Brigade front, earning the distinction as "The Little Seahorse Division" by the German Army. In 1944, the 3rd Battalion participated in the invasion of southern France, code-named Operation Dragoon, conducting what would be its fifth and final amphibious assault of the war. It would continue to support Allied forces through three subsequent campaigns: the Rhineland Campaign, the Ardennes-Alsace Campaign, and the Central Europe Campaign. On February 15, 1945, the unit was re-designated the 36th Engineer Combat Group, with the 3rd Battalion being re-designated the 2828th Combat Engineer Battalion at Fort Lewis. The battalion had suffered 902 combat casualties, including 44 killed in action. For their gallantry and service, the battalion was awarded 10 campaign streamers from World War II. Soldiers in the battalion earned seven Silver Stars and 13 Bronze Stars. Cold War Stateside On April 29, 1947, the 2828th Engineer Battalion was re-designated the 19th Engineer Combat Battalion and activated at Fort Meade, MD on July 9, 1952. During this time it focused mainly on training, local construction, and domestic relief missions on the East Coast of the United States. In October 1954, it responded to the destruction caused by Hurricane Hazel, helping to clear and rebuild the area around Cambridge and Wingate, Maryland. In August 1955, the 19th assisted the citizens of northern Pennsylvania after Hurricane Diane caused massive flooding in the region. In the winter of 1958, the battalion returned to Maryland to assist with a snow emergency in Baltimore. Finally, they travelled to French Creek in Pennsylvania where they conducted explosive clearing of ice floes in two gorges to prevent flooding. Vietnam War In 1965, the Battalion deployed to Vietnam in an amphibious landing on the beaches of Qui Nhon. Its primary mission was to upgrade highway QL-1 from a dirt trail to an all-weather road connecting Qui Nhon and Bong Son. The first phase of this project consisted of the construction of seven Bailey Bridges, decking three existing railroad bridges, and building six timber trestle bridges. During this time, the battalion completed construction projects in support of the Republic of Korea Tiger Division, the 4th Cavalry, the Americal Division, the 4th Infantry Division, and the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, to include port and airfield repair, warehouses, fuel and ammo depots, and pipelines. In the end, the 19th improved and upgraded more than 70 kilometers of QL-1, constructing 11 Bailey Bridges and 34 timber pile bridges,