WWII challenge: greater US mass surrenders

My pardon if I wasn't clear, I was speaking of the troop and supply ships being annihilated.


Lothaw,

While you did mention the troop transports, you also wrote the bombardment "could have resulted in massive casualties" and would have annihilated "the landing force".


Bill
 
As a side note, AFAIK the only member of my family to die in war since the ACW lost his life as an infantryman on the first day of the Leyte landings.
 
I'm aware of that, but given the right conditions, such as, say, a freak bomb kills McAuliffe, throwing the command structure into disarray, a few more days of bad weather, a German spoiling attack against 3rd Army preventing Patton's relief operation, or any number of other factors, this could have turned into the biggest mass surrender of the war.

Not saying it's likely, just that given the right POD, it seems as if it would be possible.


I think you give the 101st far less credit than they deserve, at the time they were battle tested and blooded, in fact they may have been one of the very best infantry divisions in the US army, possibly the war. Anyone who does assume command of the situation only needs to hold out long enough for the weather to clear. The Ardennes offensive was poorly concieved and reeked of desperation, its chances of success were low, and it cost the Germans far more than it gained them.
 
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