“HOW TO OUTLIVE A BATTLE”

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 13427, 14 April 1944, Page 2

“HOW TO OUTLIVE A BATTLE”

ARMY COMPILING TEXT BOOK EXPERIENCES OF SOLDIERS Washington, Feb. 11. The Army is compiling a textbook on how to outlive a battle, drawing for material upon the experiences of its men in the field, from Privates to Generals. Here are some of the ideas collected by the War Department: From an infantry private in Sicily —“Don’t gawk. Several times German planes pretended that they were involved in a dogfight to gain the attention of the ground troops. Then they swooped down on a straf-

ing run.” From an operations report; “Never allow men to lie prone and passive under enemy fire. . . . the familiar expression ‘dig or die’ has been greatly overworked. Attacking troops must not be allowed to dig in until they have secured their ‘final objective. If they dig in when momentarily stopped by enemy fire it will take dynamite to blast them from their holes and resume the advance.”

An infantry Lieutenant in Sicily, stressing the value of hand-to-hand fighting: “A German officer tried to capture the (Lieutenant’s bazooka man, but the latter gave the German an uppercut and then killed him with his helmet.”

A general officer reporting from Attu: Japanese infiltration tactics can be offset by a system of “antitermite” patrols organised behind our own lines to protect artillery, command posts and supply lines. The General said, “Wherever troops know that these friendly patrols are behind them, fire in their rear willmean to them simply that our patrols are exterminating the infiltrating Japs. This feeling was well expressed by Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest (Confederate Cavalry commanider in the Civil War) when one of his staff officers approached him in great excitement and said, ‘General, the enemy is in our rear.’ Forrest calmly replied, ‘lf they’re in our’n, we must be in their’n.’ ” The First Division warning of new tricks in booby traps in Tunisia; “A Luger pistol was found lying on the ground. An American infantry Lieutenant carefully tied a long cord to it and then, getting into a hole, pulled it to him and put it in his pocket. Later in the day, while examining the pistol he attempted to remove the magazine. The explosion killed the Lieutenant and two other men and wounded six soldiers.”