121st Engineer Battalion ( United States ) The 121st Engineer Battalion was one of the first American units to land in Normandy on D - Day during World War II . History . The division was created in 1918 in the District of Columbia National Guard . It was mobilized into Federal service in 1940 as part of the 29th Infantry Division , made up of units from Maryland , Virginia , and the District of Columbia . The 121st staged at Fort Meade , Maryland for movement to England . At the same time , the 37th Infantry Division from the Ohio National Guard , was staging at Fort Indiantown Gap , Pennsylvania . The 37th has also been alerted for movement to England , and had sent its 112th Engineer Combat Battalion ahead as part of the advance party . Orders were changed and the 37th was diverted for service in the Pacific Theater . There was no time to recall the 112th , or to create and train a new Engineer Battalion . The War Department ordered all personnel and equipment of the 121st Engineers moved from Fort Meade to Fort Indiantown Gap , and the unit was redesignated the 117th Engineer Combat Battalion . One officer and six enlisted personnel , symbolically representing the 121st Headquarters , each line Company , and the Medical Detachment , remained behind with the organization ' s colors . The new 117th Engineers shipped out to the Fiji Islands , and saw extensive combat in the Philippines . The men from the DC Guard earned great praise for their heroism , working under enemy fire building and repairing 64 bridges , destroying enemy held buildings and tank obstacles , and participating in river crossings with " consummate skill and courage . " When the 29th Division reached England , the 112th Engineer Battalion from the 37th Division became the reconstituted 121st Engineers . By the time the 121st saw its first combat , on D - Day at Omaha Beach during the invasion of Normandy , its ranks consisted of the soldiers from Ohio as well as new soldiers from throughout the Nation . None of the seven original DC Guardsmen were with the unit at the time of the invasion . The Battalion remained active until May 1945 in operations throughout Europe . D - Day landing . On 6 June 1944 , the 121st Engineer Battalion landed on Omaha beach in Normandy with the first American forces . The company endured much damage to equipment and soldiers , but after some recovery , it continued to assist in the invasion . The division was given several awards for their actions during the invasion . After action report . D - day on Omaha Beach Two platoons of " C " Company landed on Easy Green beach from LCT ’ s at 061030 B hours with bulldozers and about one ton of explosives each . Remnants of Company " B " and Company " C " were then directed to exit D - 1 to open it for traffic . It was necessary to wipe out several sniper positions before actual work could begin . Approximately 30 prisoners were taken in the ensuing action . At about 1200 B hours an officer patrol , formed in Vierville - sur - Mer and led by General Cota , Assistant Division Commander and containing Major Olson , Engineer Battalion Executive , Captain Bainbridge , ADE of 254th Engineers , Lieutenant MacAllister , Engineer Battalion Adjutant , and others , proceeded through the D - 1 Exit from the rear before it was opened , rejoining the elements of the Battalion at work on the beach and beach exit . The wall blocking the beach exit D - 1 was breached with an external charge of 1100 lbs of TNT . The resultant vehicles . Company " B " remained on the beach to complete opening of the beach exit ant to clear the road to Vierville - sur - Mer . These missions were accomplished by 062100 B hours . Meanwhile , Company " C " was ordered to clear transit area # 1 west of Vierville - sur - Mer , which mission was about 50 % completed that night . Company " C " bivouacked in transit area # 1 , " H & S " and " B " Company bivouacked just south of Vierville . At 070530 B June 1944 the enemy attacked our positions from the south . The elements of the Battalion withstood the attack until the arrival of Rangers supported by tanks at about 1030 B hours . We then set up a defensive line for protection of Division CP along the east - west road through Vierville . Captain Humphrey , Commanding Officer , Company " B " , was wounded while leading a part of Company " B " out the assembly area . At 071600 B hours Company " C " continued with their mission of cleaning transit area # 1 , which was completed at 071900 B hours . Company " A " landed with the 115th Combat Team , the leading platoon landing at 062300 B hours . Company " A " supported for the forward movements of the 115th CT by opening lines of communication behind their leading elements . While passing through Saint - Laurent - sur - Mer , Company " A " came under fire of some snipers , at which time Captain Martin , the Commanding Officer , was wounded and evacuated . Company " A " joined the Battalion the evening of 7 June . Company " C " on the morning of 8 June cleared the town of Vierville - sur - Mer of rubble caused by artillery bombardment during the previous evening . Company " A " cleared the road leading to Grandcamp on 8 June . Each Infantry regiment in this phase of operations was supported by engineers who cleared roads to their forward elements . As soon as Isigny was captured the C Company bulldozer was dispatched there and cleared the road through the town which had been severely damaged by aerial and artillery bombardment . Company A supported the 115th Infantry in crossing the inundated area by building ten improvised foot bridges using assault raft equipment , pneumatic floats and bridge timbers . The 254th Engineers supporting this Battalion constructed four short treadway bridges on the road from La Cambe to Douet , and also constructed a 40 - foot double single Bailey Bridge at 473847 on the Isigny - Carentan road . Our Battalion continued to support the advance of the infantry south of inundated area to the River Elle with clearance and maintenance of routes of communication . Our first water point was established at 610907 and opened at 1900B hours on 9 June 1944 . After World War II . At the end of World War II the Battalion was deactivated . It was reactivated as part of its original organization , the District of Columbia Army National Guard , as the 163rd Military Police Battalion and its history , lineage and honors continue today in the DCARNG ' s 372nd Military Police Battalion . In 1948 , a new " 121st Engineer Battalion " was activated in Maryland as part of the Maryland National Guard . This unit carries the designation of the old 121st Engineers , but has no historical link to that organization . The new Battalion played a pivotal role in the crowd control efforts after being called in to assist the local authorities during the race riots that took place in Baltimore and Cambridge in the 1960s .