"Pinned down in a ditch next to the vehicles, they returned the fire 
with three M-1 rifles, two carbines, and a submachine gun. . . . The 
enemy was using . . . several automatic weapons . . . and after 
about five minutes . . . began to flank the cars to the left. . . ."

    These words may seem to have been written by an advance 
infantry unit or a combat brigade, carrying out an assault against 
entrenched enemy troops. Instead, this hair-raising narrative comes 
from the diary of "B" Company of the 1303rd Engineer General 
Service Regiment, a "non-combat" unit attached to Patton's Third 
Army during his epic pursuit of the retreating German forces 
across France during August, 1944.

    Though the 1303rd (called "the thirteen-third" by its soldiers) 
was supposed to perform its duties outside the zone of armed 
conflict, these men found themselves acting as the southern flank 
of Patton's rapid advance. More than once, they had to re-build 
bridges the Germans had hastily destroyed in order to permit the 
continued advance of American troops—often doing so under 
enemy fire. Twice they were called upon to deploy as infantry in 
holding back German attacks.

    Careful editing and annotation by military historian Joseph C. 
Fitzharris corrects occasional lapses in the diary, clarifies 
references, and provides important context for following the 
movements and understanding the importance of Company B, the 
1303rd, and its sister regiments. Patton's Fighting Bridge Builders 
rewards its readers with a new understanding of both the messiness 
and the bravery of the Second World War.

_________________________________________________________

JOSEPH C. FITZHARRIS is a professor of history at the 
University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. He holds a Ph.D. 
from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and recently received 
the Moncado Prize for the best article in the Journal of Military 
History.


Number 106: Texas A&M University Military History Series


What people are saying about this book

"Patton’s Fighting Bridge Builders presents a unique view of the war 
in Europe. It offers one of the few contemporaneous records of the 
war immediately behind the front-line. Company B’s story of mud, 
muscle, uncertainty and, occasionally, even humor will be of interest 
to anyone concerned with the Army in World War II."—On Point, 
Winter 2007-2008

" . . . a terse but illuminating glimpse into the dirty, thankless war 
fought by General Patton's combat engineers."—World War II 
Quarterly

"Every individual and every unit in the Second World War has a 
unique and distinctive story to tell. . . . Most diaries and memoirs 
tend to focus on individuals—it is refreshing to see a unit diary. . . 
."—G. Kurt Piehler, University of Tennessee

"This diary amplifies Company B's variety of roles, and it is a story 
worth telling."—Alan Wilt, Professor Emeritus, Iowa State 
University