Page 599 - 1992 - XVIII Congresso Internazionale di Storia Militare

nrE U.S. AJU.IY ANO AMPHJJUOUS WAilFAJI.E 565
amphibious operations will probabiy be merely the spearhead of a prolongcd, heavy.
la n d operarion. This is tbe rype of task for which Army divisionai and higher or-
ganization is dclìnicely poimed ... In the Pacifìc, offensive oper:nion~ for me next
year or more promise co comprise a series of land.ing operarions from shipboard
co smaU islands with relacively minor forces. This is che rype of amphibious warfure
for which che Marines have apparenùy been spccially organizcd" 1291,
On 20 March 1942, shortly aft:er che Navy fìrst agreed co the Army's new
amphibious cole. the War Deparcmenr direeted the Army Ground Forces co era in
cwelve dlvisions for shore-ro-shore amphibious operations. The AGF was co de-
veiop doccrine, crain cactical unirs. and handie "aLI phases of the operarions of Aimy
unirs involved in emharking troops and equipmenc in smali boats on Land, che ap-
proach co and landing on a hoso1e beach, the establishment of a beachhead, and
the prepararion an d ioitiacion of an anack ioland" UOl,
Ac same cime, tbe War Depanmcnc charged che Services ofSupply (SOS) with
"che organJ:zation, training, suppiy and equipmem of boac operacing and main-
tenance unirs, che operacion of transportacion facilities for Landing operadons, and
for che equipmeoc and craining of shore parties." SOS direcred che Corps of en·
gineers co escablish an ampbibious command to organize and train engineer unics
chat would in rurn train wirh che cacticai unirs, operate iandiog craft: in shore-co-
shore combat operations, and dircct the shore partics co handle the logiscicaJ life·
lines over che beacbes un.
ln ) une 1942 che Chief ofEngioeers escablished che Engineer Amphibian Com·
mand (EAC) ac Camp Edwards, MassachusettS, alongside rhe AGF's newiy escab·
lished Amphibious Training Comma n d (ATC). The EAC was to organize and era in
the eighreen engineer boat operacing regiments. seven engineer boat mainrcnance
barcalions, andali supporcing unics0 2l. The engioeers were limited ro only 36-foot
LCVs (Ltnding Crafr, Vehide) and 50-foor LCMs (Landing Crafr. Mechanized). even
ù1ough they questioned the use of such smaJJ boacs in che EngHsh Channel. Fre-
quenc changes in force suucruce and missions, uncercaincy about che Army's long·
term role in amphibious training, inadequace faciiities, iack of landing crak and
tbe concinuing confUct becween che Army commands over missions, functions, and
resources chroughout tbe summer only exacerbared che already considecabie probiems
confrondng this pan of the Army's struggling amphibious training program IH).
After analyzing their mission. Brigadier Generai Daoiel C. Noce, EAC Com-
mander, and Colone! Archur G. Trudeau, Chief of Scaff. reali:zed that they iacked
an adequare shore party scrucrure. Shore-to-shore operations cequired ~ Army or-
ganizarion chat combined che functions of a Navy beach party and a Marine shore
parry bue did noc lose uniry of command at che wacerline. Hence, chey creaced che
engineer shore regimenr of r.hrec barralions co operare on both rhe near and far
shorcs (}4)_ TI1is regimenc was then incegrated with the existing boac regiment and
service unics to create an engioeer amphibian brigsde (renamed engineer special