This is an original 1942,  4 1/2" by 2 1/4" WW-2 Photo, that shows a officer (Lieutenant?) with his lady. He was assigned to the US Army
723rd Engineer Railway Operating Battalion. Note the early uniform with John Brown Belt, riding pants and boots. This photo came from the collection of a veteran of the 723rd.

The 723rd was originally organized as the 614th Railway Engineer Battalion in 1924. In 1933 it was redesignated as the 614th Engineer Battalion a Reserve unit affiliated with the Union Pacific Railroad Company and reorganized in February, 1941 as the 723rd Railway Operating Battalion, Transportation Corps. From 1943 to 1945, the 723rd operated in the European Theater in England, France, Belgium, and Germany. It was part of the occupation forces in Germany from May to October 1945.

729th Engineer Railway Operating Battalion William Kolberg

727th Butler Obit

Camp Harahan

This is a great story about the uncle of Jim Grossman,  one of our contributors ( who served in the 763rd) and it talks about the 8 Grossman boys ( his Dad and Uncle's ) who all helped out the war effort ( 6 served in combat roles) during WWII.
Jim writes ...

Thanks so much to Jim for these great photos.
Jim Grossman writes ...
I was the supply officer for the 763rd Railway Battalion (Maintenance) at Ft. Eustis, Va. from Sept. 1964 to about July 1965, when I left to go to 8th Army Hqs in Korea. The battalion was being taken out of service at that time.

Here are two; in one I am sitting in engine 606 in Jan.1965, and the other is a photo of me with fellow lieutenants during a field exercise at Ft. Eustis in March 1965. In that photo, Lt. Colonel Walsh, the battalion commander is promoting 2nd Lt. Cummins to 1st Lt. I am second from the right in the photo.
At that time there where two battalions in a Group (I cannot recall the Group's number and name). They were the 714th Operating Battalion and the 763rd Maintenance Battalion. I got orders in March 1965 to be reassigned to the 8th Army in Korea the coming July. About a month after that, nearly every lieutenant in both battalions received orders to report to Danang in Vietnam around the same time.

The 714th and 763rd were the last two railroad battalions in the Army in 1965, I believe. I do not know if they were revived there or in Vietnam.

716th Christmas Card Thanks Tom Whittle !

716thchristmascard by on Scribd

728th Richard Fenzel Obituary

729th Transportation Railway operating Battalion Anthony Swiatowy

Anthony Swiatowy
CORFU — Anthony Swiatowy, 83, of Corfu, formerly of Akron, died Thursday (Sept. 29, 2011) at home surrounded by his loving family.
He was born in Buffalo on May 26, 1928, the son of the late Felix and Pearl (Popek) Swiatowy.
Mr. Swiatowy attended Akron High School and went on to proudly serve in the U.S. Army from 1950-1951, in the 729th Transportation Railway operating Battalion at Fort Meade, Md.
He was employed at Bell Aircraft from 1951-1959, and retired from Buffalo Crushed Stone as a mechanic crusher operator in 1993 after 34 years of service.
A member of the First United Methodist Church of Akron, Tony will be remembered for his great sense of humor. He also loved his family and he will be greatly missed by his wife children, grandchildren and nieces and nephews.
He felt that his grandchildren and great grandchildren were a total blessing in his life. Following his retirement Tony enjoyed growing pumpkins on his small farm and collecting antique tractors. He also enjoyed hunting.
Tony is the loving husband of the former Patricia (Scarborough) Swiatowy, whom he married April 17, 1951. Loving father of David (Shirley Shankles), of S. Pittsburg, Tenn., Thomas (Erin) Swiatowy, and Deborah (Kevin) Schultz both of Akron.
He was the cherished grandfather of Jill (Martin) Heitzmann, Kelly Schultz, Michelle Swiatowy, Elizabeth Schultz, Jennifer (Richie) Kirkum, Peter (Jennifer) Swiatowy and Nicole (Michael) Beeken. Great-grand father of Natalie Beecken, Ryleigh Kirkum, Colin Kirkum, Cayden Beecken and Makenna Beecken. Dear brother of Celia (late Laslie) Matusek, Bernice (late Dominic) Delre, Dorothy (late Donald) Walf, Josephine (Dennis) Waldron and the late Florence (Darwin) Marble, Felix (Gladys) Swiatowy and Frank Swiatowy.
Also surviving are several nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday in the Childs Funeral Home, LLC, 10 Eckerson Ave., Akron, where services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday. The Rev. David Weidman will officiate. Burial will be in Evergreen Lawn Cemetery, Akron. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations in Tony’s memory be made to Hospice and Home Care Batavia. Visit www.childsfuneralhomeofakron.com.

Lot of real photos in good condition, vintage World War I images of the American S.O.S. railroad workshop and camp at Nevers, France - circa 1918. Some edge wear and typical aging. 5 3/8 x 3.5 inches.
• 10 of the images are signed as by photographer Pierre Premery.
• The other seven are assumed to be by Premery but are not signed, there are several duplicates in this group of the interior of the railroad workshop.
• There is one card with a postcard back of the railroad yard exterior.
Company D, 33rd engineers of the American Expeditionary Forces, WWI, built the railroad car repair shops and yards, including a German prison camp and American barracks. The base began operations in July 1918 and served as a central depot in the Services of Supply (S.O.S) intermediate zone.
Pierre Premery was one of the foremost French photographers, he lived in Nevers and is the subject of the book, "Regard du Photographe Pierre Premery, Nevers et sa region de 1906 A 1956", by Monique Premery-Thuriot.

Thanks so much to Tom Whittle for sharing some of his Dad's (Thomas Lee Whittle) photos and documents from his service in the 716th ROB.
Tom would love to talk with others who's Dad or Grand Dad served with this unit.
You can contact him here: Thomas Whittle tlwhittle[at]cox.net

From Thomas ...My dad was a railroader for 7 years before enlisting and his dad was a railroader too. He was with the Southern Pacific, I think, in St. Louis or East St. Louis but was done with "the roads" after he mustered out in '45.

He married my mother (Bette) in 1940, worked on the Southern Pacific RR in St. Louis and attended night school classes until he joined the Army in '44. He mustered out of the Army in '45, attended Northwestern University in Chicago where he studied accounting, graduated in 1949. We lost him in Nov., 1960 at age 42 from cancer and he is interred at Elm Lawn Cemetery in Elmhurst, IL.


716threcord of Events

Thanks to Jerry Pavia for sharing some of his Dad's wonderful photos !