Description

648th Engineer Topographic Battalion
Corps of Engineers, GHQ SWPA • World War II •

270 pages scanned. Instant PDF download.

Document Overview

Titled “Of Maps and Men,” this unit history was compiled by the men of the 648th Engineer Topographic Battalion, tracing the outfit from its 1941 activation at Camp Claiborne through its topographic and photomapping work across Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines during World War II. It includes commander biographies, narrative accounts of camp life and operations, unit citations, and a full battalion roster. This listing is a digital download of the scanned original booklet.

Campaigns: Australia deployment (Brisbane, Melbourne), New Guinea mapping campaign (Hollandia), Southwest Pacific Area photomapping operations, Philippines Campaign (Manila, Luzon), detachment service in occupied Tokyo.

Commanders: Col. E.F. Kumpe (organizing commander), Lt. Col. Paul H. Berkowitz (25 October 1942 – 26 July 1944), Lt. Col. McSherry, Capt. Dunham.

Unit newspaper: unknown

Table of Contents

Dedication
Battalion History
First Voyage
Camp Ascot
Round the Town
Map Reproduction and Storage
American Red Cross
On the Move to Manila
Manila Sojourn
Award of the Legion of Merit and Unit Citation
Battalion Roster

“This friend was a soldier. A soldier by choice — a soldier by training — a soldier by action.”
— Dedication, to Lt. Col. Paul H. Berkowitz, 648th Engineer Topographic Battalion