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Build one as you write.
Current Date: 25 July 1944
Operatin Cobra has begun!
Build one as you write.
Current Date: 25 July 1944
Operatin Cobra has begun!
Letters from the Front is a collection of letters or journal entries from American soldiers serving in Europe. A few letters from the home front have made their way into this collection; shared by the soldiers contributing to this piece of work. It details the brutal realities of war and the compassion of humans caught in an other-worldly existence of horror. The evil is real and these soldiers fought to survive. It was kill or be killed and in some cases; hide just to survive. No one criticized someone for hiding; most would have done the same. But hell, hath taken over and survival is the name of the game.
You are a soldier serving in A Company, 37th Tank Battalion, 4th Armor Division. Lieutenant Colonel Creighton Abrams served as Battalion commander of the 37th Tank Battalion throughout most of its time during the war, up until he was promoted to Colonel and assigned as Commander Combat Command A which included both the 37th Tank Battalion and the 53rd Armored Infantry Battalion. The two maneuver battalions fought side by side throughout the entirety of the western campaign from July 1944 until its conclusion in May 1945.
The 37th Tank Battalion was at the tip of the spear as Patton ordered a relief of the 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne following the German 5th Panzer Army’s failed Wacht am Rhein operation. It was soldiers from the 37th Tank Battalion who made first contact with the Screaming Eagles in Bastogne. They continued their advance and trapped several German soldiers on the west side of the Rhein River.
The Tank Battalion had an impressive career at the spearhead of General George S. Patton’s thrusts across France, the Rhein and into the German countryside. One company of the 37th attempted to liberate General Patton’s son in law, LTC John K. Waters from a German Prison Camp 60 miles behind enemy lines. The mission was a failure, but to the Wehrmacht units who fought against the tanks and soldiers of the 37th, they believed they were fighting against an entire division. The Germans called these brave men of the 37th, “Roosevelt’s Butchers”.
Although their advances were rapid, it was not without loss, LTC Abrams fought from the cupola of seven different M4A3 Shermans. He never had one shot out from underneath him but he pushed his machines as hard as he pushed his men. During the relief of the 101st Airborne at Bastogne, C Company of the battalion began with twelve tanks. When the fighting was over, Lieutenant Burgess, C Company Commander could account for only four functioning M4 Shermans. The battalion suffered a 94% turnover rate during the nine and a half months it was in combat. The German losses may have been just as high, but the Germans could not replace their losses as easily as the Americans could. Their fight was a bloody one, tangling with the dreaded German Panthers and Tigers.
Creighton Abrams was promoted to the rank of General in 1964, serving as Deputy Commander, Military Assistance Command in Vietnam, in May 1967, working with his West Point Classmate, William Westmoreland. In 1968, General Abrams replaced Westmoreland as Commander of MAC-V. Before retiring General Abrams was appointed US Army Chief of Staff in 1972. While serving as Chief of Staff, he pushed for the establishment of the 75th Ranger Infantry Regiment. The current Main Battle Tank used by the US Army is named after Retired General Creighton Abrams.
Rules
I am an easy-going person. I tend to be friendly and positive, but passionate about military history. It is what I know best. I do not expect any of you to possess the same amount of knowledge as I, but that is not necessary. I just expect you to know how to write well.
This Role play is not your standard RP where you write up a character sheet on one person and then write about their actions and conversations only. This is a collection of letters written by soldiers serving in the same unit in France (and Germany) during World War II.
1. GM is Gunther, who will write for Lieutenant Carpenter.
2. Write a letter, make an entry into your journal or post a letter from home to your soldier.
3. Please write a minimum of three paragraphs. Have fun with your letter writing or journal entries.
4. Females are allowed. Since some of our best writers in this community are female, I would not want to deprive us of their participation in this fine role play. You are not restricted to writing for only male characters. If you wish to write for female characters, that is fine with me. I realize there no female tankers in the Army during WWII, but we don't have to follow convention on every issue. I am flexible.
5. Posting frequency will be based on the last date I make in my post. I am a busy father of four children who keep me hopping. This hobby is just for fun. Please use dates prior to and including the last date I use in a post. I will update the current date in the OP as it changes. Do not advance the timeline on your own. I intend to follow an historical timeline of where the unit was on what dates and hope to keep the flow in a chronological order. Telling a story that happened several days ago is perfectly fine.
6. Please communicate with me and the others so we know what you are up to.
7. If you would like to post censored items, check out this list here.
@Odin@BingTheWing@CaptainBritton@AlShayatin@Dutchbag@FrostedCaramel
