NO ROOM TO LIE DOWN A WW2 Armor Novel Greg Tschanz Erik Albertson Joshua Collins No Room To Lie Down Copyright © 2020 by WW2 Armor, NFP Cover Art Copyright © 2020 by WW2 Armor, NFP Created in the United States This is a work of fiction based on the historical account and operations of the U.S. Army’s 66th Armor Regiment, 2nd Armored Division during World War II. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. All characters are entirely fictional and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, is coincidental. The data and events described in this book are historically accurate to the best of the author’s and researchers’ ability. All events within the contents of this work are based on original War Department records, unit operational reports and the official unit history. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the author’s prior written permission. All images used throughout this work are either original photos created by WW2 Armor, NFP or came from the U.S. National Archives, German Bundesarchiv or the U.S. Army Signal Corps and are in the public domain. Published by WW2 Armor, NFP 915 Doyle Road, Ste. 303-320 Deltona, FL 32725 www.ww2armor.org Author: Greg Tschanz Historical Researchers: Erik Albertson & Joshua Collins Cover Design: Erik Albertson Front Cover Photo: Jon Soucy Editors: Erik Albertson, Joshua Collins, and Jon Soucy Chapter Illustrations: Erik Albertson Dedication This book is dedicated to the brave men of the armored divisions and the independent tank battalions who fought and served across from the Pacific, to North Africa, to Italy, and across Western Europe throughout World War II. And to all the brave Allied heroes, men and women, who served and sacrificed their lives for our freedom across the globe throughout World War II. To those who never returned home, you will never be forgotten. The author and research team would like to also sincerely thank and dedicate this book to Harry F. Miller, a dear friend and mentor to WW2 Armor and a World War II tank veteran from the 740th Tank Battalion. Mr. Miller, graciously assisted the team during the creation of this publication to ensure the details are as authentic as possible. Contents Foreword 1 Introduction 2 Prologue: I’ll Be Home Soon Gia 4 Chapter 1: No Turning Back 13 Chapter 2: Into the Storm 25 Chapter 3: The Breakout 36 Chapter 4: Awaiting Fate 47 Chapter 5: Contact 58 Chapter 6: Day of Days 73 --- To Be Continued February 2021 --- No Room To Lie Down 1 Foreword I have had the pleasure of meeting Erik Albertson at a military World War II reenactment in Reading, Pennsylvania several years ago. He had just crawled out of a replica of a World War II Tiger 1 tank and he was all dressed up in the uniform of a German panzer crewman. I told him at the time that he looked to be a real German Tanker and he thanked me for it. I guess I expected to have my nose knocked off my face but actually, we became very good friends. I met Joshua Collins and Greg Tschanz later at a similar activity at Conneaut, Ohio in 2019 where I met all the historians of WW2 Armor. This group of dedicated men has assisted Rabbi Rob in receiving, renovating, cleaning, and fine-tuning a large collection of World War II armored vehicles. A spectacular achievement to say the least. A photo of our first meeting is on the dedication page of this book. During that first meeting, Rabbi Rob and I had a long discussion about his group of stalwarts and shared a lot of jokes and laughs. He is truly a very interesting and dedicated man and it is a pleasure to be a friend of his. As a WWII Tanker myself, I am very happy the trio of authors are keeping our legacy alive by this book and by their actions with WW2 Armor. I hope with all my heart that this glorious land of ours will never have to suffer another world war nor any war for that matter. Harry F. Miller World War II Tanker 740th Tank Battalion No Room To Lie Down 2 Introduction WW2 Armor is an educational outfit dedicated to preserving the history of the men and machines of U.S. armor units in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during World War II. The group’s members are historians first and foremost. As such, they research and study the vehicles, weapons, doctrine, and tactics of the era as a way to educate the larger public on what it was to be an armor crewman during World War II, highlighting what those Soldiers endured and accomplished. To ensure authenticity, WW2 Armor members actively train on appropriate vehicle operations and tactics used by the U.S. Army from 1943-1945 to include armor, tank destroyer, armored field artillery, reconnaissance, armored infantry, and support operations. The vehicles and weapons are owned by Rabbi Rob Thomas, who also leads the WW2 Armor team. The members of WW2 Armor include full-time staff and volunteers who work extremely hard to keep the vehicles and weapons in full working order. Many of the members are U.S. military veterans of both peace and wartime service. The team at WW2 Armor actively participates in World War II reenactments and living history events throughout the U.S., as well as participates in TV shows and movies. Many books have been written about tanks, ones that cover types, models, variants, production, technical details, capabilities, and famous battles and campaigns. This publication isn’t about the technical aspect of war or the vehicle details and specifications. It is about the human aspect as without the men who crewed these machines, many of whom sacrificed their lives, they would just be 40 tons of steel sitting in one spot capable of doing absolutely nothing. It is the tank crew, who are the true beating heart and soul of an armored vehicle, despite its researched capabilities or specifications, that make the vehicle move, shoot, communicate, and destroy the enemy. That is what we wish to present to you as the reader, a view of the war from their viewpoint. This book is a story about the crew responsible for coaxing a chunk of steel into becoming a fighting machine. In this endeavor, we attempt to combine the technical aspects of the machines in the conflict with the human aspect of the personnel involved, as together they tell a much more cohesive and powerful story. We have purposefully created a fictitious tank crew in the 2nd Platoon of G Company in the 3rd Battalion of the 66th Armored Regiment 2nd Armored Division. The men in the crew are characters created strictly to marry the human interactions of a crew to the technical aspects of life in their vehicle and the conflict in general. We have strived to steer clear of all typical Hollywood stereotypes and myths that have blurred the reality of the actual historical record. This is an attempt to enlighten a larger audience to the simple fact that what the Allies were able to do by coming together, supporting one another, quickly learning from their mistakes, adapting their tactics and equipment to defeat a well- trained and equipped enemy. In this aspect, the greatest asset that the Allies had were the very individuals caught in the conflict and risking their lives daily in combat. No Room To Lie Down 3 Those who may be unfamiliar with certain aspects of the conflict might wonder why we refer to it as an M4 tank and not the common term everyone uses of “Sherman”. That term was not widely used at the time by American troops, and the moniker wasn’t approved by the War Department for public release until November 1944. The popular usage of the name “Sherman” by the U.S. forces and generally American public didn’t come about until after World War II was over. In this work, we try to bring in several aspects of the 2nd Armored Division, but do not dive down into deep technical details as that is beyond the scope of this project. There are many fine literary works in existence that go into deeper technical details. We implore you, the reader, to invest the time in reading many of the fine works out there regarding the technical element of armor in World War II. Our focus is on the ETO during World War II. The events leading up to the 2nd Armored landing on Omaha Beach are covered to establish the crew of the vehicle and provide the necessary background for the 2nd Armored as a whole and how that experience had yielded veteran tankers by the time the invasion of France was underway. In reading this work, we at WW2 Armor hope that the reader gains a deeper understanding of the M4 medium tank, what it took to be in the crew, the aspects of the conflict as it revolved around an armor unit. As well as the other vehicles in the 2nd Armored Division as well as other vehicles and weapons used during World War II. This information is conveyed in two methods. The higher-level technical aspects are sprinkled in amongst the main body of work, as well as a Glossary in the back of the work containing a greater level of the technical aspects.