The 133rd Engineer Battalion is a

military engineering Military engineering is loosely defined as the art, science, and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and military communications. Military engineers are also responsible for logistics b ...

unit of the Maine Army National Guard. Possibly one of the largest and oldest units in the Maine National Guard, the

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

has responded to natural disasters at home and undertaken military deployments overseas. It has the capacity to execute a variety of Army Engineer missions, from horizontal construction, vertical construction,

combat engineer A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, Tunnel warfare, tunnel and l ...

missions, and surveying. The battalion has two horizontal companies, one vertical company, one combat engineer company, a forward support company, a survey and design detachment, and a headquarters company.

History

The 133rd Engineer Battalion is the oldest unit in the Maine Army National Guard and one of several National Guard units with campaign credit for the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Known as "Maine's Regiment", the 133rd traces its beginnings back to the formation of the Cumberland County Regiment of the Massachusetts Militia in 1760 and its subordinate element, the Portland Light Infantry in 1804. The Portland Light Infantry manned the defenses around Portland, such as Forts Preble and Scammell, to prevent British attack in 1814 during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. Other militia units flooded Portland that year, responding to a British invasion from the north that had seized Bangor and Castine. The British had taken control of portions of Maine and re-established the Crown colony of New Ireland. Several thousand British troops assembled in Castine with seven ships of the line, intent on taking Portland in 1814. However, American militia units from all over Maine put up such a strong defense that after a few skirmishes on the outskirts of town, the British decided that an attack would be too costly and cancelled the invasion.

Civil War

Maine men would be called on again in 1861 when war divided the nation into North and South. The Portland Light Infantry was designated as Company A of the 1st Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, a 90-day regiment, and marched off to Virginia but was not engaged in the Battle of Bull Run. The 1st Maine was mustered out of service on 5 August 1861. Many members of the 1st Maine Volunteer Infantry reenlisted as members of the 10th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment when it was formed in October 1861. It fought at the battles of Cedar Mountain and Antietam in 1862. Most enlistments in the 10th Maine expired on 8 May 1863, except for 3 companies of "three year men" who were retained in service as the 10th Maine Battalion. The 10th Maine Battalion served as the Provost Guard for the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

. The

29th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 29th Maine Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 29th Maine Infantry was organized at Augusta, Maine and mustered in on December 17, 1863, for three years' servic ...

was mustered into service on 17 December 1863, and was transferred to the southern theater, fighting in Louisiana in the Red River Campaign from March to May 1864, and then in Virginia from July 1864 to April 1865. On 29 May 1864, the 10th Maine Battalion was consolidated with the 29th Maine, thus establishing continuity with the 10th Maine Regiment and the 1st Maine Regiment. The 29th Maine served on occupation duty in South Carolina starting in June 1865 and was mustered out of service on 21 June 1866. The 2nd Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment was called into service at the same time as the 1st and saw action during the

Seven Days Battles The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate States Army, Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army ...

, 2nd Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. The regiment's enlistments ran up in 1863, but about half the unit had signed papers to serve for the three years, so they were amalgamated into the

20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 20th Maine Infantry Regiment was a volunteer regiment of the United States Army (Union Army) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), most famous for its defense of Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg in Gettysburg, Pennsylvani ...

. Also in 1862, the

was raised from the Brewer area. The 20th would become one of the most famous units in the Civil War. The regiment saw limited action at Antietam but made up for it at the Battle of Fredericksburg, where they were part of the assault element that aimed to take the Confederate defenses on the high ground. The 20th sustained heavy casualties and was pinned down for over twenty-four hours under enemy fire in the cold December weather. They were positioned on the far left of the Union line at the

in 1863 and sustained multiple enemy attacks until the regiment had nearly run out of ammunition. They had been ordered to hold to the last man, and the regimental commander, Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain gave the order, "Bayonet, Forward!" knowing that he could not withdraw or the enemy would outflank the Union forces. The bayonet charge by the Mainers took the Confederates by surprise and ended their attacks entirely. For his actions, Colonel Chamberlain was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

. The 20th would serve until the end of the war, fighting with distinction in the savage battles through Virginia, such as the

Wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plurale tantum, plural) are Earth, Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human impact on the environment, human activity, or any urbanization, nonurbanized land not u ...

, Spotsylvania, and Petersburg. The 133rd Engineer Battalion carries on the lineage and traditions of the 20th Maine.

