Combat Lessons Number 1: Rank And File In Combat: What They're Doing, How They Do It - Free Audiobook

SICILY—ITALY—ATTU

NIGHT ATTACK

Surprise Saves Lives Major John R. Patterson, Infantry, Sicily: “The mission of our battalion after landing south of Gela in Sicily was to capture the airport at Biscari. The battalion used the silent night attack. The three rifle companies were in line with the heavy-weapons company in reserve. To reach its line of departure, the battalion crossed two precipitous ridges using two control lines, then climbed the cliff at the airport to the line of departure. All this was done silently under cover of darkness.

“The attack was started with a hand grenade. We didn’t fire until the Germans counterattacked. We went in with bayonets and hand grenades and caught some of the Germans undressed and dressing. The MK IV tanks fired their guns but wouldn’t close on us. The enemy knew their men were all about, so fired their machine guns and rifles mainly into the air.

“The first counterattack came in two hours, and there was one about each hour thereafter until 1600. They had all emplacements wired and fixed with trip-wire booby traps. We removed the traps and used the emplacements during counterattacks.

“We found a line of airplane bombs wired to blow up the area; we de-activated them. A German plane landed just as we were ready to leave the line of departure. Later, one of our men grenaded it.

“The battalion took no transportation. I had with me the S-3, one runner, and one 511 radio.A The wire came up thirty minutes later, but was not necessary.

A A twenty-pound, battery-operated, short-range transmitter-receiver.

“I estimate the enemy had a reinforced battalion. His tanks and self-propelled’s came up later. Some of the enemy were air personnel, and there were about eleven AA guns set up for antipersonnel use.

“Our attack lasted thirty minutes. We had no casualties during the attack; two were killed during the counterattacks.”

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Hand-to-Hand Fighting Captain Jarrold, Infantry: “At Biscari Airport I used my trench knife twice. One of my men got three with his bayonet. He shot one, then another tried to grab his bayonet. He got this one with the bayonet. That got him started, so he got three in all before it was over.

Small Arms Against Armor “We found that caliber .30 AP pierces enemy armored half-tracks at close ranges.”

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Platoon Action Lieutenant Hollerich, Infantry: “Company A, moving forward in darkness to participate in the Biscari Airport fight, ran right into the enemy position. Before the fight started, my platoon crossed the road just above a culvert and reached the south edge of the airport, but I was ordered to take it back to a position just east of the culvert. I wish I could have stayed where I was because it was a perfect place from which to envelop the resistance in front of my company.

“When the enemy machine guns opened up we threw grenades. The machine guns pulled back out of grenade fire. Then NCO’s and Browning Automatic Riflemen went up over the embankment, through and beyond the initial enemy positions. Eventually we had a base of fire of about twenty men including the BAR’s.

“During the enemy counterattacks we did pretty well with other fire, too. Lead was flying fast and furiously at twenty to thirty yards. We fire at flashes. In this kind of firing you learn to fire and roll to one side or they’ll soon get you.”

“One of the corporals sneaked up on a dug-in vehicle and got it with an ’03 rifle grenade at 25 yards.

“The ‘bazooka’ man of my platoon heard ‘Tanks to the right,’ went around a bend in the road, and fired at about 35 yards. He got the first of a pair of vehicles. A German officer tried to capture him with a pistol, but he gave the officer an uppercut and then killed him with his helmet. I don’t know how the other vehicle was knocked out, but one of the BAR men got its driver.

COMMENT: In these accounts of a successful night attack by a small unit the application of the following principles is worthy of note:

a. Close control during the approach by the use of control lines adjusted to difficult terrain features.

b. Designation of a Line of Departure as close to the objective as possible and after all major terrain obstacles had been passed. This is essential to assure proper organization of the unit immediately prior to the assault.

c. Attainment of the vital element of surprise (Germans caught undressed and dressing, airplanes landing on the field).

d. Use of the bayonet and hand grenades with no weapon firing permitted. It may often be advisable to prohibit the loading of rifles.

e. Use of frontal attack only. Any attempt at envelopment tends to cause disorder and confusion. Note that one platoon which had advanced ahead of the general line was pulled back to conform.

f. A definite and limited objective—capture of an airfield, in this case—in which the entire front could be covered by manpower rather than fire-power.

These are the major elements of a successful night attack brought out in the foregoing account. Others not mentioned but which were undoubtedly contributing factors in this operation are:

Careful planning in minute detail.

Precise, specific orders.

Careful arrangements for maintenance of direction.

Thorough daylight reconnaissance by as many of the leaders as possible.

Use of compact columns in the approach formation until the Line of Departure is reached.