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To: archy
>>15,000 casualties during the Battle of the Bulge

Yipes! That was pretty much the entire division, wasn't it?
8 posted on 12/18/2003 11:35:00 AM PST by FreedomPoster (this space intentionally blank)
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To: FreedomPoster
>>15,000 casualties during the Battle of the Bulge

Yipes! That was pretty much the entire division, wasn't it?

A US Division was arranged differently then, a good bit larger than today's *triangular* arrangement of three squads per platoon, three platoons per compant, three companies per battalion, [plus HQ company] and so forth.

Without checking references, I want to say off the top of my head that a division then was around 22,000 men, now down to around 17,700 personnel, including some 15% female troops, more in some units, less in others.

In any event, the combat loss of 15,000 of your men is not at all my idea of a resounding success, though they held off Von Runstedt's forces, including 5 divisions hitting them the first day reinforced by four more following up within the following days for long enough for Patton's Third Army to do a pretty good imitation of the cavalry coming to the rescue of a wagon train. And at that they did considerably better than their sister Pennsylvania division the 99th *Checkerboard* Division, also caught by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge, including some 75 of their men caught by the First SS Panzer Division near a little spot called Malmedy.

Interestingly, the 28th Infantry Division is the oldest division in the Armed Forces of the United States, officially established by General Orders No. 1, dated 12 March 1879. Maybe today's troops of the unit will do a little better than their WWII predecessors, whether because of their new vehicles or in spite of them.

9 posted on 12/18/2003 12:05:08 PM PST by archy (Angiloj! Mia kusenveturilo estas plena da angiloj!)
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To: FreedomPoster
Pretty much. The 106th was destroyed (about a third surrendered alive), the 28th was nearly destroyed. They were in the immediate path of the main German attack. The 106th didn't even take much time, but the 28th fought hard enough to buy time for reserves to reach the area.
10 posted on 12/18/2003 12:08:17 PM PST by JasonC
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