One thing that didn't make sense to me - for Pitt to have fought the Germans from Africa to the last weeks of the war in a tank and to do it with his crew - seems like with the attrition in armor and that time line - he'd be better n E6. But I don't know the exacts of war time promotion or the rank structure of the Army in the ETO at the time.
My Grandfather fought the Germans in 6 different countries, starting in N Africa and ending up in Austria at the end of the war. He was an E-1 in England before going to Africa and an E-5 at the end of the war. Some people certainly gained rank fast but I think the most were lost in the shuffle and didn't get promoted very fast at all.
This sounds similar to my dad's history of service. He served in the infantry under Patton. Saw lots of combat. Started in Africa and ended up near the German border at war's end. Wounded twice in combat, survived a tank charge at Kasserine Pass, the only member of his squad to survive. Dad finished as a 1st Sergeant. He might have made it higher, but dad was no angel, and got in trouble more than a couple times. There was a jeep that got rolled over in Africa while chasing some critters around trying to shoot dinner, some confiscated German automatic weapons in Italy that were used to target some communication wires-only problem was they were Allied lines, not Axis. And then there was the little episode of fishing trout streams in France with hand grenades. Problem was there was Brass nearby that didn't appreciate their morning being interrupted by what could have been actual combat.......... Dad was no choir boy, but he did his job, as so many did. If given the chance, knowing my old man, I don't think he'd have behaved any differently. That's just what guys did to blow off steam.
gophergunner, you and I both know tough doesn't begin to describe these guys.
Dad got one of his fingers severed out in the sticks working on a big Caterpillar once. He managed to get the hydraulic cylinder open enough to recover his finger, and put it on ice in the truck. The doctors were Houdini's and got it back on.
He worked on heavy equipment when I was growing up. All sizes of Caterpillar's, Deuce and a half's, buses, trucks, you name it. He restored classic cars as a hobby. His last one was a fire engine red '57 Chevy Bel-Air, complete with fender skirts.
I used to go to "work" with him when I got the chance. I got paid, but I didn't do much work, really. He did the work, and I was just his gopher and toolman. But, it got us out into the wide open spaces together.
I rode through Detroit during the riots with him and his buddy "Snuffy" one time, delivering a couple trucks up that way. His advice, as usual, was "Don't get out of the truck".
