The men of Baker Company/ 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion/101st Airborne Division

Roster compiled by: George Kaskimaki

This partial roster for "B" Company of the 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion was developed over a period of many years. Some of the officers came from a roster dated May 10, 1944 just before we went to the marshalling area for Normandy. The others were on a roster dated for 1945 after our major campaigns had been completed. Enlisted KIA were on same roster near the end of the war. Members sent me the names of friends and company members. I have the story of Lt. Hiltunen's glider going down over Holland when one wing was shot off. Carson and LeMay went down in the same glider. Capt. Froemke was killed on October 5, 1944 in the attack on Opheusden when "B" Company was called upon to reinforce 3rd Battalion of the 506th in that heavy action. These are stories which appear in the second part of our trilogy, Hell's Highway which appeared in print in September 1989 during the 45th anniversary of Market-Garden. (*)l0lst Association members.

I have developed friendships with Art Bittner, Ed Carowick, Leonard Giannotti, the widow of Joe Halderman (Pat Burke), 'The family members of lLt. Ray Hiltunen, Loney G. Hoover, Oscar Mendoza, Jack Reinhardt's widow, Delbert Thompson.

D-Day with Screaming Eagles, the story of June 6th for the l0lst Airborne Division in Normandy is now available in its third printing through the 101st Association. The cost is S18.50 plus $2.00 postage and handling. It has the stories of 518 paratroopers and glidermen of the 101st from commanding general to the ground pounding private in the lane company and battery units. It has a pathfinder chapter. It has a chapter about the medical officers and enlisted men and a chaplain from each of the parachute regiments. Sold Out

Hell's Highway has the contributions of 612 individuals including our parachutists and glidermen, troop carrier personnel and glider pilots, a member of the 1st British Airborne Division who went in with members of my company, Dutch underground and Dutch civilians who remember when we dropped from the sky in September of 1944~ This is the only book that spells out the assignments of the units of the 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion for the Holland mission. Two platoons (A & B) dropped with the 50lst at Eerde. Their assignment was to build an auxiliary bridge beside the existing span which was too narrow for wide allied tanks. The glider platoons went to Son to take over the bridge protection. They took over the rafting from "C" Company. Up on the Island, "B" Company reinforced the men of 3rd Battalion of the 506th and Capt. Froemke was killed while moving his men into position. Frank Halloran described his part. He was wounded and evacuated. "B" Company was involved for several days. There was also a battle for Veghel in which part of "B" Company was involved--along with the parachute platoon of "A" Company.

The Battered Bastards of Bastogne has some excellent description of the fighting for Marvie as related by Ken Knarr and Ed Carowick. S/Sgt Manuel Ferrara was killed on the night of December 23rd near a small bridge at the south end of Marvie. An enemy tank was knocked out by men of this company. They had been involved in fighting earlier on the west side of the Bastogne perimeter near Senonchamps. This book has the stories of 530 men from our Division, CCB of the 10th Armored, 4th Armored men, troop carrier crewmembers and glider pilots who flew in critical supplies. This is the 3rd part of the trilogy.