1865-1916

At the end of the war, the Soldiers came home and returned to their civilian lives. Many kept up their military experience by membership in the 1st Maine Volunteer Militia, organized in 1873. The 1st Maine Volunteer Militia had companies in Portland, Augusta, Skowhegan, Auburn, Norway, Bangor, Belfast, Hampden, and Old Town, laying out the footprint for the future 133rd Engineer Battalion. In 1893, the Maine Volunteer Militia was re-designated as the Maine National Guard, and the 1st Maine Volunteer Militia was designated the 1st Maine Infantry. The 2nd Maine Infantry was also brought under the Maine National Guard when it was formed from the Maine Volunteer Militia in 1893. In May 1898 the 1st Maine Infantry was mobilized as the 1st Maine Volunteer Infantry for service in the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. It served stateside and was mustered out of service on 13 December 1898. In 1909, the 1st Maine Volunteer Militia reorganized and re-designated as the Maine Coast Artillery Corps, eventually forming thirteen numbered companies with batteries stationed from Bath to Kittery. In 1917 it was mobilized to protect the Maine coast, manning coast defenses, primarily near Portland. In December 1917, four of the companies were combined with Regular Army companies to form the 54th Artillery (

Coast Artillery Corps The U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps (CAC) was an Corps#Administrative corps, administrative corps responsible for coastal defence and fortification, coastal, harbor, and anti-aircraft Seacoast defense in the United States, defense of the United ...

) and deployed to France, where they fought on the Marne and the Meuse-Argonne Campaigns. The remaining companies remained in Maine until they were demobilized in December 1918.

Pancho Villa Expedition and World War I

The 2nd Maine Infantry was called into service in 1916 for service on the

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

border during the

Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, US Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the para ...

and then again in 1917 for

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

where it was combined with a unit from New Hampshire to become the 103rd U.S. Infantry, which was one of the four Infantry regiments in the 26th Division (nicknamed the "Yankee Division"). They served on the front lines in France, taking part in the battles of Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, Saint-Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, Ile de France, and

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

. One soldier, Private First Class George Dilboy, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in single-handedly overrunning a German machine gun position.

Interwar period

103rd Infantry

The 103rd Infantry arrived at the port of Boston on 6 April 1919 on the troopship USS America and was demobilized on 28 April 1919 at Camp Devens, Massachusetts. Per the

National Defense Act of 1920 The National Defense Act of 1920 (or Kahn Act) was sponsored by United States Representative Julius Kahn (congressman), Julius Kahn, Republican Party (United States), Republican of California. This legislation updated the National Defense Act ...

, it was reconstituted in the National Guard in 1921, assigned to the 43rd Division, and allotted to Maine. It was reorganized on 22 November 1921 at Farmington, Maine, by consolidation of the 2nd and 3rd Infantry Regiments, Maine National Guard and designated as the 171st Infantry. It was re-designated as the 103rd Infantry on 31 December 1921. The regimental headquarters was relocated in 1922 to Portland, Maine. The regiment conducted annual summer training most years at Camp Keyes, Maine, and some years at Camp Devens, Massachusetts or Fort Ethan Allen,

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. The 103rd Infantry was inducted into active federal service at home stations on 24 February 1941 and moved to

Camp Blanding Camp Blanding Joint Training Center is the primary military reservation and training base for the Florida National Guard, both the Florida Army National Guard and certain nonflying activities of the Florida Air National Guard. The installation ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, where it arrived on 13 March 1941.

240th Coast Artillery

The 54th Artillery Regiment, Coast Artillery Corps, was demobilized on 13 March 1919. Coast artillery units were reorganized in the Maine National Guard in 1920–21 with old and new coast defense companies. The companies were designated as the 1st Coast Defense Command, Coast Artillery Corps, Maine National Guard, on 15 May 1922, and assigned to the Harbor Defenses of Portland. The eight National Guard coast defense command headquarters constituted after World War I were, in effect, regimental headquarters for their assigned batteries in their harbor defenses, but their role in mobilization remained unclear. A regimental organization was later formally effected in National Guard coast artillery units, and Maine's 1st Coast Defense Command. became the regimental headquarters of the 240th Artillery Regiment (Harbor Defense), Coast Artillery Corps, which was organized and federally recognized on 11 July 1922, and redesignated as the 240th on 17 September 1923. It was intended to be organized as a 12-battery regiment. Again redesignated on 14 May 1924 as the 240th Coast Artillery Regiment (Harbor Defense). The regiment, or elements thereof, was called up to perform the following state duties: two batteries for relief duties in connection with a major fire in Thurston, Maine, 15–17 September 1924; Batteries C and H for fighting a forest fire in Sagadahoc County, Maine, 3–13 September 1926. Reorganized in 1931 from 12 to 9 batteries and organized as follows; 1st Battalion as harbor defense; 2nd Battalion as 155 mm gun, tractor drawn; 3rd Battalion as antiaircraft. Relieved from the Harbor Defenses of Portland on 1 October 1933 and assigned to the General Headquarters Reserve. Reassigned to the Harbor Defenses of Portland in 1938. Conducted annual summer training at Fort Williams, Maine, 1921–40. Inducted into federal service at home stations on 16 September 1940 at Portland, and transferred to Fort McKinley, Maine, arriving there on 23 September 1940, where it assumed the mission of manning batteries in the Harbor Defenses of Portland.

