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].