The Yanks Are Coming! - Krags in the AEF

[RustyCanteen]

I added a little more about the Krag in a separate thread, so as not to confuse readers as to what units we are discussing: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/221927-krags-in-the-aef/

 

RC

[Charlie Flick]

Rusty:

 

Here is another one of the London march. I am going to guess that these guys are the Engineers you have referred to.

 

Regards,

Charlie

 

[RustyCanteen]

Rusty:

 

Here is another one of the London march. I am going to guess that these guys are the Engineers you have referred to.

 

Regards,

Charlie

 

 

Hello Charlie!

 

Sure enough, those are men from one of the four Engineer regiments that paraded through London on August 15th, 1917.

 

Thank you for posting that!

 

Regards,

RC

[Cavdoc83]

RC:

 

An excellent discourse on the WW1 Krag. Thanks for doing this.

 

Here is an RPPC showing some Krags in training at a "US Army Cantonment", almost certainly stateside.

 

Regards,

Charlie

 

WW1 Krag Bayonets.jpg

 

I would wonder if this is stateside. The officer is wearing a Sam Browne belt. Those were only authorized for wear overseas.

 

[12thengr]

From ' American Military Insignia Medals and Decorations' ; Fowler & Kerrigan. Caption reads; U.S.Army Engineers of the first contingent of soldiers to arrive in Glasgow, Scotland in 1917.

[RustyCanteen]

Image (61).jpg From ' American Military Insignia Medals and Decorations' ; Fowler & Kerrigan. Caption reads; U.S.Army Engineers of the first contingent of soldiers to arrive in Glasgow, Scotland in 1917.

 

Hi!

 

I believe that caption is partly incorrect. The Engineers arrived in southern England, and their only public appearance would have been in London on August 15th.

 

RC

[RustyCanteen]

Newspaper front page from December 2nd, 1917 showing the headline in reference to the first battle action of the AEF:

 

[ColtM1911]

Thank you RC for spending the time to research and post this. It was an excellent read. David/

[RustyCanteen]

Hello David,

 

Thank you for your kind comments about my posts. I wanted to help bring some recognition for the men in the units who have been somewhat forgotten in the past 97 years. I hope everyone enjoyed reading it.

 

RC

[RustyCanteen]

I need to sit down and add more to this thread, but much of what I have written needs to be adapted to fit this format. I started researching the 11th & 12th Engineers about 15 years ago, so some of my research is on 3.5" diskettes.

 

For now, I hope you will find these links interesting. I didn't have much time to sit down and write about the actual railway equipment they operated when I posted, and elected to omit those details because it would muddy the discussion about their role in the Battle of Cambrai. In France they still have left over WWI Narrow Guage trains which have been restored. The 12th operated mostly with Baldwins (of the steam engines), but they used a lot of British engines and rolling stock. I don't read French and have no affiliation/experience with them, but this will hopefully give an idea of what they would have used over there:

 

http://www.somme-tourisme.com/cdt80/somme_tourisme/decouvrez/grande_guerre/le_p_tit_train_de_la_haute_somme

 

http://appeva.perso.neuf.fr/

[Tennessee]

RustyCanteen,

I really enjoyed this thread and your excellent research project!! I read in some source that one out of six of all the doughboys in France was an engineer, and this article with the Krag association was fascinating! There are still so many American stories to tell from the Great War! Just think , some of those canteens might have been recovered and reworked Civil War items! Thanks again for all your work in this historic preservation! "It's just another WWI Engineer group!" may mean a lot more than many of us collectors ever realized! It reminds me of the Medical officers in the Lost Legion that served with the British as well.

David

[RustyCanteen]

RustyCanteen,

I really enjoyed this thread and your excellent research project!! I read in some source that one out of six of all the doughboys in France was an engineer, and this article with the Krag association was fascinating! There are still so many American stories to tell from the Great War! Just think , some of those canteens might have been recovered and reworked Civil War items! Thanks again for all your work in this historic preservation! "It's just another WWI Engineer group!" may mean a lot more than many of us collectors ever realized! It reminds me of the Medical officers in the Lost Legion that served with the British as well.

David

 

 

Hi David,

 

Thank you for the kind words. I need to find the time to collate the data I have and post more.

 

RC

[Tennessee]

Another great piece - this time about the Engineers in combat with the British using Krags! It must hve been an amazing experience for these soldiers- being rushed to Englan/France to function as behind the lines Engineer support, and suddenly, they are the frontline! Can you imagine some of the conversations they shared at their reunion!

Thanks again for sharing /preserving this story!

David

[RustyCanteen]

Bringing this back up for the 98th anniversary of the battle. 20 November-4 December, 1917.

 

In memory of the men of the 11th and 12th Engineers and their British and Canadian friends and comrades.

 

RC

[GITom1944]

RustyCanteen - Just stumbled across this thread. I've been researching some local men who served with the 14th Engineers. Very helpful, well-written post. A great go-to source for the story of the Railway engineers in France. Thank you.

 

Tom

[RustyCanteen]

Hi,

 

 

Thank you for the kind words! I had intended to write a couple more companion threads to this one, but never got around to it. If you have any questions about the 14th Engineers, feel free to send me a PM. I have their unit history and roster.

 

RC

[GITom1944]

If you have any questions about the 14th Engineers, feel free to send me a PM.

 

Thank you!

 

Tom