Maneuvers

“D” Series maneuvers began on January 28, 1944, in the DeSoto National Forest, Mississippi. They were conducted by the 69th Infantry Division, Major General Charles L. Bolte commanding. The 442nd Infantry and the 232nd Engineers were attached to the Division for operations, working as a part of the Division for the first three problems and being the “red” or enemy force for the last three. The men probably learned more as a unit of the Division but they had a lot more fun being the enemy.

Maneuvers being what they are, there were always a certain number of snafus. The umpires were the unhappiest people on the field no matter who won or lost the battle. There were not enough umpires to mark the simulated artillery and mortar fire properly. As a consequence when the shells, represented by some unhappy second lieutenant with a red and white flag, rained down on some command post, the bearer of the bad news was always subject to a long speech on his ancestry, manners, morals, and several other items. Neither were there always enough umpires to stop attacks on enemy positions short of physical contact. When this happened, the bayonet charge or encircling movement usually ended up in a grand and glorious brawl because the defenders were never convinced that the position was lost.

One memorable day the 2nd Battalion was held up by an extensive minefield which the enemy had apparently conjured up out of thin air. Looking around, Lieutenant Colonel James M. Hanley, battalion C.O. spied a herd of cattle peacefully minding its own business and ordered it driven through the “minefield.” After a heated discussion of the legality of this move, the battalion continued with the attack. The cattle took a very dim view of the proceedings.

Weather for the first three problems was all that anyone could have asked for; it was cold, but clear and dry. During the last three problems it rained continuously until everyone was thoroughly soaked and miserable.

The exercises gave the men stories to tell in months to come, but they also gave them a very real picture of what battle would be like: the vast problems of troop movement and supply, the confusion resulting from sudden breakthroughs. Unless a unit is well trained a sudden breakthrough of the enemy’s defenses can be just as disastrous as if the enemy had pierced our lines. Everyone learned to travel with only what he needed and to conserve rations and water, because there were times when the foot soldiers had to push on the bridges blown behind them or so that supplies and food could not get up. The GIs in the rear rank found that they had to think and take initiative when key officers and noncoms became casualties. Their officers had been telling them for months that every man ought to know how to fill a position higher than the one he had, and now the men found out that the officers had been right. The 232nd Engineers discovered just how tough it is to keep the roads and bridges open so supplies can get through, especially when minutes count.

Perhaps the problem in which the Combat Team performed best was the third of the series. The three battalions moved out on parallel roads to seek out the enemy defensive positions. The mission was to locate his flanks and to keep up a steady pressure until the rest of the division could be brought up to the attack. The 1st Battalion was on the left, the 2nd in the center and the 3rd on the right. All three battalions made contact with the Red force. The 1st Battalion located the enemy’s right flank but it was unable to advance. The 2nd Battalion bucking the strongest part of the enemy line, was stopped and temporarily. Lieutenant Colonel Sherwood Dixon, commanding the 3rd Battalion, discovered that the enemy left was protected only by a series of some 13 blown bridges. Colonel Dixon immediately launched an attack on the enemy defenses, striking with one company until it was stopped and then striking the strong point in the rear with the second company. He was greatly aided in this by the appearance of G Company, sent by the 2nd Battalion commander to make a wide encirclement to the right.

As the enemy flank came unhinged, the 2nd Battalion, by then in contact with the 3rd, advanced, and the now disorganized enemy was squeezed between the two forces. One company surrendered intact, most of two others were wiped out. The battalion command post, kitchen train, and motor pool were taken intact by the 3rd Battalion. The Combat Team had not only found the enemy defenses, but was also in a good position to destroy them completely by rolling up the flank when the director of the maneuvers called a halt so that the other two regiments of the Division could be called into play before the end of the problem. The accomplishment of the unit was especially noteworthy in that the major attack was made at night.

The 522nd Field Artillery, fresh from six weeks of maneuvers in Louisiana, rejoined the Combat Team on February 7, in time to participate in the last three problems of the “D” Series exercises. The red legs performed credibly and backing up the regiment, and some of their men came around to swap lies with the infantry Joes about their experiences.