WWII Engineer Amphibian Troops

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FOREWORD
This guide is published as an aid to training engineer amphibian
units.
It contains the essentials of the mission, procedure and organi-
zation of engineer amphibian troops as developed during the past
year by this Command. It has, however, been rapidly compiled to
meet an urgent need for such a document and unit commanders are in-
vited to criticise and to suggest additions, deletions, changes in
emphasis, etc., for incorporation in later editions.
In a new and rapidly growing organization, it must be understood
that the Tables of Organization and the doctrine are under constant
development. Many of the figures and charts given here will change
from time to time.
Other volumes, in what is to be a series of training guides, are
presently being written. They will deal with all phases of the tech-
nique of engineer amphitian operations.
Departure from doctrine taught in training is a privilege of com-
mand-- but such departure must be justified by results.
DANIEL NOCE
Brigadier General, U.S.A.
Engineer Amphibian Command, Commanding.
Camp Edwards, Massachusetts,
February, 1943.
CONTENTS
Foreword
Symbols iii
I introduction
H Basic Facts 3
I Landing Craft 9
Marine Maintenance 31
3 Organization 41
3ZE Engineer Amphibian Troops In Action 63
Annex I 91
Insignia of Combined Operations- worn
as a shoulder patch in blue and gold by
engineer amphibian troops. A patch
of the same design, in black and red,
is worn by British combined operation
troops.
SYMBOLS USED IN THIS GUIDE
Beach limit marker ,Left (from sea)

Beach limit marker ,Right(from sea)
Clearing Station
Command Post (Amphibian Engineers)
Command & Navigation, or Patrol, Boat
Distributing point:
Artillery ammunition (.dp
For class I supplies (Rations) Jdp
Gas & oil (~dp

Small-arms ammunition ( dp
Water w dp
LCM(3) 50'
LCVP 36'
Machine gun,
Motor Pool ,
Observation post
Prisoners of war PW
Road Site Beach Marker
Salvage Boat (LCM(3))
Visual signal post
iii
TENTATIVE TRAINING GUIDE NO. 1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1. Purpose of this Guide. The purpose of this guide is to describe

the employment of engineer amphibian troops-- and to discuss those
elements of organization, equipment, tactics, and training which
distinguish the engineer amphibian unit from any other in the armed
forces of the United States.
This guide is the first of a series which is being published

pending incorporation of the material in an appropriate field manual.
This volume is written for officers. It presumes that these

officers are familiar with the normal' duties and responsibilities of
line and staff work. It is, therefore, concerned only with that ad-
ditional knowledge which they must acquire before undertaking to fit
themselves for the training and command of engineer amphibian units.
The first Engineer Amphibian Brigade was activated less than

a year ago. It was an experimental operation in the truest sense.
The work of this brigade, and of the brigades that were subsequently
activated, proved the soundness of the idea. But in matters of or-
ganization, equipment and tactics, the original atmosphere of
open-minded experimentation is being intentionally maintained. The
principles and practices set forth in this guide are not, therefore,
to be considered the last words on this subject.
The field problems of the organization to which they are attach-

ed will continually present the amphibian brigade commander and his
staff with new situations which can be met only with ingenuity and
ability to adapt familiar practices to unfamiliar circumstances.
The officer reading these words is, therefore, advised that he

is simply to accept them for what they are-- the distillate of near-
ly a year's experience in the training and command of engineer am-
phibian units-- and then to remember that his ultimate success will
depend on his own aggressiveness, tenacity, ingenuity, and intelli-
gence, rather than on the parrot-like memorizing of any guide or man-
The first task of any officer taking part in a mission as orig-

inal as that assigned to engineer amphibian troops is learning to
ENGINEER AMPHIBIAN TROOPS
think for himself. He must know when to profit by the experience of

those who have gone before, and when to trust his own judgment and
to use his own initiative.
Many assumptions in this guide are arbitrary. They have been

made solely for the purpose of achieving standards of procedure in
training. Action in the field will be subject to almost infinite
variation.
The problem is how to train and lead amphibian engineers in a

wholly original military maneuver which can be of enormous impor-
tance to the success of our arms abroad.
2. Use of Illustrations. This guide contains a large number of il-

lustrations and charts. It has been said that a picture is worth
10,000 words. It takes almost as much time to understand a picture
as it does to read and understand 10,000 words.
THE DIAGRAMS AND ILLUSTRATIONS IN THIS GUIDE ARE TO BE STUDIED!
The Sea-horse Insignia of the Engineer Amphibian Command.

TENTATIVE TRAINING GUIDE NO, 1
CHAPTER II
BASIC FACTS
3. Elements of the Mission. The mission of engineer amphibian troops

is four-fold:
WATER TRANSPORT: The transport of combat units over water from

friendly near shore to hostile far shore.
To accomplish this, the amphibian engineers operate and

maintain large fleets of specially constructed shallow
draft landing craft. This part of their task includes
responsibility for the loading on the near shore of per-
sonnel, equipment and supplies of the combat units.
ORGANIZATION OF FAR SHORE BEACHES: The organisation of the far

shore beaches to facilitate the movement inland of combat troops and
equipment.
This work includes the unloading of supplies and equip-

ment, demolition of obstacles, road building, beach
marking, traffic control, salvage, the marking of the
first dumps, defense against enemy interference, etc.
EVACUATION: The evacuation of wounded, salvable equipment and

prisoners to the friendly shore.
RE-SUPPLY: The re-supply or continued supply of the combat units

over water routes.
This operation normally continues until adequate port

and dockage facilities are available on the far shore.
Weeks or even months may elapse.
4. Engineer amphibian units normally operate from "shore-to-

shore . Transoceanic crossings are the responsibility of the Navy
and its transports. Landings from such big vessels are referred to
as "ship-to-shore" operations. The small boats launched from Naval

ships to make the last runs to the beach are, however, identical
with the craft manned by engineer amphibian troops.
The shortest crossing for which engineer amphibian troops might

be employed would be that of a river or estuary too wide to span with
a ponton bridge. In good weather and on calm sea, however, the range
of landing craft is limited only by the problem of re-fueling and
re-supply. Landing craft can be refuelled and re-supplied at sea.
The size of the fuel load, the weight of the cargo and the weath-
er are decisive factors in amphibian crossings. In bad weather, the
seaworthiness of the craft employed and the hardship on the troops
transported become vital considerations.
The range of an operation can, of course, be stretched by the

"hop" system. Islands make ideal stepping stones for amphibian borne
advances. In this way, Japanese amphibian units worked their way for
thousands of miles down the China coast. The same units were used
again and again in the march down the Kra Isthmus and the Malay Pen-
insula to the conquest of Singapore.
5. Adaptability. As this Japanese experience suggests, the amphib-

ian crossing from friendly near shore to enemy far shore should not
be considered as exclusively a crossing from one body of land to an-
other. When an enemy flank is secured by a waterway-- whether a
river, a lake or an ocean-- it is vulnerable to water borne attack.
Rather than continue to attack on land-- over difficult terrain and
against stiff opposition-- the tactical commander may choose to use
his engineer amphibian troops in an enveloping movement, landing a
striking force far to the enemy's rear. The presence of amphibian
equipment capable, between sunset and sunrise, of delivering such an
attack will present the enemy commander with a nice problem in the
disposition of his reserves.
Under special circumstances, engineer amphibian troops may func-

tion to carry a combat unit across any body of water encountered in
the course of an advance which is otherwise entirely by land. The
Japanese frequently resorted to amphibian operations in campaigns
fought along rivers or across lakes in the interior of China.
Thus, it is seen that the function of the Engineer Amphibian Bri-

gade is not limited to a single type of operation, but may involve
its being the prime mover in a whole campaign of successful water
crossings. In such a campaign, the brigade's equipment would be used
over and over again, each time in an advance towards or into enemy
hold territory.
The premium that such varied missions put upon the maintenance
of equipment and the self-sufficiency of units of the command is
self-evident.
It should also be apparent that at the end of any one of its

major water hops, the whole brigade may be called on to fight on
shore-- and the training program is planned with this in mind.
6. Carrying Capacity. The carrying capacity of the Engineer Amphib-

ian Brigade, with the naval craft which are norwmlly attached, is
one division of ground forces. In its own organic craft, the bri-
gade can carry nine battalion landing groups.
The brigade is so organised that it may be employed in whole or
in part. The basic unit is the "boat-company-plus-shore-company"
team made up of one boat company and one shore company PLUS sel-
eoted detachments from the regiment and/or brigade. This unit so
constituted is self-sufficient, and can provide shore-to-shore trans-
port and far shore facilities for a battalion landing group. Units
may be rearranged to concentrate boat strength or shore strength, as
required by the tactical problem. This organisation is discussed in
greater detail in Chapter V.
7. Other Missions. Units of the Engineer Amphibian Brigade can be

used for still other purposes. From its allotment of anti-aircraft
machine guns and gunners, detachments can be drawn for the defense
of harbors, beachheads, airports, etc. Engineer amphibian troops
are prepared at all times to fend off aerial attacks with their own
organic weapons-- and also to fend off such naval attacks as may get
past the supporting naval force.
Furthermore, boat battalions may be separated to operate ports

and other utilities. In a similar manner, shore battalions can be
used to build air fields and to construct general utilities.
Not all amphibian crossings will be to hostile beaches. Our own

advanced bases ca be re-supplied by fleets of landing craft. All
during 1942, the Japanese supplied their forces on Guadalcanal by
motor barges. So regularly each night did they run in from Bougain-
ville-- 260 miles away-- that the Marines called their service the
Bougainville Express. It got through despite the fact that we had
both sea and air superiority.
AMPHIBIAN TROOPS
Thus, the engineer amphibian unit can also be thought of as

functioning from friendly near shore to friendly far shore. This is
an important consideration wherever waterways are available for trans-
port. Rivers, shore lines or open bodies of water leading from the
rear towards the front are no longer a hindrance but an aid to mil-
itary operations.
8. le of Emen . There are three regiments in each Engi-

near H.i-.an
-. -ri :e. The following schematic diagrams show how all
three may be continuously employed during succeeding phases of an ad-
vance across water.
FIRST PHASE
Fig. 1-- Three Engineer Amphibian Regiments transport combat units

to the enemr held shore.
SECOND PHASE
1/
~x~?
Fig. 2-- One Engineer Amphibian Regiment now supports one regimental
landing force in a flank attack to enlarge the beachhead.
Two Engineer Amphibian Regiments re-supply from near shore
to far shore,
THIRD PHASE
Fig. 3-- One Engineer Amphibian Regiment then transports one regimen-
tal landing force by water to attack enemy in rear. The
other two Engineer Amphibian Regiments have begun bringing
up supplies from the nearest useable port, and are return-
ing prisoners and wounded. They have organised and are de-
fending the harbor.
ENGINEER AMPHIBIAJN TROOPS
"FULL THROTTLE"
TENTATIVE TRAINING GUIDE NO 1
CHAPTER III
LANDING CRAFT
9. Background. Assault troops can be landed on enemy held beaches

from anyIind f vessel or vehicle that floats, The Germans have put
outboard motors on rubber boats and crossed rivers too broad to bridge.
The Japanese have often provided water borne transportation for their
troops by commandeering local craft -- small fishing vessels, barges,
even row boats. Ferry boats helped tow their landing force across to
Corregidor. Sea-going transports -- or even destroyers or light
cruisers -- may be run aground on the enemy coast, the assault troops
reaching the beach simply by jumping overboard or elimbing down nets
into the surf,
Long before this war began, the United States Marine Corps had
perfected the technique of landing in standard design life boats, put
over off the enemy coast and rowed or power-driven onto the beach. If
the life boats could be retracted to make a second trip, so much the
better; if they could not, they were no great loss, Once the Marines
"had the situation well in hand", their supplies would be landed at
the nearest port facilities -- or their engineers would run a make-
shift pier out into deeper water.
So expert did the Marines become in the use of the life boat
that they even invented what was called "Boat Rig A", by means of
which they balanced light field pieces and weapons carriers on tracks
laid along the boat's gunwales. When the water was very calm and the
beach favorable, this equipment could unload itself by rolling down
an improvised wooden ramp from the boat to the beach
Early in this war, however, the need for a more effective way to
assist assault troops in establishing beachheads on hostile shores
made itself felt. It is probable that the frustrated plans of the
Germans to cross the English Channel in 1940 gave the first impetus
to the creation of specialized craft for transporting landing troops,
Also, our desire to get back on the Continent made the designing and
building of boats that could do the job a problem to be tackled at
once.
What was needed for crossing water to land on enemy beaches was
a boat which would be:
A. Sturdy and seaworthy-- to stand the crossing itself.
B. High powered-- not simply for speed but to facilitate re-

tracting. It takes surplus power to pull a boat off the
beach.
C. Shallow draft-- for landing on beaches from which the at-

tacking forces could deploy rapidly; and to facilitate
retracting.
D. Of large carrying capacity-- big enough to carry the mo-

bile equipment and artillery without which an attack in
force could not be delivered.
E. Uniquely easy to unload.
The last requirement was the most important of all, for without
a way to get the vitally needed rolling stock on shore quickly, the
whole idea of delivering a mechanized attack on an enemy beach fell
to pieces. The Marines' "A Rig" was all right if one had perfect
weather and perfect beach conditions and plenty of time to set it up
on a hostile beach, But with aerial reconnaissance, highly mobile
reserves and radio communication all at the enemy's command, the
likelihood of having such leisure to unload grew less and less.
The shallow draft, ramp loading boat cut through this problem
with a single stroke of design. With its development, the landing
craft as we know it today became a fact -- a soon-to-be established
standard piece of military equipment the world over.
Because the Channel crossing was a pressing problem to them, the

