Expert Infantry Badge testing in WWII

my grandfather received the EIB during WWII. Does anyone know what was involved in this testing? I can find reference to a test but nothing about what the test consisted of.

 

this should help...
EIB info

 

"which covered a wide range of infantry and infantry related skills"

this is all I keep finding but no listing of what that wide range and skills included.

 

i'm talking about the EIB not the CIB. The CIB was awarded for combat but the EIB was based on testing. The testing seems to be pretty extensive. His division started the EIB testing in Hawaii and finished it in New Guinea. He received the EIB while in New Guinea and the CIB for combat on Morotai.

 

The CIB looks like the EIB but has a silver wreath added to it.

The current EIB requires the following:

Eligibility Requirements of EIB Candidates (ArmyStudyGuide.com)

 

Here is another link to the regulation governing the EIB, at least how it is awarded now. It is a very intensive training and testing program. It could be that it was tested in the early part of the war, but it looks like it was approved in 1944.

I have known several that have earned both the EIB and CIB, some nowadays prefer to wear their EIB, because it was harder to get than the CIB. (you cannot wear both)

https://www.benning.army.mil/eib/index.htm

If you download the USAIC Pam 350-6 it will go into detail the requirements for awarding the EIB.

 

The 33rd started EIB testing in Hawaii sometime after July 1944 and my grandfather received the EIB November 1944 while in New Guinea.

The only reference I've found to what the testing involved is from the book the on the history of the 33rd. "Muddy terrain and typical New Guinea weather rendered requirements for the EIB doubly difficult. Division's one concession was to allow troops to begin the 9 and 25 mile speed marches in the cool of early morning. All other physical fitness tests, combat course, infiltration course and compass marches were taken in the heat of the day"

 

GHertz,
My dad also earned the EIB during WWII. I will ask him what all the testing entailed. I do know, as now, it included being an expert marksman, and also day and night-time orienteering, survival skills, fitness skills, etc.
Dad never saw any combat but he has said there is one thing he is most proud of and that is to be able to call himself an "infantryman".
Incidently, having earned the badge possibly save his life. He had requested transfer on several occasions to an outfit where he could see combat and apply his skills. These requests were denied. He eventually found out the commander wanted to keep dad and 2 or 3 other EIB-holders in his outfit as sort of bragging rights. Ironically, the knowledge and skill he had that would have potentially made him valuable in combat, kept him out of combat......and, well...he became my pop!

 

Let us know what you find out. I'd be interested in the details.

I've seen it mentioned in memoirs (100th ID and 94th ID, summer of 1944). As mentioned there is qualification as Expert with their primary weapon (rifle, machine gun or mortar), forced marches under a given time, a machine gunner mentioned estimating ranges, and a compass course (orienteering)....

There were a number of things that one needed to "pass" to be a qualified as an infantrymen. Minimum primary weapon qualification (Marksmen), infiltration course (crawling under live MG fire), obstacle course with full equipment (which included carrying another soldier some distance, 50 or 100 yards). They may have repeated these for EIB.

I don't recall anyone mentioning a fitness test or individual skills testing (first aid, hand grenade, rifle grenade, dig a foxhole [timed?], patrolling, sign and countersign, ????)

Also mentioned in memoirs, (not sure if it was related to EIB) was a combat course, soldier walks a path and targets pop-up for him to engage with his rifle.

There was also a streamer that companies could earn for Expert Infantry, and if all the companies of a regiment qualified, then the regiment earns an Expert Infantry streamer. I imagine unit qualification might have included a minimum percentage of EIB's but I do recall there were some unit tasks to be completed but no details.

 

Hello All,

I signed up if only to post about the EIB to the best of my knowledge. The information contained for the EIB award from my Great-Uncle (KIA in Germany) is similar to the current EIB, with a few changes. Obviously there was no GPS and other such modern tests, but here is what I have to share:

All tests were administered under similar guidelines as today including such individuals as "badge-protectors" and were very similar to the current tests.

Qualification with individual wpn
Qualification in transition firing
Qualification with crew-served wpn for men req to fire
Qualification in grenade course
Completion of familiarization firing
Completion of prescribed 25-mi march
Completion of prescribed 9-mi march
Completion of physical fitness test
Completion of infiltration course
Participation in close combat course
Participation in combat in cities course

This information was obtained from my Great-Uncle's Official Personnel Military File (OPMF) documentation attached to his EIB record. Additional information I have gathered from other sources indicates the targets were all the same throughout the various branches at that time.

