Day-Tripper
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- May 16, 2014
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Reading new book named "All Souls Day" by Joseph M Pereira & John L Wilson. Wilson is a former US Army officer whose grandfather was KIA in the Huertgen Forest.
General topic is the hideous Battle of the Huertgen Forest from September-December 1944. Nazi Germany's last victory over the US Army in Europe. Horrific stuff. GI's feet exploding from trench foot-related ailments. German artillery firing shells at 100-foot tree tops to generate wood "shrapnel" which sprayed into GI's bodies whom had, instinctively, laid down prone when under fire. Frontal assaults against fortified German positions resulted in mass bloodletting with appreciable gains of any kind.
The personnel problems of the US Army in late 1944 were particularly interesting. Due to popular media, its generally believed that all American servicemen of the "Greatest Generation" were all avid, patriotic volunteers eager to win the war. Yes, perhaps in the first year after Pearl Harbor. Three years after that "dastardly attack", er, not so much. In early 1942 the Army had height, weight, eyesight, fitness, marital status, etc. requirements. Young, healthy, unmarried men were accepted. There was even a question "Do you like girls?" Anyone saying "no" was certainly not GI material.
By mid 1944, things had changed. Hardly anyone was volunteering anymore. The draft was relied upon almost exclusively to supply infantrymen. Physical requirements were dropped entirely. Can't do a single pushup? No problem. Can't run 2 miles in 20 minutes? Or run at all? No worries. Can't do a single pushup? Welcome to the army, soldier! Married, with 4 kids, aged 39, working in an armaments factory? Nope, now you're in the army. You still had to be be at least 5'1" tall. But weight limitations were now no longer a consideration. Cops, firemen, college students, truck drivers, railroad workers, longshoremen, those previously convicted of felonies - all previously exempted - were subject to the draft.
20/20 eyesight requirement from 1942 was officially maintained. But after the Army found out that too many draftees were pretending to not be able to read a single letter on the eye chart, or read at all for that matter, this was tacitly ignored.
Oh and that "Do you like girls" question? Abandoned. Too many guys were replying "Absolutely Not!" that seemed possible. There was an unofficial "Don't Ask & Don't Tell" policy long before it was an official one 50+ years later. It was actually, "Just Don't Ask 'Cause We Need Replacements For Rifle Companies" in Belgium and Luzon and Northern Italy.
The US Army policy of keeping divisions in the line was - and continued to be in Korea & Vietnam - a disaster. The theory was that when a unit suffered, say, 10% casualties in a battle to not remove the unit from action but simply send in "replacements" to fill in the ranks. Sounds good on paper.
The reality was different. New guys were put into units where the troops had trained and fought together for months, even years. They had no combat experience but were suddenly asked to serve alongside seasoned veterans. That immeasurable intangible element of comradery was ignored. Veterans didn't even want to know the names of the new guys, because they would likely be casualties soon enough. Why form friendships?
Paratroopers in the 82nd & 101st Airbourne Divisions, for example, who had trained/served alongside each other for 2 years found their dead "replaced" by 18 year olds who'd graduated high school after D-Day at Normandy & who'd been in the Army for all of 8 weeks. Never had a parachute jump but now got that extra pay that paratroopers were issued.
Lastly, WW2 for the US military produced 80,000 MIA ("missing in action"). Almost all are assumed dead. Just like the 8,000 from Korea & 2,000 from Vietnam. Maybe a few deserted and were never found, but very few. The MIA parents, wives, children back in the USA never got that emotional closure. No grave sight to visit on Memorial Day. No veterans benefits. No Gold Star flag in the window. No tributes at the American Legion Hall. 80 year mothers dying in 1985 still wondering what happened to their boys, who they last saw 43 years before. Wives/widows not knowing whether to remarry or now. Or if they legally could?
Only a 220 page book. But worth the read.
General topic is the hideous Battle of the Huertgen Forest from September-December 1944. Nazi Germany's last victory over the US Army in Europe. Horrific stuff. GI's feet exploding from trench foot-related ailments. German artillery firing shells at 100-foot tree tops to generate wood "shrapnel" which sprayed into GI's bodies whom had, instinctively, laid down prone when under fire. Frontal assaults against fortified German positions resulted in mass bloodletting with appreciable gains of any kind.
The personnel problems of the US Army in late 1944 were particularly interesting. Due to popular media, its generally believed that all American servicemen of the "Greatest Generation" were all avid, patriotic volunteers eager to win the war. Yes, perhaps in the first year after Pearl Harbor. Three years after that "dastardly attack", er, not so much. In early 1942 the Army had height, weight, eyesight, fitness, marital status, etc. requirements. Young, healthy, unmarried men were accepted. There was even a question "Do you like girls?" Anyone saying "no" was certainly not GI material.
By mid 1944, things had changed. Hardly anyone was volunteering anymore. The draft was relied upon almost exclusively to supply infantrymen. Physical requirements were dropped entirely. Can't do a single pushup? No problem. Can't run 2 miles in 20 minutes? Or run at all? No worries. Can't do a single pushup? Welcome to the army, soldier! Married, with 4 kids, aged 39, working in an armaments factory? Nope, now you're in the army. You still had to be be at least 5'1" tall. But weight limitations were now no longer a consideration. Cops, firemen, college students, truck drivers, railroad workers, longshoremen, those previously convicted of felonies - all previously exempted - were subject to the draft.
20/20 eyesight requirement from 1942 was officially maintained. But after the Army found out that too many draftees were pretending to not be able to read a single letter on the eye chart, or read at all for that matter, this was tacitly ignored.
Oh and that "Do you like girls" question? Abandoned. Too many guys were replying "Absolutely Not!" that seemed possible. There was an unofficial "Don't Ask & Don't Tell" policy long before it was an official one 50+ years later. It was actually, "Just Don't Ask 'Cause We Need Replacements For Rifle Companies" in Belgium and Luzon and Northern Italy.
The US Army policy of keeping divisions in the line was - and continued to be in Korea & Vietnam - a disaster. The theory was that when a unit suffered, say, 10% casualties in a battle to not remove the unit from action but simply send in "replacements" to fill in the ranks. Sounds good on paper.
The reality was different. New guys were put into units where the troops had trained and fought together for months, even years. They had no combat experience but were suddenly asked to serve alongside seasoned veterans. That immeasurable intangible element of comradery was ignored. Veterans didn't even want to know the names of the new guys, because they would likely be casualties soon enough. Why form friendships?
Paratroopers in the 82nd & 101st Airbourne Divisions, for example, who had trained/served alongside each other for 2 years found their dead "replaced" by 18 year olds who'd graduated high school after D-Day at Normandy & who'd been in the Army for all of 8 weeks. Never had a parachute jump but now got that extra pay that paratroopers were issued.
Lastly, WW2 for the US military produced 80,000 MIA ("missing in action"). Almost all are assumed dead. Just like the 8,000 from Korea & 2,000 from Vietnam. Maybe a few deserted and were never found, but very few. The MIA parents, wives, children back in the USA never got that emotional closure. No grave sight to visit on Memorial Day. No veterans benefits. No Gold Star flag in the window. No tributes at the American Legion Hall. 80 year mothers dying in 1985 still wondering what happened to their boys, who they last saw 43 years before. Wives/widows not knowing whether to remarry or now. Or if they legally could?
Only a 220 page book. But worth the read.