The 307th Engineer Battalion was first constituted on 5 August 1917 in the National Army as the 307th Engineers and organized at Camp Gordon, Georgia 27 August 1917 as a unit of the 82nd Infantry Division. It was demobilized on 17 May 1919 at Camp Dix, New Jersey. The 307th Engineer Battalion was again ordered into active service on 25 March 1942 at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana as part of tke 82nd In
fantry Division. On 15 August 1942 the Battalion was redesignated as the 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion and assigned to the 82nd Infantry Division. From 1942 to 1945 the Battalion participated in 8 major campaigns, more than any other engineer battalion and was the first engineer battalion to perform a mission with an Airborne Division. The campaigns were Sicily, Anzio, Naples-Foggia, Rome Amo, Normandy, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace (the Battle of the Bulge), and Central Europe. In 1946, the Battalion was moved to and stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The unit was withdrawn on 15 November 1948 from the Organized Reserve Corps and allotted to the Regular Army. It was subsequently reorganized and redesignated on 1 September 1957 as the 307th Engineer Battalion. On 29 April 1965, 82d Airborne Division paratroopers deployed to Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic to protect American citizens located within the revolution torn capital city. Engineers cleared streets of debris and set up road blocks and barricades. They got the city water flowing again and constructed a storage and landing area along the ocean shore at Boca Chico. It was soon discovered that rebels were using the sewer system to move about the city, so engineers were used to map the entire system. Once mapped, they mined and set up wire obstacles to deny the rebels use of the sewer. On 15 June 1965, rebels attacked US forces, and the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, supported by C Company counter-attacked. 1LT Travis of C Company and SPC Grisson of the 618th Engineer Company (Light Equipment) used a loader to breach a number of anti tank ditches in the city and allowed the infantry's 106mm recoilless rifles to move forward and destroy enemy positions and equipment. Engineers continued to emplace fortifications and wire obstacles until stability was restored to the Dominican Republic. After the combat situation became static, the Battalion constructed roads, ranges and cantomnents. On 24 July 1967, the 505th Parachute Infantry along with C Company, 307th Engineer Battalion deployed to Detroit, Michigan to quell civil rioting over US participation in the Vietnam War. After helping to restore law and order in Detroit, C/307th Engineers with the 505th Parachute Infantry deployed to the Republic of Vietnam on 13 February 1968 to help blunt the Tet Offensive. For nearly 2 years C Company performed combat engineer missions during combat operations in the Hue/Phu Bai area with the 505th Parachute Infantry. In December 1969, C Company returned to Fort Bragg. Company C, 307th Engineer participated in 7 campaigns. The "All American" Engineers were called upon to execute their rapid-deployment mission once again during Operation Urgent Fury. On 25 October 1983, US forces invaded the Caribbean Island of Grenada. C/307th Engineers and 618th Engineer Company (Light Equipment) were among the 82nd Airborne Division forces deployed to the tiny island. The engineers moved into the region's hills with the infantry battalions they supported, where they found themselves fighting as infantry when they encountered enemy positions. In addition to capturing caches of weapons and munitions, C/307th Engineers constructed a prisoner of war compound to hold the large number of Cubans captured. The service of C/307th during Operation Urgent Fury was critical to the successful rescue of American citizens in Grenada. In December 1989, elements of C/307th Engineers deployed with Task Force 504 PIR and A/307th Engineers to Panama for Operation Just Cause. The task force conducted a forced entry airborne assault to protect US citizens and critical US interests. Engineers provided security to the numerous resupply missions to the "Gauntlet" at Tinijitas. Additionally, engineers were used for house to house searches, and as a part of Task Force 1/504, seizing a small Panamanian Army post. In August 1990, the 82nd Airborne Division deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield. The engineers participated in an intense training cycle with their habitually aligned brigades and prepared for the imminent desert combat. C Company along with the other companies in the Battalion constructed combat rifle ranges, needed training facilities, four 1000 man bases, a 2000 man camp and an airfield for the Aviation Brigade, and the division supply battalion base camp. On 17 January 1991, Operation Desert Storm began with the conduct of the air war. C Company, 307th Engineer Battalion, conducted denial missions at Talil Airfield. During combat operations in the Persian Gulf the 307th Engineers destroyed over 55,000 tons of Iraqi arms and equipment. The Battalion also sent soldiers into harms way as part of Operation Allied Force in Albania. Members of the HHC, B and C Companies, and the 618th Engineer Company (Light Equipment) served in that country. Elements of the 307th Engineer Battalion accompanied the 82nd Airborne Division on its deployments to Iraq between 2003 and 2005 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Battalion was inactivated on 15 June 2006 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and relieved from assignment to the 82d Airborne Division. The inactivation was part of the transformation of the entire 82nd Airborne Division to the US Army's new modular force structure, the 307th Engineer Battalion was inactivated. The Battalion's Headquarters and Headquarters Company and, A, B, and C Companies were reflagged as the engineer components for the Brigade Special Troops Battalions, an integral component of the reorganized modular Brigade Combat Teams. The 618th Engineer Company (Light Equipment) was inactivated and reactivated assigned to the 19th Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps. In September 2010, the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 37th Engineer Battalion was inactivated and reflagged as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 307th Engineer Battalion. Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 307th Engineer Battalion was activated on 15 September 2010 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina with its organic support company concurrently constituted and activated. The Battalion was subordinate to the 20th Engineer Brigade, also at Fort Bragg.
