Hi List, I’ve been helping Adrienne on and off list with her research regarding her late friend Peter Bianchetta as his story is very similar to my late father’s. The question with which we need your help is regarding Pete’s transfer from the 320th Engineer Combat Battalion, 95th Infantry Division to the 17th Armored Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Division. My theory is Peter Bianchetta served in the 320th Engineer Combat Battalion, 95th Infantry Division until VE day and was transferred to the 17th Armored Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Division between May and July, 1945. He was sent to Berlin for occupation duty while his original unit was sent to the U.S. for refitting and retraining for the war with Japan. The war ended in August and his colleagues in the 95th finished their service in the U.S. and poor Pete was stuck on the front-line of the Cold War for several more months. Adrienne has found sources to fill in the gaps of information left by the loss of Pete's records in the ‘73 fire. After Pete was drafted he was selected for the ASTP program. During the post Normandy manpower crisis, he was transferred to combat engineer training, assigned to the 320th Engineer Combat Battalion, 95th Infantry Division, and deployed to Europe. He was discharged from the 17th Armored Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Division in January, 1946. What follows is my preliminary theory based on Adrienne’s research of Pete’s service, my research of my late father's service, and some research on the web. The 320th Engineer Combat Battalion was with the 95th Infantry Division for all its service in the war in Europe. It was never detached. After VE Day, the 95th Infantry Division was one of the divisions chosen for redeployment to the U.S. for the war in the Pacific and the invasion of Japan. Pete’s ASR score was too low for immediate discharge. In September, 1945, Pete had an ASR score of 57, so it would have been a few points lower in May, June and July, 1945 when decisions were being made as to which GIs went where. (We got his ASR score from his DD 214.) Apparently the 2nd Armored Division, including their 17th Armored Engineer Battalion, had been chosen for occupation duty in the American sector of Berlin. The original members of the 17th Armored Engineer Battalion,2nd Armored Division had been in combat since the July, 1943 landings in Sicily and many would have an ASR score high enough for immediate discharge. Other engineers would have to been immediately transferred from other units. Experienced engineers would have been valued because the 2nd Armored would not only be on occupation duty in Berlin but also face the Soviets in the opening days of the Cold War and would need to be able to immediately respond to any confrontation with the Soviets. While transfers did occur during the war, we have seen nothing in Peter’s record to suggest he was transferred before VE Day such as hospitalization for an illness or wound. What do you think? We need the knowledge and skill of the list to review our work. We look forward to hearing from you. Yours, Leonard H. Cizewski Son of the late PFC Felix A. Cizewski, Signal Corps, Europe, WW2 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com