British were first to push through a succession of experimental land-
ing craft designs and models. Here in America, we tapped an unlikely
source of research. Bootleggers operating in the Caribbean during
prohibition had been faced with the problem of putting heavy cargoes
ashore on out of the way beaches. Builders in that part of the world
evolved a special type of high speed,spoon bowed, shallow draft barge
for them. Its bottom was designed to stand up to successive ground-
ings on sand bars. Once equipped with a ramp gate in the bow, it was
a ready-made landing craft.
Successful use of amphibian troops by the Japanese during the

Singapore campaign gave the final impetus to development which had
begun on the other side of the globe on the shores of the English
Channel.
10
Curiously enough, the Japanese, who were the first to win major
victories by the employment of amphibian troops, were less ingenious
in the design of their equipment. Although accounts of the Kra Isth-
mus campaign refer to "specially built knocked-down landing craft
which were assembled at the point of embarkation",the Japanese equi-
valent of engineer amphibian troops are remarkable for the thorough-
ness of their training rather than for the mechanical aids with which
they are equipped. It remained for English and American engineers to
give us the basic designs for the landing craft with which we won
back the beachhead at Guadalcanal and established our forces in
Africa.
10. Standardization of Landing Craft. By the time America had been

at war for six months, there were scores of experimental types of
landing craft afloat, and several had even gone into mass production.
Standardization was indicated. Four types had proven acceptable. Each
filled a need.
The first need was for a landing craft to carry personnel -- a

comparatively fast boat, easy to maneuver, A ramp bow was not then
considered an absolute necessity, although easy egress was of vital
importance when surf conditions weie expected. The most practical
length seemed to be between thirty and forty feet.
The second need was for a vehicle carrier of about this same
length, but designed to load any of the light vehicles used by the
landing forces. For this craft, a ramp bow became a necessity.
The third need was for a lighter -- a craft big enough to carry
a medium tank, heavy vehicles, or artillery: length around fifty
feet, twin-screwed.
The fourth need was for still bigger craft -- lighters over one
hundred feet long, of slightly greater draft and less maneuverabil-
ity, but capable of going longer distances and able to carry several
tanks or trucks, or large quantities of equipment and supplies.
11. The Engineer Amphibian Fleet. The United States Navy-- in con-
sultation with the Engineer Amphibian Command-- has consolidated two
of the above types into one. It was decided that the vehicle carrier
could also serve as a personnel boat. Slight changes in design af-
forded coxswain and troops more adequate protection,and the ramp was
widened to allow loading of the 3/4 ton weapons carrier. This type
is called the LOVP.
The fifty foot lighter had proved its worth and was retained.
As standardized, it is known as the LCM(3).
These two vessels, which are now the basic engineer amphibian
landing craft, are pictured and described on the following pages.
The addition of fleets of the still larger tank lighters, mul-

ti-motored vessels over 100 feet in length, will be normal in most
engineer amphibian operations. The type designation is LCT(5). As
will presently be explained, however, these vessels will be manned
and maintained by the Navy rather than by the Army. For that rea-
son, extensive description of these craft is omitted from this vol-
ume--although pictures and principal dimensions will be found later
in this chapter.
Two other members of the engineer amphibian's boat fleet remain

to be described. They are the Command and Navigation Boat and the
Patrol Boat. Their names indicate their functions. Often they will
be of identical design, with the Patrol Boat carrying less special
navigational equipment. At present, the modified vehicle carrier
shown in this chapter is being considered for both "cnommand and
navigation" and patrol duties. It is possible, however, that in
higher echelons a steadier, faster boat will be provided for these
purposes.
These types are not described in detail in this chapter because

the Command and Navigation and the Patrol Boat are unique only in
the use to which they are put. In training, any 40 or 50 foot cabin
cruiser will serve; in action, the less these important boats differ
from other vessels of the fleet--whether seen in silhouette or from
the air-- the better. From a design point of view, two considera-
tions are important:
Stability at sea. The decks must be thought of as a platform

on which the fleet's navigators work.
Speed. The Command and Navigation and Patrol Boats must be

shepherd dogs to the flock.
12. Amphibian Vehicles. The development of specialized landing

craft was paralleled by similar efforts to perfect true amphibian
vehicles which would roll into the water, cross under their own
power, and roll out on the far shore to get into action.
The essential limitation of all true amphibian vehicles is

still to be overcome. They are built to operate in two elements;
the more effective they are in one, the less effective they are in
the other.
Three amphibian vehicles are pictured and described in this

Chapter. One-- the amphibian truck-- is already standard equipment
in an engineer amphibian brigade, although it is still assigned a
minor function.
Reference to the essential limitations of amphibian vehicles as

"still to be overcome" is meant literally. The advantages of an all-
purpose amphibian vehicle are obvious. Even more effective designs
are being sought and there is no doubt that the problem will eventu-
ally be solved. But at the present time ramp type landing craft,
rather than amphibian vehicles, remain the foundation on which en-
gineer amphibian tactics are based.
13. Recapitulation. To recapitulate, the engineer amphibian fleet,

as presently organized, consists of:
a.) LCVP boats-- thirty-six foot shallow draft, ramp loading,

vehicle/personnel landing craft.
b.) LCM(3) boats-- fifty foot shallow draft, ramp loading,

twin-screw, heavy vehicle carrying landing craft-- called
tank lighters.
c.) LCT(5) boats-- one hundred and five foot ramp loading,
triple-screwed, landing craft, manned by the Navy.
d.) Patrol boats.
e.) Command and Navigation boats.
f.) Amphibian vehicles.
Current models of these craft are pictured in the following

pages.
14. The 36' LCVP. The LCVP is the currently standardized craft used
to carry and land assault troops. She also may be employed to trans-
port vehicles up to and including the 3/4 ton weapons carrier.
The craft's' designating letters, LCVP, are explained as follows:

LC-- Landing Craft, V-- Vehicle, P-- Personnel; Hence-- LCVP.
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
14
The LCVPts carrying capacity is 10,100 lbs. and crew. Either a

gasoline or Diesel engine of more than 200 h.p. supplies the power.
Both types of engines are used in training and the choice in the field
will depend on the fuel facilities in the theatre of operations.
The LCVP can be transported either swung on a ship's davits or

on deck, She can be lowered loaded over the ship's side.
Fig. 6-- General layout and principal dimensions of LCVP
Fig. 7-- LCVP profile sketch showing lines of hull. The boat is
beached and the ramp lowered.
The crew of an LCVP consists of three men-- a coxswain (T/4), an

engineman (T/5), and a seaman (PFC or Private).
Fig. 8-- Crew of an LCVP-- Coxswain, engineman, seaman.
Fig. 9-- How an LCVP transports 3/4 ton weapons carrier. The two
scarfings just aft the engine hatch are manned bythe LCVP's
own crew when other personnel is not available.
Fig. i0- The LCVP carrying its maximum personnel load of 36 troops
including machine gunnrers.
OBSOLETE DESIGNS Features of older types still in common use.
Fig. 11-" LCP(L) =

Landing Craft, Fig. 12-- LCV = Landing Craft,
Personnel (Long) Vehicle
Fig. 13®-LCP(R) = Landing Craft, Fig. 14-- LCP(R)- Landing Craft,

Personnel (Ramp) Personnel (Ramp)
17
ENGINEER AMPHIIBIAN TROOPS
15. The LCM(3). Ordinarily used for transporting tanks or vehicles,

the LCM(3) or tank lighter also carries and lands troops.
The name, LCM(3) is arrived at as follows:
LC-- Landing Craft, M-- Mechanized Equipment,

(3)-- Model Number; Hence-- LCM(3).
Fig. 15--
Fig. 16--
18
The LCM(3) is propelled by twin screws which are powered by two

gasoline or Diesel engines of more than 200 h.p. each.
~-~--, --- -- , 1 rl ~rrrrr

-- 5 I
-4LO A.50
Fig. 17-- General plan and principal dimensions of LCM(3).
Fig. 18-- LCM(3) profile sketch showing lines of hull and star-
board machine gun mounted.
The crew of an LCM(3) consists of a coxswain (T/4), a boatswain

(T/5), an engineman (T/5), and a seaman (PFC or Private).
The LCM(3) may be transported on a ship's deck. Because of her

weight (24 tons), there is usually only one boom on a freighter that
is capable of lowering her over the side. The LCM(3) can only be
lowered unloaded.
Fig. 19-- Perspective sketch of LCM(3) showing crew.
Fig. 20-- How a 30 ton medium tank is carried on an LCM(3).

Fig. 21-- Sixty thousand pounds of car o can be transported in

an LCM(3)-- or troops may be carried.
OBSOLETE TYPES Characteristic features of the older LCM types

still in general use are shown in these four sketches.
Fig. 22-- LCM Foreign Model Fig. 23-- LCM(3) Obsolete Type
Fig. 24-- LCM(3) Bureau Type Fig. 25-- LCM(3) Bureau Type
15a. The Patrol Boat. An experimental model is shown below. It is

a converted IWV.
Fig. 26-- Equipped with a cabin, an IWV serves as a Patrol Boat.
Fig. 27-- Note fixtures for radio antenna on cabin roof.

TENTATIVE TRAINING GUIDE NO., 1
16. The LCT(5. The largest craft used in engineer amphibian oper-
ations Is the
LCT(5) shown below. She is operated by Navy personnel
and is normally attached to the engineer amphibian fleet.
Fig. 28-- An LCT(5) about to land. Note the beach markers.
Fig. 29-- Perspective showing cargo area and principal dimensions.

17. The Amphibian Truck. True amphibian craft are capable of self-
propulsion on land or water. Three models have already been standard-
ized:
1. A 2 1/2 ton amphibian truck.