World War II

As the United States prepared to enter World War II, the 240th Coast Artillery was mobilized to defend Portland on 16 September 1940. On 7 October 1944, the regiment was re-organized into the 185th and 186th Coast Artillery Battalions. On 1 April 1945, the two battalions were consolidated into the Harbor Defenses of Portland, which was inactivated in June 1946. During World War II, the 103rd Infantry, as an element of the 43rd Infantry Division, served in the Pacific theater, fighting in the battles of

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...

, North Solomons,

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

, and

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

, helping General MacArthur liberate the Philippines. They were the first unit to reach the

Ipo Dam Ipo Dam is a concrete water reservoir gravity dam found in the Philippines. The dam is located about 7.5 kilometres downstream of the Angat Dam within the Angat Watershed Forest Reserve in Norzagaray, Bulacan, Norzagaray, Bulacan. It was a part ...

, which controlled the water supply for Manila, a crucial step in liberating the city.

Post WWII

In February 1947, the Coast Artillery units were re-organized and re-designated as the 703rd Anti-Aircraft Gun Battalion. They were mobilized from August 1950 to April 1952 to replace Regular Army units that had deployed to Korea during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. On 1 March 1959 Companies A, B, and C of the 703rd AA Bn consolidated with the 103rd Infantry and were reorganized and re-designated as the 103d Armored Cavalry Regiment. Meanwhile, Headquarters and Company D of the 703rd AA Gun Bn were re-organized and re-designated, and consolidated with the 314th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion to form 1st Battalion, 240th Artillery. On 1 June 1961 the 103rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, less the headquarters company, was reorganized and re-designated as the 20th Armor Regiment. At the same time, the Headquarters Company of the 103rd Armored Cavalry Regiment was re-designated as Headquarters, 113th Armor Group. The 240th Artillery was converted, reorganized, and re-designated on 1 June 1961 as the 262nd Engineer Battalion with headquarters at Bangor. In 1962, the 3rd Battalion, 20th Armor was mobilized for the Berlin Crisis and stood ready in Fort Stewart, Georgia, until the crisis defused. In 1963, the 1st Battalion, 20th Armor was stood up in readiness during the Cuban Missile Crisis but the issues were resolved before the unit had to deploy. The 240th Coast Artillery served until the 1960's before being disbanded, but its lineage was assumed into the 20th Armor. On 31 December 1967 the 20th Armor consolidated with Headquarters, 113th Armor Group to form the 133rd Engineer Battalion. On 1 September 1993 the 133rd Engineer Battalion was consolidated with the 262nd Engineer Battalion while retaining its designation as the 133rd Engineer Battalion.

133rd Engineer Battalion

Since 1970, 133rd Engineer Battalion has served both at home for disaster relief missions and abroad in defense of the nation. In 1992 the battalion deployed to

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

to improve infrastructure in rural areas. In 1994, the battalion functioned as Mission Command in support of

New Horizons ''New Horizons'' is an Interplanetary spaceflight, interplanetary space probe launched as a part of NASA's New Frontiers program. Engineered by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and the Southwest Research Institut ...

, Task Force Dirigo, in Guatemala, a humanitarian and disaster relief mission. In 1997, units of the 133rd were deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of

Operation Joint Guard The Stabilisation Force (SFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Bosnian War. Although SFOR was led by NATO, several non-NATO countries contributed troops. It was replaced by EUFOR Alt ...

