Understanding Patrols:
"Ambush on a German Patrol" by William A. Foley, Jr. |
"Visions from a Foxhole: A Rifleman in Patton's Ghost Corps"
-- William A. Foley, Jr. pgs. 40-41
On scouting on patrol:
"Officers, noncoms, and machine gunners were the most apt to be hit by something because they moved around more than members of a squad...
But the man at the point, the scout, moves to unfamiliar territory, leading a patrol or heading a column of hundreds of men strung out behind-- his second scout often moved thirty yards to his rear. The scout's job is to choose the best route possible and to see or hear the enemy soldiers-- or even smell tobacco smoke (if the wind is right)-- before he is seen. he must use arm-and-hand signals to warn and instruct. Either a sergeant or officer joins him where he is concealed; or, when he senses danger, he moves to the rear fifty yards or so to confer with the decision makers.
"Scouts Dig In" by William Foley Jr. 1945 |
My feelings were definitely mixed when informed I was to be a scout. I met the sergeant's eyes, and controlling my fear, I nodded and said, "Okay, Sarge." And while hoping it would be a one-shot deal (no pun intended), I was inwardly thrilled at the prospect of the experience. But I would have been happy to see someone else do it."
--19 year old William Foley, Jr., outside Orsholz, Germany, January 30, 1945
Pages 41 and 42, "Visions from a Foxhole: A Rifleman in Patton's Ghost Corps"- William Foley, Jr.
*Purchase "Visions from a Foxhole" HERE via Amazon
*Purchase a print of "Ambush on a German Patrol" and "Scouts Dig In" as well as many prints of Foley's wartime drawings HERE
*Purchase a print of "Ambush on a German Patrol" and "Scouts Dig In" as well as many prints of Foley's wartime drawings HERE
*Main Line of Resistance