2. A considerably heavier track-driven amphibian tractor.
3. A 1/4 ton amphibian, 4 X 4.
All three are shown and described on this and the following pages.
Only one of these three-- the 2 1/2 ton amphibian truck-- is cur-
rently employed by engineer amphibian units. This is the vehicle
shown in Figures 30 through 34, on this and the two following pages.
Its official designation is Truck, Amphibian, 6 X 6. From its manu-
facturer's designation "DUXW-353" it gets the name by which it is
commonly called: The DUCK.
The DUCK's capacity is 5,000 lbs. of cargo. It is powered by a

six cylinder valve-in-head engine.
Fig. 30-- The Truck, Amphibian starting a water trip.
24
L.O.A. 31'
HATCH
SURF COAMING
PLAN
Front View Rear View
Fig. 31-- Plan of Truck, Amphibian showing general layout and

principal dimensions.
Fig. 32-- The Truck, Amphibian under way carrying a light load.
The DUCK has single sand tires rather than dual tires, but in
all other respects is operated and handled almost exactly like the
conventional 6 X 6 truck. This is an important factor in speeding
the training of DUCK operators.
Fig. 33-- Truck, Amphibian-- profile view.
Fig. 34-- Perspective showing fore and aft decks and cargo area.
18. The Amphibian Tractor, The Amphibian Tractor, called the n"Al-
ligator", is shown below. This caterpillar type vehicle is particu-
larly adapted for landings on difficult beaches and for moving over
swampy, sandy, or rough terrain.
It can carry approximately 4500 lbs. of cargo in addition to

the driver and mechanic.
V J t~ 'N x211 9'
Fig. 35-- Sketch showing general plan and principal dimensions

of Amphibian Tractor.
Fig. 36-- Perspective giving the Amphibian Tractor's Interior

design
The "Alligator" is powered by a 145 h.p. Hercules T-drive, or

a Radial Continental engine. Its range is largely determined by
the terrain or, if on water, by the sea conditions.
It is transported on ship's deck or in the cargo hold, and

is lowered over the side by booms.
~_ _
.Ti'rTT«'R
EI t T)Th R
~MPTTT1
AVPTTTPVIA
PROOP5s
T O Pr
-i~ii;ic .~i-- ~pi--i':I
- :
::
Fig. 37-- Amphibian Tractor emerging from the water.
Fig. 38-- Water view of the Amphibian Tractor.

19. The Amphibian Ford. The baby of the Amphibian vehicles is the
Ford Amphibian 1/4 ton 4 X 4, pictured below. Its main use is trans-
porting personnel over land or water.
Its width overall is 5'4", and length overall 15'2". The wheel-
base is 7' and its maximum pay load is 800 lbs.
It is powered by a 60 h.p. four cylinder gasoline engine.
A crew of one man operates it on either land or water.
Fig.39-- Ford 4 X 4 Amphibian.

Engineer Amphibian Soldier

CHAPTER IV
MARINE MAINTENANCE
20. Premium on Maintenance. In an engineer amphibian operation,

maintenance is a security measure A boat out of commission is a
boat out of action. An officer must keep reminding himself that his
own crews-- or any lack of intelligence and foresight in his own
leadership-- can cripple his fleet as thoroughly as can any enemy.
When he goes into battle, it will be too late to learn or teach
maintenance procedure, too late to make the repairs that would have
saved his flotilla from destruction.
The experience of the Engineer Amphibian Command in training the

several brigades now in the field has shown that a proper respect
for maintenance is not only one of the most important, but also one
of the hardest attitudes to acquire. This cannot be over emphasized.
It is probable that the average officer's peacetime experience

with automotive equipment and power boats is responsible for an over-
estimate of the amount of punishment which landing craft and their
motors can take-- and of the ease with which they can be maintained.
These meni forget that decades of trial and error and experience lie
behind the manufacture and maintenance of automobiles, trucks and
motor boats. They have been spoiled by the bountiful service and
repair facilities available in peace time, and by the extent to
which standardization has simplified design. The situation with
which they are now confronted is quite different.
In the first place, landing craft are something new under the
sun. Only a few years ago there were no such things. Many of their
features are crude and new,
In the second place, the organization of landing craft into mil-

itary units in the United States Army is even newer. There is only
a small body of experience available.
In the third place, landing craft, unlike either automotive ve-

hicles or any other kind of sea borne craft, are run off the right
of way intentionally. When an automobile runs into a stone wall,
or a normal boat piles up on a beach, that is an accident, When a

landing craft piles up on a beach, that is what it was built for --
to pile up, and then to get off whole, This intentional "mis-use"
of the boats which are used as landing craft brings a host of new
factors into the maintenance equation 40 to 45.
These factors (See Figures 36 to 41) combine to throw out the

calculations of even the most painstaking maintenance officers and
men,
There are other points, as will be seen, at which amphibian

missions can fail., But an amphibian mission cannot even be begun
if the maintenance yards are full of boats that have been immobil-
ized, not by enemy guns, but by lack of foresight, training and
discipline of the men who are responsible for their maintenance,
21. Maintenance Definitions. In the language of the Army, "main-

tenance"n is two things, It is:
1, Prevention -- the proper procedure to keep machinery

from breaking down,
2. Cure provision for speedy repair when machinery

has broken down or has been damaged by enemy action,
Implicit in this definition is the fixing of responsibility

for each step in the process
All army mechanical maintenance work is divided into four

phases called echelons, Translating their formal definitions into
the vernacular:
First echelon maintenance is nothing more than handling mach-

inery the way it was meant to be handled -- seeing that it is in
good repair, properly lubricated, and operated within the limit of
its capacity First echelon maintenance is performed by the user.
Second echelon maintenance is "stitch in time" work. A "stitch

in time saves nine."n' A civilian, anxious to avoid a breakdown in
driving his neighbors to the factory, might replace a dangerously
worn fan belt himself, He would be doing second echelon maintenance
Second echelon maintenance is maintenance performed by "the owner",
TROUBLES LIKE THESE ARE NORMAL FOR LANDING CRAFT
Fig. 40-- Running Upon Rocks Tears Holes,
Fig. 41-- In Shallow Water, Cooling System Sucks Sand Into

Traps; Fills Them Rapidly.
Fig. 42-- Running Over Bars Chews Propellers.

Fig. 43-- Retracting Twists Propeller Shafts.
Fig. 44-- Full Throttling Engine Shakes Everything Apart.
Fig. 45-- Backing Into Bar Twists Rudders.

Third echelon maintenance is work that has to be ntaken to the

shop". If the civilian referred to above had a habit of running his
car with the choke on and the engine became fouled with carbon, he
would have to take it to the shop to have the carbon removed and the
valves reground The job would not be a big one, and it could eas-
ily be done by a good mechanic with tools he could carry in a truck.
Hence, it could be thought of as being done "with mobile equipment".
Third echelon maintenance in the army is work done in mobile shops.
Thus, when the gentleman took his car to the shop to have the carbon
removed, he was having third echelon work done.
Fourth echelon maintenance is work that has to be "sent back to

the factory". When this same chap skidded on the ice and stove in
the radiator and twisted the frame against a telegraph pole, he cre-
ated a factory job. When he got out of the hospital, his local mech-
anic shook his head and said, "It's too big a job for me; the whole
car will have to be rebuilt". If he were in the army, he would have
saved words by saying, "That's a fourth echelon job", i.e. a job too
big for a mobile shop to handle, one which required base shop facil-
ities.
22. Engineer Amphibian Maintenance. In an Engineer Amphibian Bri-

gade, the four standard maintenance functions are handled as follows:
22a. FIRST ECHELON MAINTENANCE. The boat crews themselves service

their own craft, under the supervision of their platoon lieutenants.
The established routine includes seven steps. Check lists for each
of these seven steps for each type of boat and for each make and
type of motor, constitute the amphibian engineers first echelon bi-
ble. These check lists will be found in Training Guide No. 2, Man-
ual for Boat Crews.
The first task of any officer whose responsibilities iiclude any

first echelon maintenance is to understand and memorize every check
list with which he is concerned. His second task is to see that his
men do likewise
There is no substitute for first echelon maintenance discipline.

When third echelon maintenance is done in the field, short cuts may
be found and it may be necessary to improvise. There are,,however,
no short cuts to the proper lubrication of a landing ramp, and there
is only one right way to start motors on a cold morning.
22b. SECOND ECHELON MAINTENANCE. Second echelon ("owner") mainte-

nance is a company function. It is the immediate responsibility of
a group of specialists under an officer who is himself a specialist
in marine motor and hull maintenance. This section uses only hand
tools and its equipment is light: one tool kit-- and plenty of in-
genuity.
Typical second echelon maintenance jobs in an engineer amphib-

ian operation are replacing cables, packing stuffing boxes and
rudder posts, replacing running lights and adjusting the injector
timing of Diesel engines.
The section responsible for second echelon maintenance does

not keep its own inventory of spare parts. It draws spare parts
from the brigade's store rooms. (See Below).
In second echelon maintenance the boat is not removed from the

water, nor the engine from the boat, nor the head from the engine--
nor is the engine or clutch disassembled.
Second echelon maintenance personnel should not attempt repair

or replacement jobs that they don't know how to do.-, Serious damage
to engines and boats and subsequent costly delays may result from
their trying to do work that is normally third or fourth echelon
maintenance responsibility.
22c, THIRD ECHELON MAINTENANCE. The overhauling and repairing of

boats and engines is a highly specialized job. Trained men will be
chosen to command the brigade's mobile repair shops, but every of-
ficer in an amphibian unit must know-- and in detail-- the nature
and limits of their facilities.
To show the complexity of the problem, there follows a brief

inventory of these facilities from a Boat Maintenance Battalion's
Tables of Equipment. This includes:
A. Equipment to get boats out of Water to where they can

be worked on:
Most frequently used is a marine railway-- tracks
which lead from under water up onto a gently sloping beach. Along
this track runs a cradle on wheels. The boat is floated on the cra-
dle, and the cradle is pulled up the tracks. Or a dry dock may be
available. Or the brigade may have its own floating dry dock. Or
it may use a crane mounted on a heavy tractor, and simply lift the
boats out of the water and walk away with them. When none of these
aids are available, other methods must be improvised. Perhaps a sim-
ple A frame to pick up the stern will be all there is available; it
will have to do.
B. Essential equipment to repair both hulls and engines:
1. Welding equipment, principally for steel hull and

propeller repair.
2. Special equipment for wood hull repair; power saws

and such other carpenter tools as are required to reinforce, patch
and scrape hulls. Paint brushes, spray machine equipment, scrapers,
special strut bearing pullers and propeller pullers round out the
equipment needed for work on wooden hulls.
3. Propeller rebil equipment -- to straighten,

re-pitch and balance the propellers that have been chewed by the bot-
tom in landing operations.
Welding and brazing equipment, pitch blocks, portable nine inch

sanders, a gas generator set, special rawhide hammers and leather
strips, blocks and lathes are necessary for this work.
4. The special tools peculiar to the repair of Diesel

engines -- such as injector popping tester, and injector cleaning
sets, as well as special tools for removing the engine itself.
5. Equipment for the maintenance of gas engines--such

as the carburetion tools and ignition sets which are necessary for
motor tune ups. Tools used for making fine adjustments and measure-
ments are also a part of the Tables of Equipment.
6. Light machine shop equipment; a portable electric

drill with stand, a small engine lathe, a power hack saw and machin-
ist hand tools.
With such equipment as this, many parts for hull and engine re-
pair can be manufactured or refinished. Propeller nuts, pistons,
etc., are examples.
7. A 10 ton hydraulio press along with a 6 inch port-

able grinder and a bench grinder.
8. A small air compressor to supply air.

