My father was in the Army Infantry (88th/351st) North
Africa, Italy and Germany during WWII. “WAR IS HELL!”
& “It’s the old man’s WAR; but it’s the young man’s
FIGHT!” to quote him. (He was shell-shocked all to hell.)
His commanding officer was horribly wounded on two
separate occasions. The last time, they DID have to
literally DRAG him out over rough terrain for a long
distance. (He lost a leg in that incident & was finally
sent home.)
Daddy was raised tough as nails in a large family and
they had to hunt to eat; so he was already a crack shot.
He always felt some bit of sympathy for the common
German soldier; but the Nazi officers he absolutely had
no use for them for many reasons.
IF Truman had not had the sense to use the bombs, Daddy
would, as an experienced combat soldier, have had to land
on Japan and keep “charging Hell with a bucket of water”.
It WOULD have been Hell, too.
Your dad was a real hero.
I think women should read about the Army infantry in the Hurtgen Forest where several divisions had over 200 percent casualties.