Perspective on the critical role of weather in combat.
Military members place flags near headstones at Arlington National Cemetery. By Jonathan Sawtelle May 25 at 10:05 AM As a kid, late May skies back home in northeast Ohio seemed impossibly blue. A proud member of my high school marching band, I marched in our small town’s Memorial Day parade every year in the late 1990s.
Around the sixth century B.C., a Chinese military general named Sun Tzu penned his thoughts known today as “The Art of War.” He appreciated the part played by weather, famously writing: “know the enemy, know yourself; your victory will never be endangered. Know the ground, know the weather; your victory will then be total.”
“If it ain’t rainin’, it ain’t trainin’!” is a popular mantra among empathetic sergeants in the field who see the discomfort on their soldier’s faces with every raindrop soaking into their uniforms, onto their weapons and over their rucksacks. Woe to the squad that maneuvers through rain into high elevations to temperatures below freezing — multiplying problems as buttons, zippers, charts, and clothing begin to freeze.
The British officers responsible for supporting the assault phase of Operation Overlord nailed the forecast. Their briefing recommended the supreme commander of Allied Expeditionary Forces, instead of launching the invasion on June 5, wait 24 hours. The fate of the free world rested in a weatherman’s judgment and a five-star general’s trust in him.
The orders to the Allied troops were straightforward: Attack directly into the jaws of the enemy. Survive the sea slog and hit the beach. Survive the 300-yard sand and shrapnel onslaught and hit the rocks. Survive the climb and destroy the nearest enemy firing positions. Liberate the nearest town and triage the wounded. Secure the bridges and cut off the Axis supply chains. Establish a foothold into Europe where troops of the free world could pour in at will.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
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