9. General purpose shops. The power to drive all the
above equipment is obtained from a generator delivering 110 volt, 60
cycle, single phase power. This also serves a lathe equipped for
precision work such as cutting keyways and milling, with a taper
turning attachment-- to facilitate work on propeller shafts.
10, Battery chargers: one of the most important items

in this inventory, Fleets of landing craft make special demands on
battery maintenance, Stopping and starting of heavy motors is an

essential part of training. The fleet is no stronger than the bat-
teries which turn the motors, as they cannot be cranked by hand.
The battery charging room must not be allowed to become a bottle-
neek.
In an Engineer Amphibian Boat Maintenance Battalion all this

equipment is mobile.
The military organisation of the Boat Maintenance Battalion

will be described in Chapter 5 of this volume. As will be seen
there, the Boat Maintenance Battalion is set up so that it is read-
ily divisible into three organic parts. Each of these three organ-
ic parts is identical and each operates autonomously, even when all
three are stationed or bivouacked together. The facilities men-
tioned above, then, exist in triplicate.
This very incomplete inventory will suggest the dimensions of

the third echelon maintenance problem in an amphibian operation.
As important as its shops, is the Boat Maintenance Battalion's

SPARE PARTS STOCK ROG. There will be a limit to even the most re-
sourceful salvage and manufacture of parts in the field. In every
operation, the time will come all too soon when the entire effec-
tiveness of the unit will depend upon the farsightedness of those
officers who have been responsible for procuring spare parts.
The Engineer Amphibian Brigade draws all its marine equipment,

not from the Army, but from the Navy's Bureau of Ships. The Navy,
whose officers keep units supplied while in training, may not be a-
vailable in the field. A prime responsibility of the engineer am-
phibian maintenance officer, then, is the anticipation of his needs
before he reaches the theater. The parts that can be shipped or
flown to the front will be few and far between. The officer must
learn in training what he can do without. That which he must have,
he must learn to have on hand.
22d, FOURTH ECHELON MAINTENANCE. In the Engineer Amphibian Command,

whose function is the training of engineer amphibian units, a Base
Shop Battalion does such fourth echelon work as (1) remanufacture
of motors, to include reboring cylinders, (2) re-aligning and bal-
ancing crank shafts, (3) re-aligning and bushing propeller assem-
blies and similar work, (4) remanufacture of hulls to include re-
pair of hulls that require complete rebuilding, (5) cannibalizing
of boats destroyed (cannibalizing means feeding of live boats with
parts of their dead kind), and (6) procurement, storage and issue of
parts and accessories to operating units.
~ __ TENTATIVE TRAINING
_ __1 GUIDE
NO. 1
__1~1____~_~_111
FIRST ECHELON MAINTENANCE (keeps 'em running)

The Crew does it.
The Boat Company's C.O. Is responsible.
SECOND ECHELpN MAINTENANCE(A stitch in time)

The Boat Company s Maintenance & Salvage Section does it.
The Boat Company s C.O. is responsible.
THIRD ECHEL ON MAINTENANCE (A job for the shop)

The Brigades Boat Maintenance Battalion does it.
The Brigade's C.O. is responsible.
FOURTH ECHELON MAINTENANCE (A factory job)

There are no factories at the front so the
Brigade's Boat Maintenance Battalion does what it can.
The Brigade's C.O. is responsible.
THE FOUR ECHELONS OF MAINTENANCE
Fig. 46--
In the field, this fourth echelon service is not available; all
units are mobile and must do their own work. Many a task done by
the Base Shop Battalion during training will have to be done under
combat conditions by the men of the lower echelons. It cannot be
repeated too often-- maintenance men in the field are on their own.
Engineer Amphibian Soldier

CHAPTER V
ORGANIZATION
23. Relationship between engineer amphibian troops and the ground

forces. Engineer amphibian troops are transportation troops. Their
mission is "to embark, transport, debark and supply" ground force
units in shore-to-shore operations. During an operation they get
their orders from either the commander of the unit they are trans-
porting or from the commander of some higher echelon.
The engineer amphibian troops are sometimes "attached to" and

sometimes "in support of" the combat units they transport, These
relationships are diagrammed below:
TASK FORCE TASK FORCE

COM MAN DER COMMANDER
A: COMBAT
UNIT
OF THE A: COMBAT B: ENGINEER
GROUND UNIT AMPHIBIAN
FORCES OF THE TROOPS
GROUND IN SUPPORT
B: ENGINEER FORCES
AMPHIBIAN
TROOPS
ATTACHED
Fig. 47
Engineer amphibian brigades are normally attached to reinforced

infantry divisions. Smaller units of engineer amphibian troops--
individual regiments or units consisting of a boat company plus a
shore company-- normally function in support of combat units., Both

the combat units and the engineers then receive their orders from
the tactical commander in the field.
Whichever the arrangement, the engineer amphibian commander's

task is always the solution of a problem for the ground forces, a
problem involving water borne transportation and water borne supply.
To train combat units for landings on hostile shores, the ground

forces maintain what is known as the Amphibious Training Center.
An Engineer Amphibian Brigade is attached to this Center to facil-
itate the training.
24. Relationship Between Engineer Amphibian Troops and the Navy.

Both the Army and the Navy train amphibian units whose primary mis-
sion is the transportation and supply of combat units engaged in at-
tacking hostile shores.
Naval landing craft crews, shore parties, etc., are trained by

the Atlantic Fleet Amphibious Force and by the Pacific Fleet Amphib-
ious Force.
The United States Marine Corps, an organic part of the United

States Navy, prepares for amphibian landings in its own training
centers. In amphibian operations, the Marines are transported to
the scene of action in naval ships-and are then moved from ship to
shore in smaller boats manned by either Navy or Coast Guard person-
nel. (In time of war, the Coast Guard operates under naval control.)
The Engineer Amphibian Command trains the Army' s engineer am-

phibian units.
There is no significance in the fact that the Navy uses the

word "amphibious", while the Army uses thq word "amphibian". These
adjectives are inter-changeable.
In Chapter 2, it was explained that the Navy' as responsibility

4n amphibian warfare is ship-to-shore as distinct from shore-to-
shore landing operations. In other words, whenever our assault
troops must approach hostile shores in ocean going ships, the Navy's
transportation mission includes putting them ashore.
The final stages of the two types of operations are almost i-

dentical: the Navy launches its amphibious attack from the decks
of a transport; the Army takes off from a "friendly near shore". The
assault troops may be either units of the Marine Corps or units of
the Army's ground forces or both.
In that sector of amphibian (amphibious) endeavor which the Army

and Navy share-- the transport and supply mission-- the Navy is re-
sponsible for:
A. The design of all landing craft, regardless of who operates

them.
B. The procurement and issue of all marine equipment, includ-

ing landing craft-- and replacement parts therefor.
C. Those elements of technique and tactics which involve prob-

lems common to both ship-to-shore and shore-to-shore land-
ing operations. For example: standardization of beach mark-
ings and nomenclature of assault wave formations. Engineer
amphibian boat units use many nautical terms in their work.
Full advantage is taken of all the Navy's instruction facili-

ties, including personnel.
One other "ground rule" has been established in Army-Navy rela-

tions in connection with amphibian operations: landing craft opera-
ted by Army personnel are limited in length to under 100 feet. When
larger landing craft are employed, they are manned by Navy personnel
and are under the command of Naval officers. Where required in shore-
to-shore operations, flotillas of such boats are simply attached to
the engineer amphibian unit concerned for the duration of the action.
Fig. 48-- IT TAKES MANY MONTHS

.... of training to perfect an amphibian operation. Here observers
study an early experiment in beach road making. The landing craft
on the horizon are in column formation.
25. The Organization of the Engineer Amphibian Brigade. Experience

has shown that an assault on an enemy shore is usually most effec-
tive when attacks are delivered simultaneously on several different
beaches or at time intervals
so as to confuse thearranged
defenders,
to pin them to the ground or to cause the movement of their reserves
away from the point at which the principal landing is planned. The
utmost flexibility is imperative. To achieve this flexibility:
Each Engineer Amphibian Brigade contains three identical regi-

ments, each composed of one Boat Battalion and one Shore Battalion.
Each Boat Battalion is divisible into three identical boat com-

panies, each Shore Battalion into three shore companies. It is usual
to refer to the three boat companies as A, B and C and the three
shore companies as D, E and F.
This divisibility into self-contained units is a fundamental

premise of Engineer Amphibian Brigade organization. Each unit is
scaled to support a standardized ground force combat unit:
A. A combination of any one boat company plus any one shore

company (plus necessary regiment and/or brigade elements)
can transport and supply far shore facilities for a bat-
talion landing group.
B. An Engineer Amphibian Regiment (with necessary brigade

elements) can transport and supply far shore facilities
for three battalion landing groups or, with Naval sup-
port, for a regimental landing force.
C. An Engineer Amphibian Brigade can, in itself, transport

and supply far shore facilities for nine battalion land-
ing groups and will normally operate with sufficient Nay-
al support oc auxiliary vessels to provide for all ele-
ments of an entire division,
Infantry, artillery, cavalry, an armored force-- the combat ele-

ments transported by engineer amphibian troops may be from any unit
(or combination of units) of the ground forces.
T/O & TBA are subject to change
Fig. 49
26. The Boat Company. The basic boat unit of the Engineer Amphibian
Brigade is the Boat Company. (T/O and T/BA are subject to change)
C.O. DO HOUSEKEEPING ASHORE

liM TAN 4 X4
EX. O. RIDE IN ANY BOAT AFLOAT
27 E.M.
TWO 21/2 TON 6 X 6 CARGO

WITH I TON TRAILERS
OPERATIONS SECTION
THE OPERATIONS SECTION-NAVIGATES
2 OFFICERS 15 EM
z
0
0 COMMAND & NAVIGATION BOATS PATROL BOATS
_J /
G1Mct) BOAT CONTROL SECTION
SALVAGE BOAT I OFFICER 24 E.M.
0
z -.
O
3/4 TON 4X4 CARGO
ON FAR
PUTS
CRAFT
EQUIPMENT
SHORE
IN TWO REGULAR LANDING
AND LANDS IN 3RD OR 4TH WAVE.
c> *
1/4 TON 4X4
DIRECTS
ON
TRAFFIC
NEAR
ON AND OFF BEACHES.
SHORE
DOES SECOND ECHELON MAINTENANCE.
0 COMMUNICATIONS
I OFFICER 24 E.M.
SECTION'
0
0 " P' z// f I' 64 '# fT #
2 RADIO
20 RADIO SETS FOR DISTRIBUTION SETS FOR
AMONGST LANDING CRAFT C & N BOATS.
0)
0 3 OFFICERS 83 E.M.
z "' IR
0 LCVP
F7 [ 7
EZ'C=
__
• c p7i) I it
: / r
BOAT PLATOON IDENTICAL TO ABOVE

I I
BOAT PLATOON IDENTICAL TO ABOVE

I -
T/O & TBA are subject to change SYMBOLS NOT TO SCALE
Fig. 50
46
27. The Shore Company. The basic shore unit of the Engineer Amphib-
ian Brigade is the Shore Company. (T/0 and T/BA are subject tochange).
FORWARD ECHELON
LANDS ON FAR SHORE EARLY IN ATTACK
CO. 2ND IN COMMAND & ONE RECON. OFFICER
OPERATIONS SECTION COMMUNICATIONS a
21 EM MESSAGE CENTER
c, z 7 EM PLUS ATTACH BN.

z 0 SIGNAL PERSONNEL
z
4
0 mm~B i&
1/4 TON 4X4
-J
4 SQUAD WEAPONS SECTION
19 E 3/4 TON WC 4/4
w
0 SQUAD W 'kwm mm Pora
THIS SECURITY DETACHMENT
- X 4 - - IS USUALLY REINFORCED 1/4 TON 4X4
REAR ECHELON
I OFFICER
LU 16 EM
DOES COMPANY'S
www ^ HOUSEKEEPING
itttt ^ 1-2 1/2 TON 6X6
WITH I TON TRAILER
4 I OFFICER
2f 0 DEMOLITION
OBSTACLE
SECTIONCHELO
DECONTAMINATION
CONST. SECT. CONST SECT.
ROAD ROAD
REMOVAL TEAM BUILDING BUILDING
Uzi 1REAR TEAM TEAM TEAM
w 0
- 14 EM 14 EM 13 EM 13 EM
w
I 00asd
C, 6 TON 6X6 ANGLEDOZER
PRIME MOVER
WITH WINCH ANGLEDOZERS
4n
16 TONS
I- CRANE TRAILER FLAT BED
Z I OFFICER
o 48 EM
_,a.
. ' RO 7i RT 2RUCKS (DUCKS)
- ~----~
T/O 8 TBA are subject to change SYMBOLS NOI IT SGALE
Fig. 51
ENGINEER AAPHIBIAN TROOPS
28. The Boat Battalio. , Three boat companies are grouped together
to form a Boat Battalion. There is one Boat Battalion in each Engi-
neer Amphibian Regiment.
The organisation shown on the opposite page is administrative.

