The Aftermath
(80 Years Later)

October 2, 1943 Company B 307^th Airborne Engineer Battalion (Combat) thought they were leaving the front (the Germans pulled out of Naples October 1, 1943), and were billeted at the Prince of Piedmont Artillery Barracks in Naples, Italy.  They along with the 36th Engineer Regiment 3rd Battalion Company H were very wrong.

The job for the Engineer’s was to defuse thousands of landmines in and around Naples left by the Germans.  For the first few days it seemed that stable.  Then on October 7, 1943 a bomb went off at the Naples Post Office.  The people killed were mostly civilians. 

Three days later Private Rumbaugh was just coming off of guard duty (0100-0500) and looking forward to some sleep Sunday Morning the 10^th.  That was not to be as Company B was detailed to check out General Clark’s Headquarters at the Kings and Queens Palace.  Rumbaugh was one of the few Engineer’s who had gone to school at Fort Belvoir in Virginia.

The detail was lead by First Lieutenant Rightley, Sergeant Miale and Privates Sterling "Whitey" Thomas and Carroll Rumbaugh.  Back at the Barracks Company B had the third floor with the 36th Engineer Regiment Company H the second floor. 

Since it was Sunday morning men were playing cards, writing letters home and some getting ready for church.  Around 8:30 that morning Sunday had change for 45 Engineers as an explosion destroyed their Barracks.    

The Detail at the Kings and Queens Palace heard the explosion but didn’t realize that it was their building.  It was pure luck who survived that day.  Technical Five Tom Goins was left alone on his bed as that was all that was left around him with everything else in the room was destroyed, falling two stories below.

From all over Naples the American and British soldiers tried to dig out the men from both Companies.  The 307^th soldiers lost 23 killed and 21 wounded.  The soldiers from the 36^th Engineers lost 22 killed and 15 wounded.

All but one of the 307^th wounded men was above the slabs of crushed concrete.  One man was buried alive though, Ted Gach.  Spoke with Ted and Sergeant Eplin about this explosion.  Ted said that he couldn’t even lift a finger he was so packed in.  For the first hour or so he heard other men calling out talking back and forth.  Eventually Ted said that all the voices went silent.

On the top of the pile Sergeant John Eplin was digging trying to find the men in his Squad.  After a few hours a Lieutenant tried to call off the search.  Eplin turned to this Officer and told him “Fuck You” and everyone kept digging.  John wasn’t going to rest until everyone from Company B was found, dead or alive.  Eventually Ted Gach was uncovered and didn’t return to duty until November of 1943.

The next Campaign for the 307^th Abn Engr Bn (C) Company B had a bad result as well in Normandy losing 18 Killed, 38 POWs (and one who was killed as a POW) and 21 wounded meant that only 65 men coming back from the 142 who jumped 6 June 1944.

Brian N. Siddall

October 6, 2023
(Updated November 5, 2023)