The story of Private First Class William Ernest “Erny” Struble

Company C, 17th Armored Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Division

Army Serial Number 130 55 072

Born 09 September 1913 
Deceased: 1993 

W. Ernest Struble (Owner: Moos Raaijmakers) 

W. Ernest Struble (Owner: Moos Raaijmakers) 

W. Ernest Struble (Owner: Moos Raaijmakers) 

Biography

US Sensus 1920

Household

US Sensus 1920

US Sensus 1940

Family

US Sensus 1940

House of the family of William Ernest Struble in 1940 Racestreet 324, Buck County, Pennsylvania, United States 

United States World War 2 Army Enlistment Records

The Central News (Perkasie, Pennsylvania)25 Jun 1942, ThuPage 5 (Newspapers.com)

Pvt. Ernest Struble, son of Mr, and Mrs. William Struble, Race st . visited his parents and friends here over the week-end. He made the trip home by plane from the military camp in Georgia, where he is now stationed.

---

The Central News (Perkasie, Pennsylvania)30 Jul 1942, ThuPage 7 (newspaper.com)

from our Soldiers

Friday afternoon, July 24, ’42 Dear Sirs: I want to take this opportunity to thank you for sending me The Central News every week. I us-ually get it about Monday. I am in the 17th Armored Engineers Battalion. We are a part of the Second Armored Division, and have been on maneuvers in North and South Carolina since July 1st. As I write this I am sitting on a log in a thick woods, about twenty miles south of Charlotte, N. C. We had a very heavy rain last night and everything is soaked today. On maneuvers we never know when we will move again, so we must be ready at any time. We ride most of the time either in “peeps”, trucks or half tracks. A half-track is a combination of an armored truck and a tank. It is used mainly for personnel. We don’t know how long the  maneuvers will last. I hope we i will get to go across sometime in the near future. I have received money twice from t h e Community Service Group. I would like to thank them for what they are doing. It cer-tainly is appreciated. I hope I . will keep on getting your paper at ; my new address. Sincerely yours, Pvt. William E. Struble, 13,055,072 14 Co. C. 17th Arm’d. Engr. En. A. P. 0. 252, Dilworth, North Carolina

---

Northwest Africa Nov. 27, 1942

Dear Editor: My address has been changed again, probably for the last time in this war. I am now in French Morocco, in the vicinity of Casa-blanca. Yesterday I had the happiest Thanksgiving I’ve had in a very a long time. I received my first news from home in a long time. Among my mail was a copy of the Central News. It certainly is ap-preciated. I hope you will continue to send it to my new address. Here’s wishing you and every one back home a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Sincerely, Pfc. Wm. E. Struble U. S. Army 13,056,072 Co. C, 17th Armd. Engr. Bn. A. P. 0. 252 %Postmaster, New York City New York.

The Central News (Perkasie, Pennsylvania)31 Dec 1942, ThuPage 5 (newspapers.com)

 Lieutenant C. D. L. Mosser, of this place, a Chaplain in the Army has arrived in North Africa, according to a message received at this office this week. Pfc Ernest Struble, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Struble, Race Street, is another Perkasie soldier who is in North Africa.

The Central News (Perkasie, Pennsylvania)22 Oct 1942, ThuPage 1 (Newspapers.com)

Soldier Of The Week Pfc W. Ernest Struble Son of Mr. and Mrs. William Struble, Race street, is attached t o an engineering batallion at Fort Bragg, N. C. Before entering the Army he was employed at the Freed Glass plant here.

The Central News (Perkasie, Pennsylvania)22 Oct 1942, ThuPage 1 (Newspapers.com)

Pictures shot by 17th Engineer Private First Class William Ernest “Erny” Struble of the Trestle bridge “Elbe-brücke” across the “Elbe-Weser Canal” at Hohenwarthe, Germany, May 13-20, 1945

Information about the Weser-Elbe Canal brigde:

In very early May the battalion moved to the vicinity of Magdeburg and met the Russians and built an autobahnbridge over the Weser-Elbe Canal, opening the route to Berlin

(source: The 252nd Engineer Combat Battalion by Dave Kaufman)

Possibly a platoon of C Company, 17th Armored Engineer Battalion, with PFC Struble was attached to the 252nd Combat Engineer Battalion, or as a part of the 1146th Combat Group. PFC Struble made the pictures from the early start of the bridge untill it was finished. 

