The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-01-19
With
The AEF
BY KENNETH L. DIXON

"A Up -(Delayed)-The battla
front in the Italian Campaign !.
a flexible shifting line of fiphtins
holes from which patrols move rs
to establish the actual contact Will.
the enemy. ''D
Except for the same old mud
blood, and misery of all war ther.
is little similarity, with the trenos
warfare of World War !.
In the first place, the front itss.
may be more than five miles deen
as far back as shells fall sn5
even farther, for the enemy plano.
range long way.
But the combat line is differ
ent thing. 1t is there that all othar
supporting factors fade into tbs
background-no matter how in,
portant. The most permanent tbing
along the combat line is a fightns
hole which, in a pinch can hs
dug in a matter of minutes Or
casionally the boys are lucky and
locate rock wall Or paranat
over which to fire but that is tba
exception.
Roughly, the italian front 70
sembles the fingers of your hama
spread palm downward on the ta
BILE. Your knuckles represent tbo
German positions, somewhere he
yond the tips of your fingers are
the American positions. The fin.
gers are the rambling ranges Of
the Appenine Hills.
Usually the fighting RACES IN
along the tops of the fingers or
hills rather than up the valleys
in betWeen-for the hilltops con.
troll the valley with their guns
Across the hills runs Jagged
line of German foxholes. pillboxsg
and machinegun emplacements A
few yards away is similar line
of American fighting holes.
The Germans have machinegups
and mines thickly guarding the IA.
vines but our men learned in TIL.
nisia to avoid such natural avenues
so sometimes they attack by going
up the sheer face of cliffs to strike
the enemy where least expected.
| Our crossWise position on a sin.
| gle long hill may be guarded by
two companies abreast-every man
braced in his fighting hole-and
one in reserve. The company in
reserve will be on at least 50 per
cent alert all the time and 100 per
cent alert most of the time. Like
the men forward they live, eat,
and sleep (if they cam in their
| fighting holes.
Somewhere on the bruShcovered
slope behind them will be another
battalion of three companies in re
serve. This position, similar to
those of the forward battalion, is
such that the boys may be able
to move around out of their holes
now and then and relax to Ger.
tain extent.
Sometimes an attack consists
simply of sending scouting patrols
forward after heavy artillery bar.
rage. The platoon may return with
the information or, carrying its
own field phones and stringing
wire as it goes, merely dig in for
its next contact thus become the
anchor point for new line.
Sometimes the whole ragged
line of fighting holes vomit men
and a company or battalion moves
forward through the minefieldS 10
make contact with the enemy and
shove him back.
Once the objective of that parti'
cular attack is attained - and it
may be small knoll, ravlne,
or even a farmhouse-the survl-
vors dig new fighting holes as
quickly as possible for it is then
that the danger of counter-attack
is greatest.
When the almost inevitable couh'
ter-attack has been beaten back
if it is-the word goes back down
the line: Another bit of the VAL
ley Gin between your fingers IS
now covered by our guns.
Equipment and machinery Oh
battle moves up few hundred
yards unit by unit. A front five
miles deep rolls forward Ike
slow motion wave and takes It's
new position.
And there it will stay, secuLea
by the comparative handful Oh M.
fantrymen in that shifting me I'll
fighting holes somewhere on me
Undiscovered hilltop and ravlles
forward until the next attack