On offer is an order granting leave to a number of soldiers in the U.S Army in Europe immediately following the end of hostilities in WWII. The order was issued as a Company Order by the 519th Engineering Maintenance Company, United States Army. It is dated October 15th, 1945. The order grants a 7 day leave or furlough to 5 named individuals and includes restrictions on their movements. The order is signed by their commanding office, 2nd Lieutenant Melvin Becker. From our informal research, the 519th Engineering Maintenance Company was part of the 327th Infantry Regiment and assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. The 327th was a glider regiment and took part in the Normandy invasion on D-Day, played a major role in Operation Market Garden and played a key role on the front line in the siege of Bastogne, part of the Battle of the Bulge. The 5 soldiers names in the order were identified by name and service number and given a specific area within which they could travel. This area lay in the south of France, roughly coterminous with the boundaries of Vichy France. The document is a copy of a military order. It is the carbon copy, often referred to at that time as a ‘flimsey’. For a military historian, this document helps locate this Engineering Company and its associated Regiment. For a genealogist, the 5 names with specific military ID numbers offers excellent source information genealogical research. The 1-sided document measures 7.0 inches by 8.0 inches. Overall, the paper is in good condition although there is a 2 inch tear along one fold on the page. The typed lettering is clear and readable.
