Our Normandy
Wed Nov 01, 2006 at 11:36:43 AM PDT
Crossposted at
RochesterTurning.com - turning the tide upstate
I've recently gotten interested in reading my friend's army unit's history. They're named the "2nd St. Lo Brigade", because they played a crucial role in the Allied breakout in France at the town of St. Lo. (They were called the 2nd Armored Divison, 2nd Brigade at the time.) This breakout, in which Allied troops drove the Nazis back across France to the German border, was a huge success, and a welcome change to the months of brutal, painfully slow progress from the beaches of Normandy to St. Lo.
Sooo...Why am I bringing this up? Why is this relevant, less than a week before a crucial election? Why is a vegan pacifist like me even referencing a war, let alone using it as an example?
Here's why. Perserverence. Keeping on, in a cause we know is right, and just, and
must ultimately prevail.
From the storming of Hitler's vaunted and feared "Atlantic Wall"-- the defenses along the French coast, to the field-by-field fighting through the hedgerows inland, many, many troops lost their lives. It was grueling, demoralizing work. The German army used the layout of these hedgerow-bordered fields and low hills to maximum defensive advantage, with elaborate interlocking networks of foxholes, machine gun nests and mines. Allied troops had to take one muddy field at a time, and just a few German troops could hold off many times their number.
Here's an example of one of their defensive networks in the farm country inland from Normandy (from the Army College of Military History's website). All those little dots and symbols? German defensive works. Yikes!
The ultimate victory and breakthrough the Allied troops won came from dogged determination. They wore the Germans down, and though they lost many battles, they eventually won the war. In hindsight, we have the luxury of looking at what they did, and sanitzing it until we can just see the eventual victory and forget what they had to go through day by day.
There were a lot of dark days, especially right before the breakthrough, when weeks and months of slogging through the hedgerows had taken a serious toll on lives and morale. At times the Germans seemed invincible and it would only be a matter of time before we were driven back into the sea in a second Dunkirk. From the CMH study of the battle for St. Lo, which gives a detailed account of Allied forces' slow progress towards St. Lo:
At 3d Battalion Headquarters Major Howie, immediately after issuing orders for an advance, was killed by enemy mortar fire which hit the battalion CP. Capt. William H. Puntenney, the executive officer, took command and attempted to organize the battalion for an attack. By this time the enemy's artillery and mortar fire was plastering the entire battalion area. Company K, in front and prepared to lead the attack, was recalled until the battalion could weather the storm of enemy fire, and a perimeter defense was formed adjoining the 2d Battalion. No chance ever came to break out of this defense, since the area remained under constant fire throughout the day.
"Under constant fire". Having to form a "perimiter defense". Remind anyone of what it's been like being a progressive?
Colonel Dwyer notified the commanding officers of headquarters, cannon, and antitank companies to have all their personnel ready to move in the morning, as there was no battalion in reserve, and if an enemy breakthrough occurred every man was to be up on the line with a rifle and "fight like hell."
Sometimes it's felt like we've all been on the front lines of this fight, and have "no battalion in reserve". But folks like Colonel Dwyer (cough * Howard Dean * cough) have been inspiring us to get up on the line and fight like hell. And we are.
Major Howie had not brought supplies to the 2d Battalion, but his men shared their rations. In view of its mission of further attack toward St-Lo, the 3d Battalion was unable to spare ammunition. In the day's plan the 2d Battalion was supposed to lead the attack toward St-Lo, but it was apparent that Major Bingham's force did not have the strength to do the job.
Sharing rations, unable to spare ammunition. Sound familiar? Am I belaboring the point? Good, because the point is, they held on in spite of all this, kept fighting, and because of their determination, eventually won. I see us doing the same.
What we face seems as invincible as the German forces arrayed against the Allied troops. But the "war diaries" captured from the German Seventh army tell a different tale-- how even though they seemed so powerful and made such a strong show, they were scrabbling together bits and pieces of regiments to make that show.
The right wing of the 352d Division was forced to withdraw its MLR west of the Isigny highway (Hill 122 sector). The 11 Parachute Corps was strained to the utmost, and again went on record that no reserves were available.
...
The situation west of the Vire got worse, and with all bridges destroyed near St-Lo, the 352d was in danger of being trapped in the bend and losing its heavy weapons. At 1550 Army renewed its request for drastic withdrawal; at 1750 Army Group finally gave Seventh Army freedom to make any necessary decisions. By that time the 2d was in forced retreat; indeed, in one sector the personnel of a regimental CP were battling a penetration. The movement planned and finally approved was already being produced by American advance. "Since no reserves are available, the left wing of the 3d Parachute Division, and the 352d Division are fighting their way back to the line Rampan-Montcocq-la Boulaye." Army Group gave orders to hold and reinforce this line, which would still include St-Lo, but Army took a pessimistic view of the possibility of doing either.
The Republicans are throwing everything including the kitchen sink at us, in just about every single election, in order to hold both the House and the Senate. I have to believe this is because they take "a pessimistic view of the possibility of doing either."
Seventh Army put a good face on the withdrawal carried out during the night of 17/18 July, claiming that it went according to plan, and was followed only "hesitantly" by American forces.
"A good face on the withdrawal"? You mean, starting with: "We've never been 'Stay the course'"?
While the new MLR reportedly held at all other points, II Parachute Corps was unable to stop a penetration on l8 July that reached into the city. At l825 Corps reported absolute lack of reserves to deal with this penetration (which was not according to plan), and spoke of inability to guarantee against a major breakthrough.
But they could only hold it together so long, and when they finally fell apart, they did it in a big way. After the breakthrough at St. Lo, we were able to take back the remaining 90% of France in a mere couple of weeks, only slowed by the inability of the fueling trucks to keep up with the armored divisions racing across the French countryside.
In talking to various folks in the progressive movement, some are incredibly optimistic and continually fired-up and ready to go.
But I see some of us feeling like those Allied troops before st. Lo, worn-down, not willing to hope, seeing the forces that oppose us as vast and invincible. I'm writing this for you. This election may be just another pitched battle where we make gains, or it may be a Normandy for us where we storm the Atlantic Wall and establish a tenuous beachhead. It could even be the St. Lo-style breakout that we hope for and deserve.
But whatever happens, I see us making progress by just standing up for what we believe in. We have a proud history of inclusion, compassion, and vision, and this country is a better place for it. So this is just my way of asking you to keep on keeping on-- I have kids and everything we're doing now, they will benefit from. So, thanks!
See you in the trenches, canvassing, lit dropping, and phone banking. Meet you on the other side of the hedgerows. :-)
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