WWI Postcards R-T-O 310-602 ENG'RS*

Question

I have some postcards my GF brought back marked as above. I am seeking information on where they may be found in the archives and details on places and subjects in them. 
 We served in Co A, 310-602 Provisional Engineers, part of V Corp, at St Mihiel and the Argonne 
 thanks

Rachael Salyer · Answer

Dear Merrilee Gordon, &#160; Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! &#160; Military photographs have sometimes been used in publications or printed as postcards, so it is possible that the original photographs that were used to create the postcards you are researching may be federal records. For example, we searched the National Archives Catalog and located the series Photographs of American Military Activities, ca. 1918 - ca. 1981 in the Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer (Record Group 111) that contains 17 images related to the 310th Engineers in the 1910s that might be of interest to you. We also located the series American Unofficial Collection of World War I Photographs, 1917-1918 in the Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs (Record Group 165) that includes 2 images related to the 310th Engineers . These records have been digitized and may be viewed online in the Catalog. We also located the series Operations and Training, ca. 1917 - ca. 1925 in the Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers (Record Group 77) that includes construction views of bridges during the time period you are interested in. This series has not been digitized. For more information about these and similar photographs, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Still Pictures (RDSS) at stillpix@nara.gov . &#160; Next, we searched the National Archives Catalog and located the series Records of Engineer Regiments and Battalions, 1912 -1921 in the Records of U.S. Regular Army Mobile Units (Record Group 391) that may include the records of the 310th and/or 602nd Engineers during WWI. We also located the series Records Relating to the History of the War Department, 1918 - 1941 (documenting 1898-1941) in Record Group 165 that contains documents relating to the activities of the Engineer Corps, and it includes 2 files related to the 602nd Engineers during WWI. The series Historical Reports of the Chief Engineer, 5/26/1917 - 8/31/1920 in the Records of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) (World War I) (Record Group 120) contains records related to engineer units like the 310th Engineers , including the files Appendix 64: Photographs 117th-310th Engrs. and Appendix 64: Photographs 310th-604th Engrs. These records have not been digitized. For access to these and similar records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) via email at archives2reference@nara.gov . &#160; You may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDSS and RDT2. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we balance mission-critical work and the safety of our staff during the pandemic. Please check NARA&#8217;s web page about COVID-19 updates for the latest information. &#160; Finally, we suggest that you contact the U.S. Army Engineer Museum , the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , the U.S. Army Center of Military History , and the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center for additional assistance. &#160; We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research!

Sabine G. · Answer

Hello Merrilee,

this link leads to more photographs of the same 310th Engineer

https://detroithistorical.pastperfectonline.com/bysearchterm?keyword=310th%20Engineers%20Battalion

The offensives they were involved in

"Battle participation of organizations of the American expeditionary forces in France, Belgium, and Italy. 1917-1918."

https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000444276

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc2.ark:/13960/t6639rw5x&view=1up&seq=62&q1=310th

#62 (p. 48)

also on

#85 (p. 71)

#97 (p. 83)

So I would assume the pictures are from these areas here

https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/world-war-i-american-experiences/about-this-exhibition/over-there/st-mihiel/st-mihiel-of…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Mihiel

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/35460

or

https://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww1/meuse-argonne

https://www.loc.gov/item/92686657/

But I would guess if there are no clear notes about where the picture was taken, it will be not possible at all to find out where f.e. the bridge from your picture was, unless there are really significant other buildings in the background.

Hope it helps.

Sabine

Elliot Schneider · Answer

Marrilee, Was doing some further research R.T.O may stand for "Railroad Transportation Officer" which was used during WW1

WWI Postcards R-T-O 310-602 ENG'RS*

Top Replies

"Battle participation of organizations of the American expeditionary forces in France, Belgium, and Italy. 1917-1918."

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc2.ark:/13960/t6639rw5x&view=1up&seq=62&q1=310th

"Battle participation of organizations of the American expeditionary forces in France, Belgium, and Italy. 1917-1918."

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc2.ark:/13960/t6639rw5x&view=1up&seq=62&q1=310th