEMBOURG.
• Members still with "720th", honorably discharged from 1260th Separation Center, at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.
• Dec. 31- Storms delayed rest of 720th from reaching home in 1945. Record-breaking storms raged on the Atlantic. Captain of the Carrier Enterprise (transport), with 6,588 troops, said: "The closest thing to such storms I have seen, was a typhoon in the China sea. Waves were from 75 to 80 feet high, and wind velocity was from 80 to 85 miles an hour. In one 12 hour period we lost 41 miles. About 40 life rafts, 60 feet above water, were ripped away. For hours on end we could make only about one-half knot an hour."
1946
• Jan. 2- Many 720th members arrive with 723rd Railway Battalion; aboard the "Central Falls Victory."
• Jan. 3- Large group of 720th arrive with 740th Railway Battalion; aboard the "Saint Albans Victory."
• Members of the 720th arriving home in January, 1946, from Marseilles, were 12 days on the high seas, including Christmas and New Years Day.
• Returning units go to Camp Kilmer (N.J.) for honorable discharge.

~Commendations~
• Colonel N.J. Wilson, 21st British Area, commended the "720th" Battalion for performing its task well and efficiently at Lison and Caen.
• General Order 42, June 1, 1945; Headquarters, Normandy Base: Commendations for the Meritorious Performance of Duty by the 720th Railway Battalion.
• General Order No.8, July 22, 1944; Headquarters, Chanor Base Area; Commendation for the Superior Performance of Duty by the 720th Railway Operating Battalion.


~ Honored~
• Capt. Harold L. Barr, of Co. "A", on reconnaissance mission with Tech. Clardy Jr., sustained injuries; receiving the Purple Heart. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, and received the French Croix de Guerre with Gold Star.
• Pfc. Edward P. Sargent awarded the Soldier's Medal, for heroism near Wom, Shropshire, England, having rescued a fellow soldier who fell under a moving train.

~Battle Stars~
Battle Participation Stars Designated
• Battle of Cherbourg
• Battle of Northern France
• Battle of Rhineland
• Battle of Central Europe
Text thanks to http://home.earthlink.net/~720throb/history.htm