In action, assault waves will be made up without regard for this
pattern.: Tacticai considerations will call for waves of different
numbers - of boats, and waves composed of several different kinds of
boats. ifMoreover, as indicated in Chapter 3, special types of am-
phibian transportation may be made available for the operation --
such as amphibian trucks, tractors and cars. The Boat Battalion may
be reinforced when necessary by other boat units from outside of
the regiment or the brigade. Naval landing craft will normally be
attached. Additional small boats may be procured in the theater--
fleets to be commandeered and manned by engineer amphibian boatmen.
The range is almost infinitc.
The tactical employment of the Engineer Amphibian Boat Battal-

ion in the accomplishment of its mission is sketched in Chapter VI
of this volume.
E.A.R.
COMPANY
HEADQUARTERS
T/O a TBA are subject to change
Fig. 52
29. The Shore Battalion. The most vital zone of any landing oper-
ation is the beach. It presents an exceptionally difficult problem
in transportation. Sand, mund or rocky beaches are all treacherous
under foot or wheel. Beyond the beach itself lie dunes with still
lighter sand, irregular contours, patches of swamp, boulders-- all
manner of obstacles. And yet it is directly across the beach, at
rigt angles to it, that assault troops must move to their first a-
vailable cover on shore and to the road net beyond.
Not only is a beach a naturally difficult thing to cross, but

it is easily defended against water borne attack. The advantages of
height, cover and concealment are all on the defenders' side. It
is also obvious that anything on the-beach is wholly naked to enemy
observation.
To assault troops, then, a beach is a place that must be cross-

ed with the utmost speed-- it is a place where seconds count.
Early in its experiments with landing operations, the United

States Army found that highly trained and experienced specialists,
equipped with special machines and devices, were necessary to fa-
cilitate that vital crossing from water line to nearest available
cover. The troops of an Engineer Amphibian Shore Battalion are or-
ganised for this purpose. They have functions on the near shore--
assisting in the : emrkation-- but their primary function is on the
far shore.
TRiNTATVI
TENTATIVE
'PRTNTNI\T
TRAINING
(ITTTfLE
GUIDE ~Y
O.
N(-
NO
1
1
E.A.R.
SHORE BATTALION
HQ. a HQ. CO.
BN. HQ.
HQ. CO.
CO. HQ.
HQ. COMIBAT C OMMUN.

PLATOON PLATOON PLATOON
z O o W d 0 C
SHORE COMPANY SHORE COMPANY SHORE COMPANY

I-
HQ. PLATOON PIONEER PLATOON UTILITY PLATOON
FORWARD z z
o
ECHELON
I- a Z
w
o W
o z z
0 ow a O CO CO
o 0 0
T/O a TBA are subject to change - -
Fig. 53
30. The Engineer Amphibian Regiment. One Boat Battalion and one
Shore attalion plus a Headquarters and Headquarters Company-- and
attached Medical and Chaplain-- are grouped together to form an En-
gineer Amphibian Regiment.
Regimental unit and special staff sections are normal with the
exception of the inclusion on the special staff of a navigation of-
ficer. He works with the operations section to solve the more dif-
ficult navigational problems of the regiment.
The Embarkation Platoon is a peculiarly amphibian unit of reg-

imental headquarters company. It is made up of three Captains and a
First Lieutenant, so that at least three, and if necessary, four
embarkation points may be organized and supervised simultaneously.
This is a key responsibility. Proper loading and secure stowage of
important equipment will be vital to the success of the operation.
TEINTATIVE TRAINING GUIDE NO, 1
I T/O i TBA are subject to change
Fig. 54
31. The Signal Company. Successful amphibian operations are de-

pendent on successful control. Successful control can be achieved
only through good communications. In amphibian operations, boat-to-
boat, boat-to-shore and inter-shore communications are involved in
addition to normal signal functions.
The Brigade's Signal Company, the organization of which is dia-

grammed on the opposite page, is responsible for the installation,
operation and maintenance of signal communication at brigade head-
quarters, at all echelons thereof and at such other subordinate
auxiliary and attached units or establishments directly associated
with brigade headquarters. The Signal Company also installs and
maintains signal communication from brigade headquarters to each of
its own major subordinate units; and to adjacent units and liaison
officers when required. The Signal Company is charged with the sup-
ply and minor repair of signal equipment for all units of the bri-
gade, organic or attached; and such surveillance of all signal com-
muni cation channels within the brigade as prescribed by the brigade
commander to assure that signal security measures are enforced.
The communication platoon of each regiment installs, operates

and maintains signal communication at regimental headquarters and at
all echelons thereof. It also installs and maintains signal commu-
nication from regimental headquarters to each of its major subor-
dinate units and to any other immediate subordinate units.
The communication platoon or section of each battalion installs,

operates and maintains signal communication at battalion headquar-
ters and at all echelons thereof. It also installs and maintains
signal communication to its companies.
The communication section of each company is responsible for its

own installation, operation and maintenance of signal communication.
The communication agencies employed are:
A. Radio (Boat control afloat is primarily radio)

B. Wire
C. Visual signals.
1. Pyrotechnics-- flares, rockets.
2. Lights-- blinker signal lights, flashlights.
3. Flags-- semaphore flags.
4. Panels-- 2' X 12' framed cloth or canvas panels.
D. Sound Signals.
1. Boat whistle or siren.
2. Percussion signal sounds.
E. Pigeons.
E.A.B.
I# %% I A i /%A. APIA P. Iv
T/O 8 TBA are subject to change
Fig. 55
32. The Boat Maintenance Battalion. The Boat Maintenance Battalion

must be prepared tc furnish third echelon maintenance to the brigade's
water transportation at all times. It will operate on shore recently
taken from the enemy. One platoon moves to the far shore as early in
the operation as possible. All units must be mobile and self-suffic-
ient. The battalion cannot rely on power from any source other than
its own, and its tools and equipment must be such that they can be
readily moved and quickly set up. It must be able to salvage boats
put out of service by enemy action.
The Boat Maintenance Battalion may operate as a single unit or

may split and operate three separate maintenance shops depending upon
the location of the bases from which the three regiments of the bri-
gade are operating. In either case, however, each company runs its
own shop under the centralized control of the battalion commander.
The battalion's depot section is responsible for all battalion

supply, including the procurement and storage of all maintenance sup-
ply for the battalion. It supplies maintenance parts for second ech-
elon repair of water transportation within the brigade, as well as
parts for third and fourth echelon maintenance within the battalion.
E.A.B
T/O 8 TBA are subject to change
Fig. 56
55. The following medical services are unique to amphibian oper-

ations:
A. Treatment of wounded personnel in boats,
Be Shore-to-boat, boat-to-boat, and boat -to-shore

evacuation.
C. Receiving casualties on the far shore.
The Medical Battalion furnishes second echelon medical service

upon landing on the enemy beaches not only to the brigade itself but
also to the combat units transported. The ground force medical per-
sonnel care for the casualties on the near shore and also take over
beyond the first available cover on the far shore.
A Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment and three identical

Medical Companies make up the Medical Battalion. Each company is
equipped to furnish complete second echelon medical service to one
regimental landing force with its attached amphibian elements. This
second echelon service includes:
A. Collection of casualties from the aid stations.

B. Evacuation of casualties to the clearing station.
C. Early definitive treatment.
D. Evacuation of casualties from the clearing station

to the beach.
The Company's Collecting Platoon is divided into litter-bearer

and motor sections, the latter utilizing 1/4 ton vehicles as ambu-
lances for use on or close to the beach.
The Clearing Platoon will be established relatively close to the

shore and is the first point where complete and adequate first aid
and definitive treatment can be given. It is prepared to hospitalize
one hundred patients for a short while.
Attached medical personnel are distributed throughout the Engin-

eer Amphibian Brigade in the normal pattern of any division-- that
is, each of the three regiments has its own medical detachment. The
function of each detachment is to provide first echelon medical ser-
vice only to its regiment and to the landing force unit it is sup-
porting from the time of embarkation until such time as normal medi-
cal service is established on the far shore.
E.A.B.~
T/O 8&TBA are subject to change
Fig. 57
34. Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Company. The chart on the

opposite page shows the organization of the brigade's Headquarters
and Headquarters Company. The Headquarters Company as the name im-
plies contains the personnel necessary to administer the brigade and
assist the brigade headquarters staff.
The Brigade Headquarters itself consists of a Unit and a Special

Staff. The Unit Staff performs the normal functions of administra-
\tion, intelligence, operations and supply, These activities are
coordinated for the Briadge Commander by the Brigade Executive.
The Special Staff contains many of the Special Staff sections

that would be found in the Special Staff of an Infantry division.
This is to permit direct liaison with sections in the Division Staff
and also because of the semi-independent nature of the brigade. In
addition to the normal Special Staff sections, however, it should be
noted that there is a Boat Maintenance Section. The importance of
boat maintenance is such that the Brigade Commander must have on his
immediate staff an officer who is fully acquainted with all the pro-
blems involved in marine maintenance.
It remains to be stressed that the relationship between the En-

gineer Amphibian Brigade staff and the staff of the ground force di-
vision to which it is attached must be unusually intimate. While
the brigade itself is subordinate to the division, the Brigade Com-
mander and members of his staff possess knowledge and information
which the Divisional Commander should have in making his decisions.
The division is, in a very real sense, dependent upon the brigade as
it is dependent upon a railroad during movement by rail, and the tac-
tical commander must rely upon the advice and recommendations of the
brigade staff if he hopes successfully to complete an overwater
crossing.
34a, Staff Work. Staff work in engineer amphibian operations is of

particular importance for the following reasons:
S-l: Fifty to sixty percent of the personnel of some engineer am-

phibian units are specialists who must be carefully selected and
classified-- and for whom replacements must be always available. The
personnel functions of the Unit Staff are, therefore, of particular
importance.
S-2: Successful landings are often entirely dependent on skill-

ful reconnaissance of enemy-held beaches. Charts may be wholly
E.A.B.
HQ. & HQ. CO.
BRIGADE HEADQUARTERS
--
4
HEADQUARTERS CO.
HEADQUARTERS SECT.
CO. H Q.
ADMINISTRATIVE SECT 1--
TRANSPORTATION PLAT.
INTELLIGENCE SECT
PLATOON HEADQUARTERS
OPERATIONS SECT 1
TRANSPORTATION SECT
SUPPLY SECT
MOTOR MAINT. SECT.
z L
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T/O & TBA are subject to change
Fig. 58
inadequate or inaccurate. The ingenuity and thoroughness of S-2

will be taxed to the utmost.
S-3: Successful crossings as well as landings are dependent upon

successful navigation and control. A beach which is scores of miles
61
away on an enemy-held coast is an extremely difficult landfall to

make at any hour even under ideal conditions. Most crossings will
be made under cover of darkness, with radios silenced. Under such
circumstances, the navigator's problem can easily be imagined-- yet
at this moment the success of the entire expedition rests on his
shoulders. If he brings his fleet in at the wrong beach-- or at the
wrong hour-- the attacking force may be wiped out in a single action.
Amphibian battles can easily be lost for want of navigational accur-
acy.
Successful crossings as well as landings are also dependent upon

the successful maintenance of communications. Waves must reach
their destination intact and in proper order or the entire landing
operation may fail for lack of coordination.
S-4: Landing craft cannot live on an armful of hay and it takes

more than curry-combs to keep them in running condition. Successful
operations, from beginning to end, are dependent upon the foresight
and ability of officers charged with supply functions.
If there is one lesson that modern war teaches, it is that the

battlefield is at the forward end of the supply line. Victory is
completely dependent upon a continuous flow of all types of supplies
and equipment.
CHAPTER VI
ENGINEER AMPHIBIAN TROOPS IN ACTION
35. Pattern of Action. Many amphibian attacks have already been

delivered by the United States and its Allies in this war. Assault
troops have been transported across the English Channel, to the
coasts of Norway and France. to the coasts of North and West Africa,
and to the shores of the Solomon Islands. W.hether delivered from
ship-to-shore, or from shore-to-shore, .the operation of the fleets
of landing craft themselves were essentially the same. Each cycle
involved five distinct steps:
1. The gathering and loading of the landing craft, out of

range of enemy guns.
2. The vo a e of the laden landing craft to just beyond the

range of'the enemy's guns, where they took up their bat-
tle formations.
3. The attack itself, in successive waves of landing craft,

deployed for protection against enemy fire.
4. The organization of the beach, to facilitate its crossing

by the combat units.
5. The rapid retraction and regrouping of the landing craft

for the next crossing with reinforcements and supplies.
In the course of these actions, and in training, this basic pat-

tern for all amphibian attacks has been formalized. Similar tactics
are followed by the Army's Engineer Amphibian Commnand, by the brie
gades that have been trained by it, by the Navy's Atlantic and Pacif-
ic Amphibious Forces, and by the amphibian transportation forces of
our Allies. A common nomenclature is used by all.
It must be borne in mind, however, that the following descrip-

.tion of this "standard procedure" is both simplified and schematic.
The variations which will be met in the field are almost infinitee
For instance, in delivering a surprise attack on the Solomon Is-
lands, the Navy on one occasion simplified its attack to a single
wave of all available landing craft. The whole force roared in

through the breakers, abreast. In an advance consisting of a series
of jumps along a continental shore line, the progress of a fleet of
landing craft may bear no resemblance whatever to the orderly design
that is here illustrated. The engineer amphibian officer must know
the standard pattern well before he is qualified to improvise, or to
recommend improvisation to the tactical commander.
36. Joint Operation. Amphibian attack is a joint operation; land,

sea and air forces are involved. Throughout this chapter it will be
assumed that engineer amphibian landing craft are proceeding from
friendly near to hostile far shore:
A. With both flanks protected by naval support.

