Summary

I would have to say that this book is truly amazing. Many of the book you read on war are all research and encyclopedias. However this book is different. It takes you away from all the tactics and the various details and takes you directly into the soldiers perspective.

Many books are just second hand accounts however this book is different. It is made from the actual recollections of the members of Easy company. It deals with their different trials and tribulations and how they rose to conquer them. It is a first hand account of their noble deeds. Many of the World war 2 veterans are very old or dead. For an account like this to be made, it is really something special.

The author is especially gifted in mixing the first hand accounts with the actual events of the war. He takes you from the experience of the battle from one soldier to the greater picture without losing that feeling that you are in the soldiers boots. The way he depicts and renders the different soldiers is amazing. He is able to show you how the soldiers saw each other and how their different stories actually shaped the war.

For these reasons, I would have to recommend this book for any person who is at least interested in World War 2.

The End and A Beginning

Many soldiers of easy company made it through the war and many of them owed a great deal to Winters. They recognized him as the sole reason many made it through. Even from hospitals and around Germany, Winters received letters that spoke of what he meant to the men. [pg 290].

Forty Eight members of easy company were dead at the end of the war. More than 100 of them were wounded. However, the men that survived were changed. They had fought and earned something greater than anyone of them. However, the question of where and what they would do now still loomed around the corner.

Some members of easy company were wounded and suffered permanent damage as such. One such member was Cpl. Walter Gordon. After being shot in the spine, he was paralyzed for the rest of his life. He however attended Cumberland University and studied law. Many officers and soldiers who were injured recovered but still had permanent damage. For many of them, they worked in trades and various jobs that they were proficient at.

Many soldiers did not bother to become civilians and decided to stay with the army. [pg 298] Many of them went on the receive promotions and do great things. Sgt. Smith stayed as a paratrooper and made more than 7 combat jumps. He rose in the ranks to Lt. Colonel.

One such member of Easy Company, Mike Ranney wrote,
"I served in a company of Heroes."

Hope and Worthy Leadership

Easy company was know simply for being the best. However, it never managed to find a worthy commander. Its current commander after Bastogne was Lt. Dike. While he was capable in some ways, he was not able to lead Easy company.

Then came a man by the name of 1st Lt. Ronald C. Spears [pg 205]. Spears was know for his 'ferocity' and had a reputation. Most members knew the stories of him and how he treated Germans. His most infamous story had to have been his killing of German prisoners. However, he never face any punishments for his actions and was known to be a man to be feared and respected. Lt. Dike could not measure up to him. This was shown in their battle at Foy.

Under heavy fire, Lt Dike broke down in the heat of battle. He was not able to go any further and kept his men under his charge in a open area. Winters shouted and urged him to go on, but he kept easy company there where they were nothing but sitting ducks. Out of the many commanders that tried to reach easy company, only one succeeded and was able to lead them. Lt. Spears relieved Lt. Dike and took charge of the company. Under his leadership, easy was able to advance and secure Foy. Spears was later given command of the company permanently.

No Holiday, Celebrate after the War

Many of the new troops that were being sent over were fresh nineteen year old recruits that had never seen battle. This presented a problem for the troops, especially those in easy company as they were mostly a hinderence than a help. [pg 168] Many of the two year veterans looked absolutely meanicing to the new recruits. They also showed the new recruits no respect or gave them any slack. On the eve of Operation market Garden, Easy company was mostly new as many of its old members were either injured or attained positions of rank in other companies.

While the assault by Hitler was great, the allies were able to gain the upper hand because of their secret weapon that they used. They drove over 11 000 trucks and vehicles onto the battlefields with over 60 000 men and ammunition. [pg 174]

The siege of Bastogne, had to be the worst campaign for Easy company. Unfortunately, they were forced to defend on the assaulting German forces in December. Under the heavy snow and harsh and bitter cold weather, Easy company stood their ground. Even on New Years, the German's kept their brutal assault up. However, Easy company continued to hold the area and never allowed them to cross the line. [pg 197]

The problems of Fresh meat

The problems of success in the army was that you were often depended on for greater things after that success. Winters was no exception. After seeing him in action, he was continually given more assignments to carry out with his company.

Unlike many commanders, Winters did not break under the pressure of battle and seemed to make all the right decisions at exactly the right time even under the cover of fire. Many soldiers and officers could not do the same. Eventually Winters was asked to take up a position of X.O of the entire 2nd battalion [pg 154]. However, this was not the best thing for Winters or Easy company. Winters hated not being in the field and having to carry out an administrators job.

Easy company took it a bit harder. With their leader gone, many other recently promoted officers would be transfered to other companies to lead. However this was absolutely disastrous in most cases. Since most of the men did not trust these commanders, they found that easy company was hard to lead. Many of the new commanders would lose it in the middle of war. They could not handle the stresses of war and many of them found it very hard to lead. [pg. 156]. Many of the soldiers had not even bothered to learn the names of the new officers because they would leave very fast.