(Photos: courtesy of M. Raaijmakers) 

Barges for Pile driver on Elbe-Weser Canal

“Barges for Pile driver on Elbe-Weser Canal”

” Elbe-Weser Canal Bridge”

” Elbe-Weser Canal Bridge”

“Footbridge and blown German bridge over Weser-Elbe Canal, Blowing land for new bridge site.”

Weser Elbe Bridge 252 Engineer Combat Batt May 1945

Weser Elbe Burdge 252nd Engineer Combat Batt May 1945

Read more here about the” Trestle bridge “Elbe-brücke” across the “Elbe-Weser Canal” at Hohenwarthe, Germany, May 13-20, 1945

Pictures shot by 17th Engineer Private First Class William Ernest “Erny” Struble Trestle Bridge 

(pictures owner: M. Raaijmakers)

Information Unit History:

Co “E”, however, recovered its 2nd Platoon from the 992nd Engrs and on 11 March went to the 1153rd Engr (C) Gp in the vicinity of Maastricht , Holland, where Co. “C” 202nd Engr (c) Bn was attached and organization began for bridging the Rhine.

( The photos are shot by Struble who was in Company C, 17th Armored Engineer Battalion)

Long Span of Rhine Bridge

Long Span of Rhine Bridge

NL ponton barge on Rhine assembly (1)

NL ponton barge on Rhine assembly (2)

NL ponton barge on Rhine assembly (2)

Rhine River Bridge (1)

Rhine River Bridge (2)

Rhine River Bridge ETO beside german bridge (1)

Rhine River Bridge ETO beside german bridge (1)

Photos taken in Berlin by PFC Willian E Struble Company E, 17th Armored Engineer Battalion

The “Keizer Frederikmuseum” Berlin, currently known as th Bodemuseum. (Photo Moos Raijnmakers)

Across the Berliner Strasse from the templehof airdrome (This was Flughafen Tempelhof, built by the Nazi regime in 1923. It was bombed but taken in use again by the US Airforce in 1945.

Across the Berliner Strasse from the templehof airdrome (1)

Der Kaiserhoff Hotel , Berlin 1945

Der Kaiserhoff Hotel , Berlin 1945

Haus Hotel Vaterland Gasstatte Kamers, Berlin 1945. Potsdamerplatz. 

1940 Berlin-Mitte,Haus Vaterland, Potsdamer Platz 31. Berlin,(Sammlung Archiv für Kunst und Geschichte.)

Die Reichstag, Berlin 1945

News Herald (Perkasie, Pennsylvania)25 Oct 1945, ThuPage 5 (Newspapers.com)

For the letters that Private First Class
William Ernest “Erny” Struble wrote
in the year 1943 see: Letters year 1943

1999 Obituary W Ernest Struble

 

News Herald (Perkasie, Pennsylvania)17 Feb 1993, WedPage 4

 

 

W. ERNEST STRUBLE W. Ernest Struble, formerly of Perkasie, died Thursday in the Lutheran Community at Telford. He was 79. He was the husband of E. Margaret (Moyer) Struble. The couple had celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary last November. Born in Perkasie, he was the son of the late William Lucien and Charlotte (Crouthamel) Struble. Struble had been employed as a glass grinder for the former J. Melvin Freed Glass Co., Inc., Perkasie, from 1931 until his retirement in 1982. He was a member of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Perkasie. Struble was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and was a member of the Disabled American Veterans, Allentown. Surviving with his wife are two sons: William E. Struble, of Harleysville, and Robert E. Struble, of Mitchellville, MD; four grandchildren; and a brother, Ralph H. Struble, of Perkasie. Funeral services were held Monday, at the Suess Funeral Home, Perkasie. Interment was in Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery, Perkasie. Memorial contributions may be made to the Lutheran Community at Telford, 235 N. Washington Street, Telford, PA 18969 or to Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 231, Perkasie, PA 18944.

Source: News Herald (Perkasie, Pennsylvania) 17 Feb 1993, WedPage 4

( Daughter Arlene??) 

Burial: 

Perkasie, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA

Grave Stone Ernsest W. Struble

Parents

Charlotte S Crouthamel Struble

Margaret M Struble

Research and written by: Martijn Brandjes & Moos Raaijmakers. 

Sources: FindAGrave.com, NARA