B. With the landing itself covered by naval gun fire.
C. With the protection afforded by local air superiority.
Under ideal conditions the attack itself will have been prepared
for by the landing of parachute troops-- and dive bombers will be
available to reduce enemy strong points.
The tactics of the combat troops are not discussed here,although

certain basic assumptions have been made in the interest of simpli-
fioation. These assumptions are:
A. That normally constituted combat units are being trans.

ported-- battalion landing groups, regimental landing for-
ces or the combat elements of a division.
B. That the attack formations employed are normal-- i.e.,led

by light covering forces and supported by more heavily
armed units.
C. That the attacking force, while expected by the enemy,has

still been able to maintain some element of surprise. The
enemy presumably does not know the time nor place of land-
ing and, particularly, is not aware of the location of
the main effort,
D. That the first waves landed are successful in driving the

enemy out of small arms range.
37. Area of Responsibility. Engineer amphibian troops are responsi-

ble for carrying out their prescribed functions in a clearly defined
zone, under the direction of the task force commander.
This zone is bounded on the near shore by the limits of the bri-
gade's DISERSAL AREAS, which in turn must be accessible to the Em-
barkation Areas, On the far shore, the engineer amphibian units' re-
sponsibility ends when they have facilitated the movement of the as-
sault troops with their equipment and supplies to "nearest available
cover" inland from the beach.
This area of Responsibility is shown below.
Fig. 59-- AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY.

ENGINEER AMHIBIAN TROOPS
38. The Embarkation. The embarkation of water borne troops is simple

in theory, complicated in practice.
The engineer amphibian troops are dispersed in EMBARKATION AREAS,

convenient to designated EMBARKATION POINTS. Their boats are hidden,
camouflaged and dispersed. Close by, the troops which will make the
attack are bivouacked. The attack is to be made on D-Day and E-Hour-
that is, it is to be delivered on the enemy beaches at that time.
On a time table schedule,boat move from their initial positions

to the embarkation beaches or docks, The arrival of each boat is
synchronised with the arrival of the troops and supplies it is to
load. There may be one Embarkation Point or many. A single Embar-
kation Point may be a beach a mile long. Landing craft file in to
load from quickly made beach roads or improvised docks. The assault
troops come down to meet them. Loads are checked. Motor vehicles
and guns are backed aboard. The landing party's equipment is check-
ed The laden craft move out.
The embarkation may take many hours, no matter how well arranged.
There will be not dozens but hundreds of boats to load. It takes
over six hundred landing craft to transport a reinforced division.
Troops and boats may have to remain dispersed until the last possible
second. This is not only a security measure but is essential in
maintaining the element of surprise.
There are other reasons why assault'troops must not be loaded a

minute earlier than necessary. Landing craft are small and uncom-
fortable vessels. They are open to the elements, Yet soldiers may
have to stay aboard for many hours, and at the end of a dangerous
all night voyage be prepared to leap into action on a well defended
enemy beach,
And, finally, assault troops are most vulnerable when in landing

craft. The darkest night can be lit by a flare if the landing fleet
is discovered. Once silhouetted, it becomes a target for submarine,
surface ship or airplane even before it is in range of enemy shore
batteries. When this occurs, reliance must be placed on accompany-
ing naval and air support, on the engineer amphibian fleets' own
weapons, and dispersion.
For all these reasons, embarkation will begin at the last pos-
sible hour which will still permit the first wave to reach the en-
e 's beaches at H-Hour on D-Day.
TFENTATIVE TRAIN1ING GUIDE NO. 1
Fig. 60-- THE EMBARKATION.
67
39. The Crossing From Near Shore To Far Shore, There are three prob-
lems involved:
A. There is the problnem of how to maneuver the laden landing

craft from the Embarkation Points into a formation which can be con-
trolled during the crossing.
This is solved by thecreation of ASSEMBLY AREAS. An Assem-

bly Area is a definitely located area off the near shore
where assembling of landing craft is carried out and times
and formations checked. Several Assembly Areas may be se-
lected. Areas will not normally be assigned to units small-
er than a boat company.
B. There is the problem of how to get the landing craft, which

are now in formation, across to within range of the enemy shore.
To accomplish this, the landing craft are led by Command and

Navigation Boats responsible for navigation, and are shep.
herded by Patrol Boats, Two standard wave formations are
commonly used: the column, and the closed V. The weather
at the time of attack will have considerable bearing on the
gap between boats. In brilliant moonlight, for instance,
because of the high degree of visibility afforded by the
wakes of the speeding boats, they would be separated as
widely as possible,
C. There is the problem of how to adjust the organization of the

fleet for the final attack,
This is mastered in what is called a RENDEZVOUS AREA. A Ren-

dezvous Area is a definitely located area from 3000 to 6000
yards off the enemy coast. The distance off the far shore
is governed by the effective fire of the enemy's guns there;
small landing craft well dispersed make a difficult target
from the shore.
Towards the enemy shore, the Rendezvous Area is bounded by the

LINE OF DEPARTURE. This is the starting line, across which the at-
tack formations are dispatched.
From Assembly Areas to their objectives, landing craft follow

courses which are called TRACKS. All craft may proceed on a single
TRACK or, for tactical reasons, different formations may follow dif-
ferent TRACKS.
All these elements are shown schematically on the opposite page.
68
"_ LINE OF II DEPARTURE
Ii RENDEZVOUS AREA
r
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 0
I
0
0 0 0 00 0E 0 0
0 0 0 0 0000 0 0
0 0 0 O 0 0
0
i
GROUPS OF COLUMNS,
CROSSING
1
0
I
0 0
0 0
00
0
0
0 0
0
00
0 0
0
0 0
o
0
0
0
I
0 0
00
0
o
Fig. 61-- THE CROSSING.

40. The Attack Itself. Landing craft attack in WAVES. The number
of waves and the composition of each wave-- as well as the place and
time of the attack-- are the problems of the tactical commander. The
engineer amphibian unit executes his orders. It is he who must de-
cide what troops to carry, what arms and supplies to land, where,
and in what order. It is the problem of the engineer amphibian com-
mander to furnish the bottoms which will carry the load, without
regard to his own administrative organization. In other words,
waves of landing craft of different types from different platoons
and possibly even from different companies, may be required to move
together across the Line of Departure. This is important to remem-
ber in training boat units.
On the opposite page a schematic attack formation of seven waves

is diagrammed. Two waves have crossed the Line of Departure-- one
of them having reached the enemy beach. A third wave is ready to
signal "full throttle ahead". The other four waves are shown maneu-
vering in the Rendezvous Area.
For its final run, the boats in each wave are staggered, as in a
skirmish line.
The successive waves will hit the beach at varying time intervals.
The maneuvering of this fleet, from the close order formation

diagrammed on the preceding page, is somewhat more technical than
the deployment of a skirmish line. All the skill and science of
small boat handling is involved (see Volume 2, Manual for Boat Crews).
Prearranged signals are used throughout.
TO REPEAT: the diagram on the opposite page is SCHEMATIC. The

number of waves, the number of boats in each wave, the types of
boats-- all of these elements in this diagram are presumptions only.
The attacks of a battalion landing group may be made in anything
from one to ten waves. Every wave may be made up of several dif-
ferent types of craft. The decision will be the tactical (ground
force) commander's; the engineer amphibian commanderts job is to
accomplish whatever mission is assigned.
The Above Diagram Is SCHEMATIC Only

(see opposite page)
Fig. 62-- THE ATTACK.

41. Recapitulation. Boats are never seen spread out as they are on
the opposite page, which shows a schematic diagram of three phases
of an engineer amphibian shore-to-shore operation. I. EMBARKATION,
2. CROSSING, and 3. LANDING IN WAVES. (The fourth phase, the organ-
ization of the beach, is the subject of a succession of charwts hi
follow later in this chapter. The fifth phase, retracting and re-
grouping,is not shown).
Landing craft will not be seen this way because the embarkation
phase will probably be over long before the first boats reach the
far shore. But if it is not literally accurate, this diagram sug-
gests what is true: that all the steps in an amphibian orossing
are a part of one continuous operation.
Engineer amphibian crossings run in cycles. If the attack is

unsuccessful, it will have to be reformed and delivered again. If
the attack is successful, the process of loading, crossing, unload-
ing, retracting, returning for loading, etc., must continue to sup-
ply the newly established beachhead. In fact, the more successful
the attack, the greater will be the demand for supplies and rein-
forcements, and the tougher will be the engineer amnphibian's assign.
ment.
When this demand will cease will depend on the attack's success
and the port facilities on the far shore. If port facilities are
non-existent, but a definite superiority in the air has been attain-
ed, landing craft may still be used as lighters to bring cargoes a-
shore from the transports which will now be able to stand close in.
Fig. 63-- RECAPITULATION: Steps in an Engineer Amphibian Crossing.

42. Orders and Annexes. Details have been intentionally omitted

from preceding pages. It is important to have the pattern of an am-
phibian fleet's crossing firmly in mind before considering how its
synchronization is achieved. The solution is simple in theory, high-
ly complex in practice.
Orders for the movement of the engineer amphibian fleet in the

shore-to-shore operation include certain charts, tables, diagrams and
schedules. They are issued as annexes to the written or verbal or-
ders of the amphibian commander and contain necessary detailed in-
structions for the coordination and control of the operation. These
annexes are:
1. The Boat Allotment Table-- which allots the boats by types

and numbers to the various combat units and amphibian units.
2. The Boat Assignment Table-- which shows which men and what
equipment go in which boats.
3. The Embarkation and Debarkation Table-- the schedule of the

loading and unloading, all units accounted for.
4. An Assembly Chart and Table-- which gives directions for

movement from Dispersal Areas to Embarkation Areas and thence
to Assembly Areas.
5. The Track Chart-- which maps the courses from the Assembly
Areas to the far shore-- and back.
6. the Boat Movement Table-- which is the time table of the

whole crossing from the Assembly Areas to the far shore.
7. Landing Diagram and Schedule-- which shows the fleet's for-

mation into waves, the time between waves, the spacing be-
tween boats in waves, etc.
If the final approach to the beach presents an exceptionally dif-

ficult problem in navigation, an APPROACH CHART is added to the seven
annexes noted above and diagrammed on the opposite page. This chart
shows hazards to navigation and underwater obstacles and the courses
which must be followed to avoid them.
The ASSEMBLY CHART and TABLE may be combined with the TRACK CHART
and the BOAT MOVEMENT TABLE when desirable.
Model forms for field orders of amphibian units and the annexes
will be shown in TRAINING GUIDE No. 6 of this series. (Continued on
page 76).
_____ TENTATIVE TRAINING GUIDE NO 1__
Fig. 64-- ANIEXES TO ORDERS for an Engineer Anpibian Crossing.

