338th Engineer General Service Regiment During World War II , the 338th Engineer General Service Regiment rebuilt the vital port of Livorno ( Leghorn ) , in Northern Italy , in advance of the Fifth United States Army ' s assault on the German positions in the Po Valley . The 338th was activated September 4 , 1942 at Camp Atterbury , Indiana , and moved to Camp Claiborne , Louisiana , on November 15 , 1942 . The regiment departed New York on April 28 , 1943 ( likely on the SS " Santa Rosa " ) and arrived at Oran , Algeria , on May 12 , 1943 . The 338th landed in Italy on February 8 , 1944 . Livorno , 300 miles north of Naples on the western coast of Italy , was needed as a supply base for the North Apennines campaign , but the port was the most thoroughly demolished one in the Mediterranean . The Germans had erected barricades , blown bridges , laid mines , and sunk twenty ships to completely seal off the harbor entrances . The Allies also contributed to the destruction ; in some 50 raids during the first half of 1944 , they dropped more than 1 , 000 tons of bombs . Elements of the 34th Infantry Division ( United States ) captured Livorno on July 19 , 1944 . The 338th , which had been working on hospitals in Rome , had no experience in port repair , but drew the assignment anyway . Twelve men from the 338th Engineers arrived in the city a few hours later to clear mines from predetermined routes into the port area . Leghorn was heavily mined , and for the first few days little other than mine clearing could be accomplished . As the mine - clearing teams made room , more elements of the 338th arrived , set up quarters , and began preparing a berth for the LST and the LCT carrying construction equipment . By July 26 , both craft had unloaded . In the meantime , engineers repaired electrical lines and started to restore the municipal water system . The primary task for the 338th engineers was to reconstruct berths for ships . The 338th received planning aid from several specialists of the 1051st Engineer Port and Repair Group , representatives of the British Navy charged with clearing the waters of Leghorn harbor , and shipowners and contractors who knew the port . Within a month , berths for six Liberty ships had been completed giving Leghorn a capacity of 5 , 000 tons per day . The goal of 12 , 000 tons per day was reached by the end of September , as projected . As the berths were completed , the 338th turned its attention to rebuilding roads , bridges , hospitals , depots , and camps . Every task required extensive minesweeping . Working together with Italian soldiers and civilians , the engineers were able to amass and distribute the large volume of supplies required . Assured of a strong supply base in the rear , Fifth Army moved rapidly forward into the Po River valley . For its accomplishments , the 338th was awarded the Meritorious Service Unit Plaque per General Orders No . 66 , Headquarters , Peninsular Base Section , 24 February 1945 . The citation was as follows : " The 338th Engineer General Service Regiment , Peninsular Base Section , for superior performance of duty in the accomplishment of an exceptionally difficult mission in Italy from 17 July 1944 to 30 September 1944 . This regiment entered the Port of Leghorn under artillery fire and through extensive mine fields , moved equipment over bombed out roads and bridges , cleared streets and dock areas that were completely blocked by debris from demolished buildings and other structures ; removed thousands of enemy mines , built new roads and bridges , repaired utilities , and planned and constructed berthing and unloading facilities in one of the most completely destroyed ports as yet encountered in Italy . The 338th Engineer General Service Regiment by careful planning and proper organi - zation , vigorous prosecution of the work over long hours and exceptional ingenuity and engineering skill placed the Port of Leghorn in operating conditions within six ( 6 ) weeks after its capture . The accomplishments of the 338th Engineer General Service Regiment during this period are in the highest traditions of the military service " . The 338th returned to the U . S . at Boston on the Liberty Ship SS " Zebulon Pike " November 8 , 1945 after 2 years , 6 months , and 10 days overseas . The 338th was inactivated at Camp Myles Standish , Mass . , on November 9 , 1945 .