Posted on 12/15/2014 4:20:43 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
You're absolutely correct, of course. It's called "discipline." My dad's grousing didn't imply that he didn't respect the wisdom behind the expectations and orders. Still, when you're living in a foxhole amid three feet of snow...
... you probably need something piddly to grouse about in order to keep from going nuts.
Exactly. See post #53.
The other thing I wanted to add is that you certainly can’t argue with Patton’s results. If I remember correctly the movie quote after their hundred-mile forced march to relieve Bastogne, “God, I’m proud of these men!”
See #64—lol
A fascinating interview with the author of a new book about the battle, and why Hitler chose the Ardennes to launch his counter-attack:
My map provider has, sadly, gone off line. I’m afraid no more German daily maps. Not for the forseeable future anyway.
Lousy timing!
On Leyte, December 15, 194:
Leroy Johnson (December 6, 1919- December 15, 1944) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military’s highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II. Camp Leroy Johnson in New Orleans, LA, was renamed after him in 1947.
Johnson joined the Army from Oakdale, Louisiana in 1943,[1] and by December 15, 1944 was serving as a Sergeant in Company K, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division. On that day, near Limon, Leyte, the Philippines, he smothered the blast of two enemy-thrown grenades with his body, sacrificing himself to protect those around him. For this action, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor ten months later, on October 2, 1945.
Johnson was buried at the Manila American Cemetery in Manila, the Philippines. A bronze memorial plaque in his honor was mounted on the wall of the Oberlin, Louisiana, courthouse. Johnson was from Oakdale, just a few miles north of Oberlin in Allen Parish.
Sergeant Johnson’s official Medal of Honor citation reads:
“He was squad leader of a 9-man patrol sent to reconnoiter a ridge held by a well-entrenched enemy force. Seeing an enemy machinegun position, he ordered his men to remain behind while he crawled to within 6 yards of the gun. One of the enemy crew jumped up and prepared to man the weapon. Quickly withdrawing, Sgt. Johnson rejoined his patrol and reported the situation to his commanding officer. Ordered to destroy the gun, which covered the approaches to several other enemy positions, he chose 3 other men, armed them with hand grenades, and led them to a point near the objective. After taking partial cover behind a log, the men had knocked out the gun and begun an assault when hostile troops on the flank hurled several grenades. As he started for cover, Sgt. Johnson saw 2 unexploded grenades which had fallen near his men. Knowing that his comrades would be wounded or killed by the explosion, he deliberately threw himself on the grenades and received their full charge in his body. Fatally wounded by the blast, he died soon afterward. Through his outstanding gallantry in sacrificing his life for his comrades, Sgt. Johnson provided a shining example of the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leroy_Johnson_%28Medal_of_Honor%29
See also reply #4.
Bummer, I will try to pick up the slack for the Bulge but it will not be until Thursday or so.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Sorry about that.
Hitler's criminal contempt for the millions of excellent German Soldiers he wasted in the meat grinder on the Eastern front sealed his fate. An attack of 30 German divisions in the West was doomed before it began. The Germans would never reach Antwerp even if the Allied air forces never flew a sorte. In the end it might have been a God send for the Allies because it held them up long enough for the Russians to lose a million casualties taking Berlin.
Here is the article, I think, on Shermans I had mentioned earlier.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Reading about the hell endured by POWs of the Japanese made my blood boil. When we get to the firebombing of Tokyo, my only reaction will be:
“Reap the Whirlwind.”
Excellent observation.
Well, not necessarily about the Bulge, but more about the whole European Theater, what really gave the Americans the punch was on a more strategic level.
The U.S. was better at reconstituting units and getting them into battle quickly. Some of this didn't work out as well as planned.
The other thing the Americans did better was maintenance. The Army's philosophy is fix it forward. The U.S. was better at recovering vehicles, fixing them and getting them back in the fight, faster than any other combatant in WWII.
When I did Command and General Staff College this was one of the strengths we looked at that lent to such success for the Americans.
LOL, they weren’t just good enough, we had enough. A tiger could take out 3 or 4 Shermans, but there was ALWAYS a 5th to take out the Tiger!
Ah the joys in living in a mechanized society! I have a book somewhere called Dirty Little Secrets of WW-II. In it is an interesting piece on motor vehicles per capita in 1939. I do not have the exact numbers but they went something like this.
500 Russians to a motor vehicle
250 Italians to a motor vehicle
100 Germans to a motor vehicle
50 English to a motor vehicle
5 Americans to a motor vehicle
According to the authors it was not unusual for an American division to have twice the complement of vehicles assigned to it. GIs were always picking up broke down vehicles and fixing them up to run!
Many folks don't realize that the German army even in 1944 was largely reliant on horse drawn transport. And the logistical requirement for horses was unreal.
I will have to look for the nook tomorrow.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Yes and while the Americans were busy maintaining their equipment, the Germans were forced to do just the opposite. They ended up abandoning and leaving vast quantities of equipment and armor, including many tanks due to their chronic lack of fuel. It proved to be a huge waste of desperately needed reserves in their final hours.
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