ENGINEER AMJPHIBIAN TROOPS
REGULATING POINTS-- identified by the letters "RP"-- may be inserted

on the Track Chart and Assembly Chart. These are simply control
stations which check and regulate the progress of the fleet. They
will be marked by some aid to - navigation such as a buoy or range
lights or a boat.
43. ELEMENTS OF ANNEXES USED IN DIRECTING AN ENGINEER AMPHIBIAN

FLEET'S CROSSING.
A. Elements of the BOAT ALLOTMENT TABLE.
All of these instructions are issued by the E. A. Brigade as
an annex to its order, which in itself is an annex to the
tactical command order.
1. The unit to be transported.
2. The Embarkation Areas.
3. The time and date shipping is to be assembled.
4. The allotment of boats and ships by types and numbers
to units.
5. Any necessary remarks needed to clarify this infor-
mation.
The Boat Allotment Table is ~.-epared by the staffs of the
E. A. Brigade and the tactical command working in conjunc-
tion with each other.
It is usedb the E. A. Regiment as a basis for sub-allotment
of craft to elements of the regiment.
A similar Boat Allotment Table is prepared by the staffs of

the E. A. Regiment and the regimental landing force, working
in conjunction with each other, showing the sub-allotment of
craft to elements of the E. A. Regiment.
B. Elements of the BOAT ASSIGNMENT TABLE.

All of these instructions are issued as annexes to the tac-
tical commander's orders.
1. The personnel units in each boat.
2. Materiel to go in each boat.
3. Boat space assigned to each personnel unit.
4. Boat space assigned to materiel.
The Boat Assignment Table is prepared by the Battalion Land-
ing Group Commander.
It is used by the Battalion Landing Group Sub-units, the
E. A. Boat Companies' Commanders, and the E. A. Shore Com-
panies' Commanders.
C. Elements of the EMBARKATION AND DEBARKATION TABLE.
All of these instructions are issued as annexes to the regi-

mental landing force order.
1. Combat unit.
2. Boat unit.
3. Embarkation Areas with time of loading and remarks.
4. Debarkation Areas with time of arrival and remarks.
The Embarkation and Debarkation Table is prepared by the

staff of the E. A. Regiment and the regimental landing force
working in conjunction with each other.
It is used by both the E. A. Regiment and the regimental

landing force.
A similar Embarkation and Debarkation Table is prepared by

the E. A. Boat Company and the staff of the battalion land-
ing group for the use of both units and of the Shore Company.
D. Elements of the ASSEMBLY CHART AND TABLE.

1. Location of Dispersal Areas.

2. Location of Embarkation Areas.
3. Location of Assembly Areas.
4. Tracks from Dispersal Areas to Embarkation Points.
5. Tracks from Embarkation Areas to the Assembly Area.
6. Schedule of boat movements from Dispersal Areas to Em-
barkation Points.
7. Schedule of boat movements from Embarkation Points to
Assembly Areas.
The Assembly Chart and Table is prepared by the staffs of

the E. A. Regiment and the regimental landing force working
in conjunction with each other.
It is used by all elements of both of these units.

E. Elements of the TRACK CHART.

1. Embarkation Points.
2. Assembly Areas off the near shore.
3. The Track to the far shore.
4. The Rendezvous Area.
5. The Line of Departure.
6. Any navigational aids or regulating points that are
to be installed along the way.
7. True courses.
8. Magnetic courses.
The Track Chart is prepared by the staffs of the E. A. Bri-

gade and the tactical command working in conjunction with
each other.
It is used by all boat elements of the brigade.
F. Elements of the BOAT MOVEMENT TABLE.

1. The combat unit.

2. The boat or ship unit.
3. Time arriving and leaving Assembly Areas.
4. Distances.
5. Speed.
6. Courses.
7. Time arriving and leaving Rendezvous Area.
8. Time crossing Line of Departure.
9. Speed, course, and time of landing on beaches indi-
cated.
The Boat Movement Table is prepared by the staffs of the E.
A. Brigade and the tactical command working in conjunction
with each other.
It is used by all boat elements of the E. A. Brigade.
The Assembly Table and the Boat Movement Table may be com-
bined into one table where the amount of detail in the two
together is not too great.
G. Elements of LANDING DIAGRAM AND SCHEDULE.
All of these instructions are issued as annexes to the tac-

tical commander's orders.
1. The formation into waves.

2. Time between waves.
3. Spacing between boats in waves.
4. Time of crossing Line of Departure.
5. Time of Landing.
6. Distance from Line of Departure to beach.
7. Magnetic course to beach.
The Landing Diagram and Schedule is prepared by the boat

company commander and the staff of the battalion landing
group working in conjunction with each other.
It is used by the E. A. Boat Company, the E. A. Shore Com-

pany, andall elements of the battalion landing group.
H. Elements of the APPROACH CHART.

1. Line of Departure.
2. Hazards and obstacles to far shore.
3. Magnetic courses.
4. Formations.
The Approach Chart is prepared by the staffs of the E. A.

Regiment and the regimental landing force working in con-
junction with each other. It is prepared only when hazardous
approaches to the near shore make it necessary.
It is used y those elements of the E. A. Boat Battalion and
the regimental landing force that are concerned.
44. Organization of Beach. In the sense that they are responsible

V for smoothing the path, engineer amphibian units "transport" equip-
ment and supplies of the landing parties inland from the beach edge
to good, solid, dependable land. The landing of engineer amphibian
shore troops is synchronised with the attack. The forward echelon
of the Headquarters Platoon of the engineer Shore Company lands with
the attached Boat Control Section-- normally in the third wave. By
this time the assault troops who landed in the first and second
waves have cleared the enemy beach defenses, so that this forward
echelon of shore engineers may proceed with its task of initiating
Command, Control and Communication in the landing area.
The forward echelon includes the Shore Company commander, his

second in command, and the reconnaissance officer as well as beach
marking teams and communications and message center personnel. Its
personnel and equipment are divided into units which can, if neces-
sary, function independently and each of these self-contained units
is transported in a separate boat. This practice of not putting
"all the eggs in one basket" is followed in the employment of all
units of the Shore Company. Thus,even if a boat load of men is lost
through enemy action, faulty navigation or boat handling, similarly
trained specialists from the same unit are available to carry on
their functions.
The specific duties of the forward echelon group include:
A. Marking the limits of the beach with appropriate markers.
B, Establishment of command posts for Shore Company and Boat

Control Section.
C. Setting up message center and establishing and maintain-

ing communications.
D. Reconnoitering for-- selecting and marking-- sites for

beach roads, vehicle unloading points, dumps for various
types of supplies, and defensive weapons.
E. Recording units and supplies landed.
F. Keeping of situation map.
Thus, when the Obstacle Removal and Gas Decontaminating Teams

and the two Road Building Teams arrive in the fourth and fifth waves,
the terrain has been surveyed and they may go directly to work.
44a. Beach Roads. Having completed their primary duties, the Ob-
stacle Removal and Gas Decontaminating Teams assist the Road Build-
ing Teams in constructing beach roads.
A beach exit road is a road leading from the surf line to solid
terrain. It may be required simply to cross the beach itself--or it
may be needed to cross dunes of marshland inland from the beach. If
possible, it will connect with any existing road net. The essen-
tial thing is that it furnish an avenue of exit for vehicles-- ei-
ther to a road net, to cover or concealment, or to open country a-
cross which the vehicles may disperse.
The building of beach roads is a technical problem requiring

special skill gained from training and experience--as well as spec-
ial equipment. Rolls of steel netting or sections of prefabricated
metal are standard equipment for shore engineers. Beach surfaces
may have to be improved with whatever material there is at hand--
the leaves of palm trees, brush, burlap, driftwood, etc. Quick and
accurate "spot" judgment of terrain features is basic to sound plan-
ning of all beach transportation.
All this has taken place during the very early stages of the
operation. The immediate objective is to organize the beach area to
receive the heavier vehicles, equipment and supplies which will fol-
low the initial assault waves.
Normally, the Utility Platoon of the Shore Company will be

landed in the sixth and seventh waves. This platoon is especially
trained and equipped to handle supplies and equipment brought to the
far shore. Supplies must be unloaded from landing craft and placed
in appropriate dumps by personnel of the Utility Platoon, assisted
by other shore engineer personnel not otherwise engaged.
The remainder of the personnel and equipment of the shore com-

pany will be landed as soon as their services can be utilized.
44b. Dumps. As supplies are landed, the following dumps are organ-
ized at points previously selected by the reconnaissance officer:
A. Ammunition dumps.
B. Gasoline and oil dumps.
C. Water dumps.
D. Ration dumps.
Dumps should be laid out not farther than 500 yards inland. At
greater distances, contact with the beach is lost and the problem of
beach defense is greatly increased.
Personnel in charge of the dumps must be thoroughly familiar

with the methods of maintaining dump records. Quantities of supplies:
(1) received (2) issued and (3) on hand, must be reported at regular
intervals.
The relation between amphibian shore engineer units and division

engineer units throughout the ab ,ve operations is explained in Annex
I in the volume.
44c. Clearing the Beach. From the beginning to the end of the attack
the primary objective of all concerned-- of both engineer amphibian
and assault troops-- is to keep the beach clear. Congestion must be
avoided; lateral movement must be limited.
By the time the waves carrying heavy wheeled equipment arrive,
at least two roads have been prepared by the engineer amphibian shore
troops and are marked and ready for use. Sighting the beach markers
from several hundred yards off shore, *he coxswains of the heavier
vehicle-carrying boats proceed direct to the beach exit roads. There,
detachments of shore troops stand by to facilitate unloading.
Most important single tool of the Engineer Amphibian Shore Com-

pany is the angledozer. It removes obstacles, assists in making
roadways, and rescues mired or stalled vehicles. Angledozers are
even used to push grounded boats off the beach. With each Shore Bat-
talion, the amphibian engineers land nine angledozers
4d., Final Steps. As the attack progresses, the responsibilities of

engineer amphibian troops multiply. With the final organization of
the beach these include:
A. The establishment of a clearing station (by units of the

Medical Battalion) and the reception of casualties incur-
red on the beach.
B. Salvage work on the beach (by detachments from the Boat

Control Section).
C. Establishment of shore-to-boat and shore-to-shore radio

nets, as well as wire nets linking engineer amphibian shme
units and tieing in with the infantry's nets.
D. The guarding of prisoners of war taken by- the assault

troops-- and their evacuation to the near shore.
E. Reception of casualties sent back by the advancing assault

troops and their evacuation, along with the engineer am-
phibian casualties, to the near shore.
No attempt is made to give a full inventory of the duties and

responsibilities of engineer amphibian officers and troops on the far
shore during and immediately following a landing.
Noted here-- and diagrammed on the following pages-- are simply

the elements essential to the organization of a beach during and im-
mediately following the assault.
While engineer amphibian troops do not proceed with the combat

units beyond the first available cover, their responsibility for
the beach normally continues as long as it is used as a port of en-
try to the beachhead. To the beach, they will continue to bring sup-
plies. From the beach they will continue to evacuate wounded and pri-
soners of war.
Throughout the attack, engineer amphibian shore troops share

responsibility for security on the beach-- from land, air and sea
attacks.
45. The Shore Company Afloat-- Assumptions. In the preceding para-

graph we stated that the organization of the beach (by engineer am-
phibian shore troops) is synchronized with the attack (by combat
troops). The whole operation is, of course, planned by the tactical
commander. It is he, to repeat, who decides such questions as the
number of waves to be employed in the attack, the number and types of
boats in each of the waves-- and how each boat shall be loaded.
The engineer amphibian unit commander and his staff simply func-
tion as advisers to the tactical commander in making these decisions.
Thus, the engineer amphibian shore troops that will organize the beach
will cross to it as the tactical commander directs. The assumptions
in the preceding paragraphs-- as to whic. elements cross in which
waves-- are arbitrary. Tactical considerations may dictate a wholly
different pattern.
The following necessities, however, will be recognizsed in any

solution.
A. Command, control and communications on the beach must be

initiated very early in the attack.
B. Beach exit roads must be available before heavy vehicles

are landed.
C. Dump sites must be located before and not after the beach
is flooded with supplies.
It is, therefore, practical to assume an order of crossing and

landing of elements of the shore company in a normal assault mission.
The boat space which these elements will occupy is easily com-
puted. From such considerations it can be assumed that the elements
of the Engineer Amphibian Shore Compeny may be assigned to boats and
waves in something not unlike the pattern shown on the opposite page.
It is suggested that this schematic representation be compared

with the text in Paragraph 45.
84
"1 "'
/FIRST WAVE
2 Members B.C.S.
I SECOND
NoneWAVE
LINE OF DEPARTURE
THIRD WAVE POSSIBLE DISPOSITION
62 EM.' of
Beach Marking & B.C.S. equip. ENGINEER AMPHIBIAN
2 radios
/2 telephone sets SHORE PERSONNEL
(Equally divided between 2 boats) and
EQUIPMENT
in FIRST SEVEN WAVES
Shown in shaded area of landing craft.)
(Command a Navigation, Shore Company will
Patrol,& Salvage cross as soon
FOURTH WAVE Boats not shown.) as required
34 E.M. Loadings will be
I Angledozer as directed by
I Toboggan Task Force
Road Building Equip. . Commander
incL 4 rolls Mat.
Iw
a FIFTH WAVE
51 E.M.
07 2 Angledozers
2 Toboggans
Road Building Equip. ,>
N inci. 8 rolls Mat.
W Medical Equip. 0
Z Signal Equip.
(Const. equip. equally
divided between
two boats. SIXTH WAVE
Iw
49 E.M.
2 2 1/2 tonTrucks (Indifferent boats)
SEVENTH WAVE 1 1/4ton Truck
19 E.M. Signal Equipment
1 2 1/2 ton Truck
mO
WEAPONS NOT SHOWN
/
Th- S bveDara'
RENDEZVOUS
SCEAICOl aREa
Dictances not to scale
The Above Diagram Is SCHEMATIC .Only
(see opposite poge)
Fig. 65-- The Engineer Amphibian Shore Company Afloat.