Leadership and Pressures

Going into combat for the first time is one thing. Leading men into combat for the first time is another. Sgt. Winters was a man who Easy company trusted to lead them. When he landed on D-day, he let his training guide him and helped others who would rally to him. He kept a cool head despite the situation he was put into and did well.

When the morning broke after the Allies attack, Winters was able to form a company which had soldiers and officers who were capable of using different weapons. [pg 78]. They eventually formed up with many members from Easy company and all reported to Winters. They were then given the job of destroying and sieging a German Battery. Winters led the charge as he was trained to. His decisions were clear and accurate and helped to cause the success of the attack. At the end of attack, easy company had a list of 4 dead and 2 wounded. They later determined that they had defeated and injured or killed a platoon of fifty Germans who had heavy weaponry support.

Winters was nominated for the Congressional medal of Honor for this. Many men also received awards for their work. When Winters were asked to give a report of the battle to HQ, he was told of a similar effort that involved 195 men. Winters then stated, "With that many men, I could have take Berlin!" [pg 86].

Keep on Moving

The experience of D-Day was like nothing the members of Easy company could expect. From the time that they encountered the German Air forces, they could tell that what was planned was far from what was occurring. The air turbulence was hindering and most of the planes were being driven off course because of it. [pg 68 - 69] Along with the, the German resistance was much more that predicted. However, despite these problems, the men of easy company made their jumps.

Landing was no easy task, especially with all the extra equipment that easy company decided to take along. Many men had trouble locating their equipment once they had landed. But the greatest problem had to be the fact that the troops had no idea where they had landed. Their landing areas were no where in sight and they determined that they had gone off course. This was easy to deal with for the trained members of Easy company but the biggest problem was that the members of easy company was scattered everywhere. While only a few members were able to stay together, the majority of easy company was disbursed in many areas. Not only that but they were forced to join up with members of other companies who were in the same situation. [pg 72] Had it not been for the clickers, they most likely would have killed one another. The problem with this is that there was no comradeship between these soldiers and they were not accustomed to fighting with each other. Eventually, members of Easy company were able to find each other as they advanced.

The problems of D-day that occurred could have also been termed as a blessing for the Allies. The German's were completely confused by the allies attack on D-day. Since many of the troops had landed in different areas, the German's were led to believe that the allied attacking force was bigger than it actually was. This made the German's retreat from many areas and the Allies to gain a foot hold in German Territory.

First and Last time for Combat

Despite whatever training you have gone through, despite the simulations and lessons that you may undergo, nothing can prepare you fully for actual combat. The men of easy company were the finest trained soldiers that the American army had. They continually proved themselves time after time in many activities but this company had never seen real combat before.

The troops of Easy company were introduced to war in a sudden way. They first had to learn how to communicate and work with troops who they had not trained with for the last two years. Most troops had different call signals and it was sometimes had to determine if they were allies or not. To solve this problem, the troops of the Allied Forces were issued clickers which made a clicking sound. They gave a number of clicks which indicated they were allies without having to speak and give up their position. [pg 63] As Easy company geared up for their first and for some, their last battle, they were experiencing the expectancy's of war. Their jump master was disabled and they were given a new one at the last minute. As they flew over to their destination, Easy company saw the massive fleet of the allied army that was going to launch themselves against Hitler's Forces.

D-DAY

D-day was the first real introduction that Easy company had to actual war and fighting. Up until this point, the men of Easy company had trained in the harshest conditions and the closest the war could be simulated on a safe level. However, war was beyond anything they had ever done. All their training, activities, exercises and knowledge was in preparation for this point. This would be their first real combat confrontation with enemies who wished to killed them and intended to.

Like every point up to this moment, easy company trained for D-Day. Being elite paratroopers, they would be deployed using that method further inland than the troops who were being deployed by boats. From here, they would help secure the area and let the allies get a firm hold in German territory. However, this was in no way a impromptu event that they did. It was planned for months by the best strategist and commanders of the allied forces. No chance was taken in the preparation and dress rehearsals were staged to ensure that every soldier had his place. The very equipment and vehicles (planes, etc.) that would be used on that day were given to the officers to work with. The practiced deployment from the stations they would use on that day and knew exactly which soldier would be in their platoons [pg. 59]. To help get the best simulation they could, the allies picked a beach in Britain which was similar to Utah Beach. They chose Slapton sands located in Devonshire in South western England. From may 9^th to 12^th, Easy company had dress rehearsals for D-Day. Many men added to the equipment they were issued as they wanted to be fully prepared. Knives, rations, guns, ammo and other items were carried along by some members of easy company. On the day of the jump, some soldiers would patrol around the platoons with German uniforms on so that the troops would be able to recognize them once they dropped. They were given exact details of the area that they would drop in , one trooper even recalled being told when the German Commander would walk his dog on evenings. Every preparation that could have been made was however, this would be the first time that Easy company saw real combat and that was not something they could prepare for.