A Huge Honor!

This was taken a few years ago at the Texas Military Forces Museum located in Camp Mabry, Austin Texas.  The gentleman on the left is a veteran of the Battle of the Rapido River in Italy, 20-22 January 1944.  I have forgotten his name.  He was in his mid 80's here and I could just see him kicking my ass without breaking a sweat.  The attack on the Winter Line resulted in a tremendous loss for the U. S. forces, the entrenched 15th Panzergrenadier Division shot them to pieces, 1330 killed or wounded, 770 captured to 64 Germans killed, 179 wounded.  The two regiments of the 36th Division crossed on inflatable boats, enemy fire kept bridges from being thrown across so there was no armor support.  Less than half returned.  Mark Clark, who ordered the attack against the objections of Fred Walker, commanding general of the 36th, bears full responsibility for this assault on fortified positions manned by expert veteran soldiers, as good as any in the Wehrmacht which meant very good indeed.  Clark was a bad general and should never have been commanding an army.  A congressional hearing whitewashed General Clark after the war.  My wiseguy brother who took this picture said it looked like the meeting on the Elbe.  1.bp.blogspot.com/-OHg4yDRXpfg… The 36th was a National Guard unit that performed very well, Fred Walker left it's original officers in place instead of putting in regular officers, Clark attempted to scapegoat Walker and eventually sent him to command the infantry school at Fort Bennings.  In spite of the name the river was the Gari.

  Something to know about the standard German rifle company is that while the bulk of the men were armed with bolt action rifles, each platoon had 6 MG-42's, the volume of fire was exponentially greater than ours.  American rifle companies were based on the use of 30,000 rounds a day, the Germans carried 90,000 as a Unit of Fire.  Imagine crossing a water obstacle in a rubber boat against that.  Sending men against such firepower without support was murder.

  "Be it resolved, that the men of the 36th Division Association petition the Congress of the United States to investigate the river Rapido fiasco and take the necessary steps to correct a military system that will permit an inefficient and inexperienced officer, such a General Mark W. Clark, in a high command to destroy the young manhood of this country and to prevent future soldiers being sacrificed wastefully and uselessly."

13:50 1/15/21  I have just received an answer back from the Texas Military Forces Museum's Deputy Director, Lisa Sharik, and she has informed me the veteran in my picture is Al Dietrich, who turned 99 two weeks ago.   He served with Company B, 143rd Infantry Regiment and was wounded in Italy.  Thank you Ms. Sharik and a big shout out to Al! 

 

Photograph courtesy of the Texas Military Department, Major General Tracy Norris, Commanding.

The T-Patchers.  You guys were the best of the best.