4th Engineer Special Brigade History
HENRY HUTCHINGS, JR.
Brigadier General, U.S. Army
February of 1943 - The U.S. ARMY, Chiefs of Staff, Appointed General Hutchings to take command of the 4th Engineer Special Brigade.
The 4th ESB Chronology of Events
- The 4th Engineer Special Brigade was activated on February 1, 1943, at Fort Devens, Massachusetts as the 4th Engineer Amphibian Brigade.
- In 1943, the Brigade was re-designated an Engineer Special Brigade.
- February 1943 Camp Edwards, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, was selected for the formation of the 4th ESB. Intensive training was started in classrooms, as well as on the water.
- May 1943, the designation of the Regiment was changed to the 544th Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment.
- September 1943, the 4th ESB moved to Camp Gordon Johnston, Florida. Training exercises now included the 4th Infantry Division.
- April 1944, the 544th EB&SR moved to Camp Stoneman, California.
- May 18th-19th 1944, the 544th EB&SR arrives at Milne Bay/Oro Bay, New Guinea.
- September 15th, 1944, participated in the assaults on Morotai Island, Netherlands East Indies.
- January 15th, 1945, supported the D-Day landings at Lingayen, Luzon Philippines.
- September 10, 1945, the Regiment left for Japan.
- K-Day, September 20, 1945, landed on the beaches of Wakayama, Japan.
- January 1946, orders given to disband the 544th EB&SR.
The 4th ESB was comprised of the following units:
Brigade Headquarters
534th Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment
544th Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment
594th Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment
564th Engineer Boat Maintenance Battalion
264th Medical Battalion
164th Ordnance Maintenance Company
199th Quartermaster Gasoline Supply Company
289th Signal Company
694th Truck Company
349 2nd Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company
4th Engineer Amphibian Brigade Band (434th Army Services Band)
Medical-Detachment
