Where was the 3939 Quartermaster Gas Company on 13 December 1944?

Dear Mr. Simon,

Thank you for contacting History Hub.

We searched the Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1917- (Record Group 407) and the Records of U.S. Army Operational, Tactical, and Support Organizations (World War II and Thereafter) (Record Group 338) but were unable to locate unit records of the 3939th Quartermaster Gasoline  Supply Company for WWII.

Since the unit was only active from December 2, 1944 to January 10, 1945, there may be morning reports for the 3939th. Morning reports for Army units during WWII are in the custody of the National Archives in St. Louis, MO. Please contact them for access to these records. The address is the National Archives in St. Louis, 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO  63138-1002 and the email address is stl.archives@nara.gov. 

We hope that this information is helpful.

Dear Rebecca

Thank you for your direction in this matter. You have already answered one important question, and that is when the 3939 Quartermaster Gasoline Company was active.

There are many questions I have about my father. Probably few will ever be answered but at least this is a start!

Thank you for your help,

Sincerely, Duane

The 3939th Gas Supply Company was in several locations from D-Day to the end of WWII. My father became the Company Commander two weeks after D-Day and served as such until the end 1945.  He had deployed to England in October 1943 as a platoon leader in the 556th Railhead Company as part of the 1st Engineer Special Brigade and took part in the D-Day landings at Utah Beach. He replaced the initial commander of the 3939th GS Co. who was relieved apparently for dereliction of duties.  My father commanded the 3939th from then until after the end of hostilities in Europe. The unit operated petroleum, oil, and lubricant (POL) locations across northern France, primarily refueling logistical resupply convoys. The unit holds the record for most vehicles refueled in one day. The unit used a number of POW's assigned to assist with general labor services, the exception being the actual refueling of vehicles to avoid any sabotage. In his files I found that even in wartime, he was Bonded and held accountable for the fuel his unit handled. Prior to his departure from Europe, audits were conducted of his fuel accounts, which as mentioned earlier were at various locations, and then signed over the inventories to his replacement.

Prior to D-Day, his unit, the 556th RH Co., participated in Exercise Tiger, a rehearsal on the southern coast of England in preparation for D-Day. In the very early dark hours of April 28th, the convoy of eight LST's that consisted of mainly logistical units of the 1st Engineer Bde, were attacked by German E-Boats. Three LST's were hit by torpedoes including my father's LST 289 which survived the attack. The other two sank and resulted in the death of over seven hundred men, primarily due to exposure in the cold channel waters.

I believe I still have a copy of the orders for the officer's and men of the 3939th awarding them their ETO Campaign Medal.

Duane,

Please use the information below for your search. This unit was attached to the 1st Engineer Special Brigade, or 1st ESB. The history of the 1st ESB can found in RG 338 and RG 498. It might give you an Idea of your fathers unit attached to this specific Brigade.

Record Group 338: Unit Histories, 1943 - 1967 (UD 37042) File Unit: 1st Engineer Special Brigade: History [NAID 1187452, Box 607]

Record Group 498: Organizational Unit Records, 1943 - 1947 (UD 494). File Unit: 1st Special Brigade 1944 [NAID 5819434, Box 3197]

Hope this helps,

Elliot Schneider

Tom, My uncle, Joseph Thornton, was assigned to the 3939th.  Any mention of his name in your father's records would be appreciated.