. After the 2003

invasion of Iraq An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives ...

by a United States-led coalition, the 133rd was mobilized in support of

Operation Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

II between 2004 and 2005. The battalion served as the Engineer Task Force for I Corps' Task Force Olympia in the Multi-National Brigade-Northwest Area of Operations. As a battalion, the 133rd completed over 730 troop missions, completed host-nation improvements in excess of 15 million dollars, built over 12 kilometers of earthen berms for force protection, and completed 15 airfield assistance missions. In addition, the 133d completed 84 humanitarian assistance missions, donating 1473 boxes of school supplies, clothes, shoes, food, and toys to Iraqi communities as well as building roads, wells and multiple schools and medical clinics. The 133rd Engineer Battalion's area of operations (AO) spanned an area the size of the U.S. northeast, significantly larger than most Engineer battalion's normal span of control in Iraq. The 133rd was awarded the

Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or ...

for their participation in the Transition of Iraq and Iraqi Governance Campaigns. In 2005, members of the 133rd responded to Louisiana to provide security and disaster relief assistance after

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

. Similarly, the 133rd sent Joint Task Force Maine to Vermont in 2011 to assist in Tropical Storm Irene recovery. The 133rd opened several key routes in Vermont that had been closed to debris or washouts, enabling communities to get assistance. Following

Hurricane Irene Hurricane Irene was a large and destructive tropical cyclone which affected much of the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States during late August 2011. The ninth tropical cyclone naming, named storm, first hurricane, and first major ...

in 2011, a task force of vertical and horizontal Engineers from the 133rd assisted communities in Vermont in their recovery efforts. Following Superstorm Sandy in 2012, a task force of vertical and horizontal Engineers from the 133rd assisted communities in Connecticut in their recovery efforts. In the spring of 2013, the 133rd deployed a company of vertical engineers to El Salvador to assist in critical infrastructure repairs in support of Operation Beyond the Horizon. On 10 August 2013, the 133rd was mobilized in Support of

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

, Afghanistan. An article in the ''Portland Press Herald'' dated 30 April 2014 stated the 133rd Engineer Battalion is under consideration for transfer to Pennsylvania and replacement in-state by an infantry battalion. These plans were declared shelved in November 2015. Lt. Col. Lisa Sessions made history as the first woman to hold the post of commander in the Maine Army National Guard’s 133rd Engineer Battalion. The change of command ceremony took place on 3 April 2022, at the Brunswick Armed Forces Reserve Center. During this event, Lt. Col. Shanon Cotta handed over command to Lt. Col. Lisa Sessions, marking a significant milestone for women in leadership within the battalion.

Organization

The unit is composed of: * Headquarters and Headquarters Company,

Brunswick, Maine Brunswick is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. Brunswick is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The population was 21,756 at the 2020 United States Census. Part o ...

* Forward Support Company,

* 136th Engineer Company (Vertical),

Skowhegan, Maine Skowhegan () is the county seat of Somerset County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 8,620. Every August, Skowhegan hosts the annual Skowhegan State Fair, the oldest continuously held state fair in the Unit ...

* 185th Engineer Company (Engineer Support),

Caribou, Maine Caribou is the second largest city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. Its population was 7,396 at the 2020 census. The city is a service center for the agricultural and tourism industries, and the location of a National Weather Servic ...

* 251st Engineer Company (Sapper), Norway, Maine * 262nd Engineer Company (Horizontal),

Westbrook, Maine Westbrook is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States and a suburb of Portland, Maine, Portland. The population was 20,400 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the fastest-growing city in Maine between 2010 and 2020. ...

Honors

for

Notes

References

''Our Proud Military History''
Maine National Guard
''133rd Engineer Battalion''
Maine National Guard

''History of the 103rd Infantry Regiment''
By SSG Esther Kazian, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Norman N. Dow - Isaac E. Clewley Post 1761. Originally published in The Patriot News, The Newsletter of the Maine Military Historical Society, Volume 1, Issue 3, January 2011 * https://web.archive.org/web/20131230222819/http://103rd.newspipers.com/ * * * Pearson 1913, p. 243; and personal communication, Col. Leonid Kondratiuk, Director, Historical Services, Adjutant General's Office, MA. * {{cite book, author=John K. Mahon, title=The War of 1812, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wcp6UTcp8OEC, year=1991, publisher=Da Capo Press, isbn=978-0-306-80429-8 Engineer battalions of the United States Army Battalions of the United States Army National Guard Military units and formations in Maine 1803 establishments in Maine Military units and formations established in 1803