Course Able (A) was a 200 yard course using the M-1 Carbine fired at targets with a 10" "bullseye" and a the next ring at 26" Expert score was achieved by a score of ~180 from 20 shots (my Great-Uncle had a score of 180 so this is definitely a qualifying score). 8 shots from Standing, 8 shots from Sitting, 4 shots from Kneeling positions.

In his record, it is noted that his qualification in Infiltration was a Day and Night course, and close combat included bayonet training. From what I gather, grenade training was 5 grenades given to successfully hit 3 targets.

I hope this helps some. I understand the reason for the CIB taking precedence over the EIB due to giving respect for soldiers involved in actual combat vs. training. However, I would propose that soldiers that have served in actual combat should be noted that their CIB was awarded due to their training and expertise in EIB.

A little background information, my Great-Uncle is PFC Max L. Alcantar, KIA in Germany. Before his death, he received the EIB, CIB, Good Conduct Ribbon, Theatre Ribbons, the Purple Heart (posthumously), and the Silver Star. He was one of four brothers that served in the military from Fresno, CA. All of the sons of the family who were of age to serve were either drafted, or served in the military during WWII. His service and history of service was shrouded in secrecy for many years following his death due to the family matriarch demanding no one speak of him or his death.

When he was KIA, he was buried in Henri-Chapelle Cemetary in Belgium. After the war, he was exhumed and brought home under secrecy due to the declining mental health of his mother over his death. For these reasons, his younger brother Ernest (my grandfather) and other family members never knew what truly happened. Correspondence from the War Department was burned or lost, and we were only recently able to receive his full OPMF. There is a significant amount of information gained from his files, and anyone separated from service more than 62 years ago is now available as an archival document.

I hope this information serves to help, I can appreciate the work that is involved in searching for someone's genealogical information.

 

We would be intereted to hear more of the story of your Great-Uncle if you care to share. Thanks.

 

The best way to honor your brave uncle is to remember him. Thanks for sharing his legacy.

 

We are currently working to create a shadowbox for his medals received by the family. There are also several badges and medals that he never received which we are working to secure now. Due to a large amount of information about his division and company, we are working to create a web page that can be shared with family members far away. In his hometown of Fresno, CA, there is a grove of trees in a local park dedicated to soldiers of WWII, and his name is inscribed on a stone at one of the trees.

We also learned that he was wounded in action while receiving his Silver Star but did not receive a Purple Heart for his actions. We continue our work to ensure his memory is preserved as accurately as possible, and provide younger generations in the family with a clear image of a decorated hero and role model. I never knew him, and his only surviving sibling would like to see his memory preserved. The full story of this journey of uncovering the past for our family member will absolutely be recorded, and I would be glad to share the full story once complete. I have been in contact with a curator of a military museum, and would like to find more information on the WWII EIB. Once I have that, I will share that as well.

 

I know what I am adding is not WW2 era information regarding the thread topic, but my dad earned his EIB in Korea after earning his CIB on the line. His company was pulled back for R & R and part of the Army planned "recreation" was going through the EIB course. The Army in Korea did lots of things just like they did in WW2, so maybe his experience was a continuation of that practice.

His EIB is proudly displayed in the shadow box we made for him for Christmas many years ago, just below his coveted CIB.

 

It's good to hear that you were able to get his OMPF despite the 1973 fire. Most, like myself, have relatives whose records were in the 80% that were destroyed. Did you request your great uncle's IDPF? They can also provide some interesting information.

 

The IDPF was my first step towards his record. It actually shed a lot of light on his history as my great uncles death was shrouded in secrecy. My grandfather died in 1996 with many unanswered questions, and never knew he was brought home stateside. We learned of severe depression by my great grandmother over his death, and found notes to this eeffect from the military. We also found out that he received a special detail to bring him home early so that he was able to be interred while his mother was out of town and unaware due to her declining health.

It was also a great step towards learning about his gravesite maintained in memorial at Henri-Chapelle Cemetary in Belgium. Found quite a ton of great information. We are planning a small service for his brother to remember his siblings that served. Four brothers served in WWII. All that were of age to answer the call of duty went into military service.

We hope to have a website complete by mid to late March. Thank you for all your comments.

 

I have also found, as a general rule, IDPFs to be a great resource, especially when an OMPF cannot be obtained. I hope you will post a link to the website when it is ready.