Mines


Anti-personnel mines are often mentioned by
Wilson as the (likely) most frightening thing of
battle (invisible, removes limbs, takes lives)

Bouncing bettys mentioned, remember they are
the type that shoot up to head level, then
explode, sending metal balls out in a sphere of
doom

At one point, Wilson mentions home-made
mines made of glass, wax, and explosive.
These mines were not detectable (no metal)
 Power/Importance of Air Force

Throughout this book, Wilson witnesses various
bombings, at day, night, and blanketing runs

He mentions how much easier taking ground
that had been bombed the night before was

He also mentions how Allied air superiority
allows observation planes to have great recon
and intelligence value, and how Germans
lacked this advantage

One napalm bomb is dropped on a tank/few
infantry under wilson's command (three of four
low-lying planes saw they were allies, fourth
 Artillery/Mortars (Allied)

Wilson mentions the Forward Observer and his
role in bringing deadly barrages often.

Artillery proves crucial various times, taking
ground, ambushes, clearing out pockets of
resistance

Mortars' speed makes them silent until impact,
devastating when used properly.

Once in the book, a n00b to mortars fires one
upward, forcing his allies to gtfo

“Tree Bursts” used against infantry in woods,
general tactic used by both sides
 Artillery (German)
 Supersonic 88mm artillery feared and respected
by allies, no warning, accurate german FOs

Massacre of Villebodoun Ridge was largely due
to German infantry and artillery pinning down
Wilson's unit, and, well, massacring them.
 Wilson was aware Germans liked to barrage
hilltops and valleys, warned his CO, still got led
there (see Military Command Shortcomings)
 Salvo- A barrage of 4 rounds fired from each
artillery piece at (roughly) the same target
(general term, not specifically german)
Shortcomings of Military Command
 Inexperienced retreads (desk workers thrown
into battle) can outrank experienced
commanders (like Wilson)
 Many losses occur in this book (and in the war
itself) due to the inability of the lower-ranked
veteran to disobey n00b commanders
 Wilson goes on a page+ long rant about this
shortcoming and its implications (pgs 240-241
in my book)
 Liberated Populations

As the Allies liberated countries closer and
closer to germany, it became more evident how
the conquered still feared the Germans
(belgians straight up wary of Allied troops)

French are ecstatic when first released, grow
less so when Paris becomes R&R destination

Prostitution grows in war-torn Paris, and the
citizens resentfully allow it

Luxembourg described as nearly apathetic by
the time Wilson has R&R there
 “Pitiful Losses”

Throughout this book, Wilson mentions many
times when men are lost “unnecessarily”

His first loss occurred early in the Saint-Lo
campaign when a rifleman tried to shoot at an
armored half-track (i.e. foolhardy moron)

Other stupid losses:
-Man behind hedgerow run over by allied tank
-Man sniped when pausing to p/u helmet
-Officer demonstrating rifle grenades uses a live
round instead of blank, detonating and killing 3
-17 killed when one of Wilson's men dropped a
rifle grenade he forgot to disarm in a farmhouse
 Traps!
 Booby traps were common in recovering
German-occupied lands
 Trip wire, pressure sensing, and other types
used
 Problem in Hurtgen
 Withdrawing Germans left un-fueled tanks, but
booby trapped them. US forces were warned,
then they started getting curious; more stupid
losses occur
 Hürtgen Forest (US “victory”)

THERE IS AN UMLAT OVER THE U, FAILING
TO PUT THIS IN AN ESSAY WILL EXPOSE
YOU AS NEVER HAVING READ THE BOOK

US high command feared forest could be
guerrilla resistance base for defeated germans;
therefore it must be taken (uh..)

