Eastern Illinois University The Keep Masters Theses Student Theses & Publications 1993 "Easy or Hard" The eM ntality of Survival: The GI in Europe in World War Two Brian R. Bowen This research is a product of the graduate program in History at Eastern Illinois University. Find out more about the program. Recommended Citation Bowen, Brian R., ""Easy or Hard" The eM ntality of Survival: The GI in urE ope in World War Two" (1993). Masters Theses. 2116. https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/2116 This is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses & Publications at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THESIS REPRODUCTION CERTIFICATE TO: Graduate Degree Candidates who have written formal theses. SUBJECT: Permission to reproduce theses. 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Bowen THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF Masters of Arts History IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL, EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CHARLESTON, ILLINOIS 1993 YEAR I HEREBY RECOMMEND THIS THESIS BE ACCEPTED AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE GRADUATE DEGREE CITED ABOVE ABSTRACT An oral history compiled from recollections of fourteen combat veterans, documented by over forty hours of tape-recorded interviews, the paper recreates Gls' mentality upon eritering combat. The formation of the collective mentality is examined by exploring the attitudes, motivations, and historical circumstances determining thought and actions of these reluctant, yet dedicated soldiers. The collective mentality, defined as the way of thinking allowing the majority to best cope with their predicament, answers why men fought and how they persevered once in combat. Explaining sustained combat performance the paper proves how the collective mentality gave Gls the will and ability to withstand war's brutal and unforgiving reality. Describing the salient characteristics of the infantrymen's war, the participants' experiences reveal the whole story of what really happened; with the ugly truths some sources chose to omit. Veterans' recollections provide the Gls relation to his own mortality, how this changed with time, and how this change affected their way of thinking. Accordingly, special care is given to how soldiers were influenced by what they had to endure in combat. This includes emphasis on the adjustment facilitating Gls ability to tolerate and accept what transpired. This adjustment amounted to a moral and emotional insensitivity resulting from Gls' understanding they withstand, or "take" in their words, all combat could L_ possibly have in store. With survival and the successful completion of their duty their foremost concerns, their moral and ethical lapse also explains the ruthless actions of some Gls in combat, including atrocities. Gls had the determination and self-pride not to quit and give up the fight, but there was another significant element of successful perseverance. The collective mentality gave soldiers the ability to laugh and enjoy situations normaly not associated with humor. Fixating on the positive aspects of life gave soldiers the uncanny ability to look past their problems and bear with the misery. Men discovered the simple feeling of life was overpowering when one became aware of how abruptly it could be cut short. Veterans' fond and pleasurable memories reveal what soldiers actually found humorous and what activities kept them amused. When enjoying friendships and camaraderie, and the other startling actions that kept soldiers occupied, soldiers were distracted from excessive worry over the terrible fear and deprivation of war. Distractions and diversions had the benefit of fostering a positive fighting spirit while facilitating soldiers' ability to cope. Accordingly, the "good times" veterans experienced performed a vital role in sustaining individual efforts. ii INTRODUCTION Recent scholarship on American military involvement in the war against Nazi Germany departs from histories of prominent leaders, strategy, and circumstances of key battles. Emphasis now rests on the experiences of the individuals who actually did the fighting and made the sacrifices. 1 This new focus is not meant as a tribute to the fortitude of these brave but often terrified men, but due to the paramount importance of the human element in warfare. 2 It can be stated justifiably that the most meticulously prepared plans and immense logistical support would have been meaningless if the Gls themselves were not motivated to repeatedly place their lives at risk (see Appendix A). Nevertheless a sufficient number of men, those who did not first become a victim of the vast variety of casualties, defied the natural urge to flee danger and fought on until Germany was defeated. The paper illustrates that Gls thought and acted in the manner in which they did due to the mentality they took into combat. 3 This makes it possible to demonstrate how this mentality accounts for the success of the traditionally accepted principles of combat motivation. 4 To demonstrate how one's mentality permitted sustained combat performance, it is necessary to explore the circumstances that determined thought and actions; the reasons why men fought. This requires examining attitudes specifically relating to individuals role as infantrymen prior to combat. Oral 1 2 histories from the men with firsthand knowledge provided this information, supplemented with the helpful, but limited, literature dealing with this subject. 5 Due to the fact soldiers' attitudes underwent a change during combat, it is also necessary to determine what an individual was forced to perform and endure if he was to survive in his new turbulent world. It would seem that literature chronicling the events of battles would be a helpful supplement to ascertain this change. However, compared against the information collected in oral histories, certain accounts of the war contain considerable drawbacks. 6 The sources in question not only fail to address the attitudes of the men who actually determined the outcome of battles, but more importantly some of the unpleasant incidents which profoundly influenced soldiers attitudes were omitted. It is vital to point out that this literature is accurate in its portrayal of events but "it is in the things not mentioned that the untruth lies. "7 There is no contention that key facts of the terrible conflict were "sanitized"8 in what has been labeled the "domestification"9 of the war. However oral histories that reveal the missing truth can redress this problem. 10 Without the entire story it is not possible to judge correctly how individuals attitudes changed while they participated in the "real war."11 Therefore, to first gain a holistic understanding of how Gls continued to fight it is necessary to ascertain the "actuality" of combat. 12 Combat veterans continually voice the opinion that people without personal experience can never know what combat was actually like. One individual, representing the outlook of several of his comrades, insisted "you have to 3 experience it to really understand it. You can have an intellectual understanding but you can't have much of an emotional understanding until you've experienced it. "13 Considering soldiers were officially forbidden to keep wartime diaries or journals (although some did), and the paucity of veteran's personal biographies, oral histories are invaluable in documenting what men experienced. Personal insights and details only combat veterans could provide will demonstrate how they had to overcome several shortcomings in military hardware, despite the popular notion that America fielded the "best equipped army in the world. "14 Assuming no two men are completely alike and every GI had his own unique wartime experience, it must be stipulated there was no "average" Gl. 15 However despite the inherent differences in men (such as age, marital status, intelligence, physical ability, etc.), all combat veterans experienced similar situations and the majority felt compelled to act for similar reasons. 16 Combat infantrymen had such a distinctive experience when compared to other U.S. servicemen 17 that it is permissible to state that infantrymen have their own "collective experience. "18 The collective experience is best defined as an experience, attitude, and motivation common to the highest number of men within a specific sample and not a definitive experience true to all men. To refine the concept of the collective experience this paper will demonstrate when a sample is better defined, the collective experience will be more distinct. To illustrate this premise, fear afflicted all World War II combatants wishing to avoid bodily harm no matter which branch of service or nation for which 4 they fought. 19 However, if one were to delve into the experiences of the men in the different branches of each of the different nations involved, one would naturally find that men in these different groups possessed different fears and were exposed to different levels of danger. Obviously, when studies focus on analogous samples findings will be more explicit. Therefore this study will concentrate on the U.S. infantryman in the last eleven months of the struggle against Nazism in western Europe. 20 Not surprisingly those who lived through the hellish reality of combat espouse one general conclusion: an abhorrence of war.