My grandfather was in Patton's 3rd Army as a combat engineer. We are trying to recreate his path through Europe and match them up with some letters we found, etc.
Online, I haven't had much luck separating out his specific unit from the larger troop movements.
Are there particular resources I should be looking to for this kind of detail? A narrative history would be ok, maps would be fantastic!
I have access to a major university library and its interlibrary loan system.
The best source would be a unit history, though depending on the unit it just may not be possible.
Next would be unit logs, which may or may not be accessible. They would have dates, times, names, and action reports.
Finally, getting a hold of a diary from someone in the unit would be an absolute gold mine. But these tend to be much harder to find, especially for smaller units. You can try the Veterans History Project at the alibrary of Congress, and may have luck. Also try history.army.mil.