Horrendous terrain, bad visibility, ~pitch black at
night, Germans hold good defensive positions

Costly, possibly unneeded campaign, kills many
of Wilson's men, name comes to be resented
and reminiscent of slaughter
 Saint-Lô Breakthrough
 NOTE THE CHEVRON OVER THE O
 First campaign Wilson participates in
 Was a push through german-held lands,
bombing important in campaign, 4 day long
campaign, 4th day is when Massacre of V Ridge
occurs
 Counterattacks feared
 In first day, Wilson saves his 24 men through
grenade-and-run tactics, gets Silver Star
 Withdrawing Germans
 Wilson notes various things about the retreating
German forces
 Burials hasty, mass graves, etc
 Many wounded left behind with the corpses of
their teammates to be found by the Allies
 Generally, useful things left behind are
destroyed, though some are left in haste
 Often times Germans tried to make advance of
Allies as difficult as possible, laying new mines,
traps, road blocks (un-guarded; not to stop; to
slow), etc.
 Treatment of Wounded/POWs
 Wilson often hopes US troops are treated as
German POWs and casualties are treated by
the Allies
 Wounded cared for, men usually taken, not
killed, rarely do allies use “info for aid” tactics
on Germans, but info was less crucial in “The
Chase” part of the war when the most wounded
are captured
 Mental Breaks/Combat Fatigue
 War is hard on the mind
 Wilson witnesses at least 2 bad breakdowns
(bad enough to be seen and affect other men),
and mentions others
 Some men try to fake these conditions to get
out of combat
 Morale of the entire Army can be great, but
continued battle can still wear on long-time
combatants
 Digging in

Every time a unit stops advancing, they must
begin to “Dig In”

Foxholes were crucial to avoiding enemy fire,
and served as protection against many forms of
weaponry

Difficult and hated on frozen ground

Depth basically shows how much time and
energy troops have, as deeper foxholes were
often safer; deep enough to sit/stand in? Put a
roof on it!
 German Fort. types

At Seigfried, Pillboxes are well distributed and
are partially subterranean concrete bunkers
covered in earth

“Log Bunkers” commonly used, similar to
pillboxes of concrete, but 12+” diam logs used in
place of concrete; Hurtgen, Seine Eifel, etc

Most were strong against either/both overhead
(mortar/artillery) and frontal (tank/TD/artillery)
attacks

Most required close combat to clear,
grenades/napalm useful for this
 Training Notes

When replacements arrived, “tips and tricks”
taught

Officer training doesnt teach use of under-
strength units, Wilson laments this

Many aspects of real combat never get covered
at OCS

Many “tips and tricks” could be taught quickly
and easily, raising the question of why the Army
didnt include this in basic training (a page-long
sheet could cover these hugely important tips)
 PATTON! WHAT A GUY!

Wilson often mentions how Patton was not that
much better than some other commanders of
the WWII army, he simply was both a good
strategist and charismatic, allowing him to have
sway others could not muster

Due to this, Patton always has the best, newest
maps/aerial photos, while Wilson's unit makes
do with WWI maps

Wilson actually brings this up 2+ times in the
book, and felt Patton really was a good
commander, but was all this fair? Could army do
better about this?
 Medics
 In this book, Medics often prove to be the most
courageous and important men on the field
 One medic gets shot in the side recovering
Wilson's second loss (guy who stopped for his
helmet)
 Medics were supposed to be immune, but some
were fired upon (like the above story)
 Many lives were saved due to medics' quick
action and disregard to the bullets whizzing by
 General Newcomb's death

Just after Wilson is injured in the foot by artillery
shrapnel, he learns of his best Army friend's
death

Newcomb killed entering a building when an
artillery shell blew up at his doorway

Wilson calls Newcomb the “best company
commander in combat that [he] ever knew”

This passage is on page 247 in my book, and I
recommend reading it in full (it's short). It starts
after a break with “During my months of front...”
 Review the Following

Tank Destroyers

Trench Foot

The Index of the book (look for things you feel
you should know)

The “Wilson, George” section of the Index (know
which medals he won and why, I guess)

Retreads

Split Platoon Tactics

Why would germans be using horse-drawn
stuff?

Buzz Bombs, 88mm, american artillery types