Thomas F. (hardtack) -
Helpful Score: 2
They were out on the edge of nowhere---eighteen American soldiers led by the oldest man in their platoon, a 20-year-old lieutenant. Suddenly, there were more German soldiers coming their way than they had ever seen. Their orders---Hold!
Reminds me of my classes at the U.S.M.C. Basic School. You are given an almost impossible situation and then asked, "What now lieutenant?"
What these guys did was suck in their guts and hold on. They kept fighting and throwing back every German assault until they were out of ammunition. They threw off the German timetable and gave the forces to the rear time to recover from the shock of the German attack.
For whatever reason, all of them survived the fighting and the prison camps they were sent to. When finally liberated, they went home as fast as they could.
It wasn't until years later that the U.S. Army began to understand what they had done. And that's when the recognition and the medals poured in.
As the officer who commanded them later explained, if they had been older and wiser they would have run, but they were young and thought they had to obey orders.
This is another story which should put to rest the incorrect belief the German soldier was the best soldier in World War II.
Reminds me of my classes at the U.S.M.C. Basic School. You are given an almost impossible situation and then asked, "What now lieutenant?"
What these guys did was suck in their guts and hold on. They kept fighting and throwing back every German assault until they were out of ammunition. They threw off the German timetable and gave the forces to the rear time to recover from the shock of the German attack.
For whatever reason, all of them survived the fighting and the prison camps they were sent to. When finally liberated, they went home as fast as they could.
It wasn't until years later that the U.S. Army began to understand what they had done. And that's when the recognition and the medals poured in.
As the officer who commanded them later explained, if they had been older and wiser they would have run, but they were young and thought they had to obey orders.
This is another story which should put to rest the incorrect belief the German soldier was the best soldier in World War II.