46. The Shore Coman on the Far Shore. Paragraph 44 describes the
organization of a beach by engineer amphibian shore troops. Four
steps in the development of a beach are shown diagramatically on fol-
lowing pages-- in Figures 66, 67, 68, 69. These sketches consti-
tute a recapitulation of the material in paragraph 44. After study-
ing these diagrams, paragraph 44 should be re-read in order to un-
derstand thoroughly the many and interrelated responsibilities of
beach organization. (See also paragraph 27, organization, Shore Com-
pany)
No one element is complicated; the synchronization of the whole,

however, is extremely difficult to master. The entire operation, or
many steps in it, may have to be accomplished at night. Interference
from the elements and the enemy may be expected.
In football, the individual motions of blocking, running and

handling the ball are not complicated but many months of practice
lie between the first blackboard leeture and the polished Notre Dame
line and back field when the team performs on the gridiron. Yet it
takes only eleven men to put on a football offensive and they play by
well understood rules for a single carefully clocked hour in broad
dalight.
Thousands of men are involved in an offensive on an enemy beach

which may last for weeks. The Engineer Amphibian Shore Company num-
bers about 200 men. Each one of them will have an individual mission
on the beach which must be coordinated with every other individual
mission-- and coordinated so well that all may function in pitch
blackness. Personnel will be under a heavy emotional strain. Yet
the whole battle rests on the success of their team play. When the
time comes, it will not matter how well the tactical commander has
planned, or how skillfully the boat companies have brought their
waves in to the right beaches at the right minute-- if the beach or-
ganization breaks down in the face of strong opposition, the battle
will be lost.
So vulnerable and vital is an amphibian operation during the

first hours on the beach that that moment can be likened to the hull
which keeps the battleship afloat. Let the battleship's hull be bro-
ken open and it will sink no matter how brilliant the Admiral's plans
or how deadly the fire of his guns. Let the beach organization break
down in an amphibian offensive and neither individual heroism nor
far-sighted strategy can save the day.
TENTATIVE TRAINING .GUIDE NO. 1
Fig. 66
FIRST STAGE
THE FIRST ASSAULT WAVE HAS LANDED
Two men-. from the Boat Control Section attached to the Shore
Company-- land with the first wave of assault troops. Their first
mission is simply to set up range markers-- on the center line of
the beach-- by which the coxswains in subsequent waves may check
their bearings. Then from the water's edge they signal these waves
in. Shielded lights are used if the attack has been made in darkness.
Fig. 67.
SECOND STAGE
THE THIRD WAVE HAS LANDED AT H PLUS V
The forward echelon of the Headquarters Platoon of the Shore

Company (two men of the Boat Control Section are already ashore)
lands normally from two or three boats in the third wave. The at-
tached Boat Control Section accompanies it-- to regulate boat (as
distinct from beach) traffic and to prepare for salvage and its
other missions. Command, control and communications are initiated
by the setting up of the two posts shown above.
The first is the Shore Company Command Post, which is located

just off the beach, on the edge of the first available cover. The
second is the Boat Control Section, indicated in the diagram by a
triangle. This is located on the beach-- well back, close by the
command post but just far enough away so that a direct hit from a
single bomb or shell cannot destroy both. Fox holes, slit, or shel-
ter trenches are dug as soon as possible.
From these posts, the reconnaissance necessary to the organiza-

tion of the beach area is directed. The first step in this organi-
zation is the marking of the limits of the beach. Shielded lights,
or large colored panels are used. The panels are three feet by ten
feet, and set on seven foot poles. These markers are shown diagram-
atically above. This beach limit marking is important because the
beach will become unmanageable if allowed to extend too far later-
ally. One thousand yards is a probable maximum limit.
It must be realized that there may be great confusion just off

shore-- and that the first problem of the men already on the beach
is to get the boats in the following waves safely ashore at points
where they may be unloaded rapidly.
Fig. 68
THIRD STAGE
THE FOURTH WAVE IS ABOUT TO LAND AT H PLUS W
A good many minutes have elapsed since the third wave landed the
forward echelon of the Shore Company and the attached Boat Control
Section. During this time, preliminary reconnaissance has been
made. First objective: to locate suitable landing sites for vehi-
cles.
In the above problem the two undeveloped pathways which already

lead from the beach to the road net have been identified and markers
have been set up at the water edge opposite each. These are the
markers shown above near the right and left limits of beach. The
reconnaissance party has seen that a third road may be provided near
the center line of the beach-- by driving through the dunes past the
command post. This too has been marked-- near the water's edge. It
is shown above at approximately the center line of the beach.
To the coxswain in the wave which is about to land, these panels

mean that if there are heavy vehicles in his boat, he is to bring
his landing craft in at the nearest of these three available sites
for beach exit roads. He also knows that these sites are either
free of obstacles or that the obstacles are already in the process
of being removed by the Obstacle Removal and Demolition Teams of the
forward echelon.
ENGINEER AMPHIBIAN .TROOPS
Fig. 69
FOURTH STAGE
THE OPERATION IS NOW WELL ALONG
By this time the Demolition Section has removed obstacles, and

the Construction Section has developed three roadways. They are
shown by dotted lines above. Meanwhile the dump sites shown were
selected, the dumps themselves located and properly marked. The
shore engineers are now ready to handle heavy vehicles, supplies and
equipment as rapidly as they can come ashore.
Beach markers indicating landing points for rations, water,

ammunition, and for gasoline and oil are not normally erected during
the early stages. After the beaches have been re-organized and re-
grouped to meet the re-supply plan, these markers will be set up to
indicate the beach or beaches designated to receive each class of
supply.
In addition to the dump sites, suitable locations for the

Medical Battalion's clearing station, the motor pool and for the
collection of prisoners of war have been chosen. All the symbols
used above are identified on Page iii.
ANNEX I
RELATION BETWEEN AMPHIBIAN SHORE ENGINEER UNITS

AND
DIVISION ENGINEER UNITS
A. The mission, functions, and general employment of Amphibian Shore

Engineer Units are basically separate and distinct from those of Div-
ision Engineers.
B. However, Shore Engineer Units and Division Engineer Units are

jointly employed in one phase of the combined amphibian operation,
namely, on the near shore and prior to embarkation. At this time
Division Engineer Units may be called upon to assist Shore Engineer
Units in the development of facilities for embarkation as necessary.
C.; On the far shore, units of the Shore engineers execute all engi-
neering work necessary to facilitate the landing of personnel and
supplies, and their movement over the beach inland. However, since
working details of shore engineer units do not land in the initial
assault waves, certain duties must be performed by elements of divi-
sion engineers which land with assault troops in the initial waves.
These duties are:
1. Demolish enemy underwater and beach obstacles.
2. Remove, or make passage through enemy mine fields.
3. Reduce permanent fortifications by use of demolitions.
4. Assist, by engineering works, the shore engineers to fao-

ilitate the movement of personnel, equipment, and supplies
from landing craft across the beach area.
5. Conduct engineer reconnaissance.
D. The responsibility of Shore Engineer Units extends inland to in-

clude the establishment, maintenance, and control of all initial sup-
ply dumps inland from the beach. This responsibility is given to
Shore Engineer Units in order that division engineer units may be
released from required engineer tasks in the beach area, and to per-
mit division engineer units to advance inland with combat troops to
perform their normal mission.
E. The line of demarcation, then, between the responsibility of shore

engineer units and division engineer units during the development and
establishment of the beachhead is drawn at (and including) the ini-
tial dumps. From this line inland, responsibility is with the divi-
sion engineer units.
Lithographed by
Drafting and Reproduction
Headquarters Co. E.A.C.

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This guide is published as an aid to training engineer amphibian

It contains the essentials of the mission, procedure and organi-

zation of engineer amphibian troops as developed during the past

year by this Command. It has, however, been rapidly compiled to

vited to criticise and to suggest additions, deletions, changes in

emphasis, etc., for incorporation in later editions.

In a new and rapidly growing organization, it must be understood

from time to time.

Other volumes, in what is to be a series of training guides, are

nique of engineer amphitian operations.

Departure from doctrine taught in training is a privilege of com-

mand-- but such departure must be justified by results.

3ZE Engineer Amphibian Troops In Action 63

Beach limit marker ,Left (from sea)

Command Post (Amphibian Engineers)

Command & Navigation, or Patrol, Boat

Artillery ammunition (.dp

For class I supplies (Rations) Jdp

Gas & oil (~dp

Road Site Beach Marker

Salvage Boat (LCM(3))

Visual signal post

1. Purpose of this Guide. The purpose of this guide is to describe

This guide is the first of a series which is being published

This volume is written for officers. It presumes that these

The first Engineer Amphibian Brigade was activated less than

The field problems of the organization to which they are attach-

The officer reading these words is, therefore, advised that he

The first task of any officer taking part in a mission as orig-

think for himself. He must know when to profit by the experience of

Many assumptions in this guide are arbitrary. They have been

The problem is how to train and lead amphibian engineers in a

2. Use of Illustrations. This guide contains a large number of il-

THE DIAGRAMS AND ILLUSTRATIONS IN THIS GUIDE ARE TO BE STUDIED!

The Sea-horse Insignia of the Engineer Amphibian Command.

3. Elements of the Mission. The mission of engineer amphibian troops

WATER TRANSPORT: The transport of combat units over water from

To accomplish this, the amphibian engineers operate and

ORGANIZATION OF FAR SHORE BEACHES: The organisation of the far

This work includes the unloading of supplies and equip-

EVACUATION: The evacuation of wounded, salvable equipment and

RE-SUPPLY: The re-supply or continued supply of the combat units

This operation normally continues until adequate port

4. Engineer amphibian units normally operate from "shore-to-

as "ship-to-shore" operations. The small boats launched from Naval

The shortest crossing for which engineer amphibian troops might

The range of an operation can, of course, be stretched by the

5. Adaptability. As this Japanese experience suggests, the amphib-

Under special circumstances, engineer amphibian troops may func-

Thus, it is seen that the function of the Engineer Amphibian Bri-

It should also be apparent that at the end of any one of its

6. Carrying Capacity. The carrying capacity of the Engineer Amphib-

7. Other Missions. Units of the Engineer Amphibian Brigade can be

Furthermore, boat battalions may be separated to operate ports

Not all amphibian crossings will be to hostile beaches. Our own

Thus, the engineer amphibian unit can also be thought of as

8. le of Emen . There are three regiments in each Engi-

Fig. 1-- Three Engineer Amphibian Regiments transport combat units

9. Background. Assault troops can be landed on enemy held beaches

A. Sturdy and seaworthy-- to stand the crossing itself.

B. High powered-- not simply for speed but to facilitate re-