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Read Dr. Walt’s WWII blogs
December 31, 2024
The votes are in (in the sense that you voted with your clicks). Here are the dozen most popular of my blog posts this last year […]
December 30, 2024
Some historians believe the GIs in Europe during the 1944-1945 winter had it much easier than Johnny Reb or Billy Yank during the Civil War winter […]
December 29, 2024
In a briefing at his military command complex at Adlerhorst, Adolf Hitler declared in his speech to his division commanders on 28 December 1944 (three days […]
December 28, 2024
There were good boots available for the U.S. soldiers in Europe, of the type made popular by L. L. Bean after the war—well-insulated, with leather uppers […]
December 27, 2024
Phil and his new company were back at war. Daily the entire 30th Infantry Regiment maintained active and deep patrolling, improving defensive positions by clearing fields […]
December 25, 2024
Phil and most of the men attended a church service on Christmas morning conducted by their chaplain in a village church. Except for some shattered windows, the church […]
December 24, 2024
At first light on December 24, 1944, the sky was cloudless, the air crisp, and the temperature well below freezing. Not long after daybreak, Phil and […]
December 23, 2024
As we all, here in 2024, celebrate the day before Christmas around the world, here’s a reminder of what 4 million men and women were doing […]
December 20, 2024
The 3rd Division, to which Phil was returning, was transferred to the First French Army, relieving the hard-pressed US 36th Division, inheriting a sector 20 miles […]
December 16, 2024
As Phil was traveling to back to the front, having recovered from a serious leg gunshot wound, the weather turned from rain and mud to freezing […]