Chapter 8 Counterattack - 2

At this time, senior officials in Washington knew that Lieutenant General Eisenhower was going to be lucky, but few people were disgusted.In the minds of the average American, he was the embodiment of the ideal, the Norman Rockwell general on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post.He is smart and generous, full of vigor, honest and upright, modest and prudent.He joked about his dialect and sang "Abdul Abbur Amir" incessantly.He was born in Texas and grew up in a small town in the heart of the United States in Kansas.Most people like him, and he likes most people.Hopkins is one of the few important Republican figures who can have a good word to say.He said: "In military matters, his ability to outline, his understanding of the basic points, is almost exceptional; He still works tirelessly."

It was June 1942, long overdue for the President to choose a commander in Europe.Roosevelt had rashly promised Molotov that Stalin could count on a second front "this year."After Pearl Harbor, the U.S. military sent a symbolic troop to Ireland—someone in the pop song world wrote a rather unfortunate wartime ditty, "G. John Found a Rose in Ireland."Now the U.S. military has traveled across the ocean to the British mainland.They were sent to all sorts of quaint little places.The British began to complain about the American soldiers, saying that the problem of the Yankees is that "the military pay is too high, the sex drive is too strong, and they are too close to us."Clearly, there is a need for them to know where their future destination is.With Eisenhower settled in Grovesnow Square in May, West London—the square that would later be named Eisenhower Square—American and British troops were ready to go.

But where? The Americans wanted to strike across the Channel from Britain, but the British wanted to attack what Churchill called "the soft underbelly of Europe."In fact, no matter which of these two places they fought, they were not strong enough.So they reached a compromise and settled on French North Africa.Coordinated in time with Montgomery's attack from Egypt, the Germans could be driven out of Africa.The code name for this operation is "Torch". Strange to say, this battle started with the United States attacking its old ally France, but not its sworn enemy Germany.A full eleven months after Pearl Harbor, on Saturday night, November 7, 1942, the attacking force was concentrated on 800 ships off the coasts of Algeria and Morocco.It is impossible to cover such a large fleet.Both Berlin and Rome got the news, and both speculated where the fleet was heading, thinking that it was either Malta or Egypt.At 3 o'clock in the morning, when these landing ships sent the infantry to the land of French Africa, the whole of Europe was stunned, and the most shocked was Marshal Pétain. He was deeply annoyed at the unauthorized invasion of 90,000 American soldiers.In addition, Roosevelt made a short-wave broadcast to the people of French Africa, saying, "My friends...we are here to help you repel the invaders...Long live the eternal France"! It also made him very embarrassed.He then wrote to the President and said: "I am deeply shocked and disturbed to learn that your army has invaded tonight. The actions you have taken are so cruel and merciless."

Naturally, the mood of the American commander-in-chief was completely different from that of Pétain.He was spending the weekend with a few friends at Shangri-La and Hopkins, a secluded cottage in Catoctin Hills, 60 miles north of Washington.It was still Saturday night local time when the offensive began.The president's phone rang.Grace Tully went to answer the phone. It was Stimson.Roosevelt's hands trembled a little when he picked up the receiver.He listened for a moment and said, "Thank God! Thank God! I congratulate you. The casualties were light - much lower than your estimate. Thank God!" He put the receiver back and turned to his friends. : "We have landed in North Africa and started to fight back."

Eisenhower commanded the landing from Gibraltar, his command post deep in a damp tunnel. On November 23, he transferred his headquarters to the white mountain city of Algiers.It was necessary for him to land, if only for morale.Americans were beginning to learn that the German army was not for nothing. Although the "Torch" plan caught them off guard, they took swift and effective action.Before the inexperienced U.S. military took a step forward, the armies of the Axis countries had already occupied Tunisia, bringing in troops and equipment from Sicily for reinforcement.The U.S. military was struggling in the mud of winter rain. Stuttgart dive bombers and Krupp 88 artillery bombarded them, their tanks and the air force covering them.In this way, in February 1943, the counter-offensive German army drove the US troops back through the Kasserin Pass.

Judging from the time, the Battle of the Pass seemed to be a disaster for the Allies.But the result was the opposite, and it was the Axis powers who suffered.General Patton took command there and recaptured the pass, echoing Montgomery who had driven Rommel's Afrika Korps here from Alamein.The German army in Africa is bound to lose.Rommel flew to report to Mussolini and Hitler that his troops should be withdrawn.To avoid being wiped out, this legion needs at least 140,000 tons of material supplies every month, but the Allied Navy has controlled the Mediterranean, and the original supply of the German army has been reduced to 23,000 tons from 29,000 tons. , and then reduced to 2000 tons.Mussolini and Hitler said Rommel was a pessimist.They said triumphantly, look at the Battle of Kasserin Pass, the Aryan troops met those mixed-race U.S. troops, and the result was like that.They continued to move troops to the beachhead, much to Rommel's surprise.Thus, by the beginning of May, the Allies slammed the trap shut, killing nearly 250,000 German prisoners of war.Including battlefield casualties, Axis forces lost a total of 349,206 men in French Africa.The U.S. military suffered no more than 18,500 casualties in this first battle.

Patton was not there until the end of the campaign, Eisenhower had sent him to work out a plan to attack Sicily.Under the leadership of Eisenhower, Montgomery and Patton would once again cooperate here.The battle was code-named "Husky" and involved a corps of the French army.Charles de Gaulle, despite his Anglo-American disrespect, had been working in the rear, using political tactics and sheer force of will to control the liberated French and encourage them to join the army.General Mark Clark later said of de Gaulle's troops: "There never was a fighting organization so heroic."Europe has changed psychologically.The German army lost 330,000 troops in the Stalingrad battle. Now that it has been driven out of Africa, the German army does not seem to be invincible.By the summer of 1943, it was the Allies who could intimidate the enemy, especially half-hearted Axis allies like the Italians and Sicilians.

The Battle of Sicily was a political battle, the purpose of which was to force Italy out of the war.In this sense, the campaign was a success.It was also a military victory.It took the Allies a month and a few days to capture a barren, mountainous island held by an army of 252,000 men.In Rome, King Victor Emmanuel told a dumbfounded Mussolini bluntly that he was no longer the head of the government. "The soldiers have no intention of fighting anymore. You are probably the most hated man in Italy at this moment." He was arrested.The government under Marshal Pietro Bardoglio began secret negotiations with Eisenhower's representatives.As a result, Badoglio agreed to broadcast the surrender of Italy on September 8, and the Allies landed at Salerno in the Italian shin that night.The combat plan was code-named "Avalanche", and its purpose was to capture the unprepared German army and wipe out the Axis forces throughout the Italian peninsula.

How could they think such a plan could be realized? It is inexplicable.It is impossible to keep such a big secret secret.The Italians, who could not keep their tongues, told the whole situation to the German secret police and Nazi intelligence agencies.Badoglio surrendered unconditionally on September 8, as originally promised.But by this time elite German divisions had poured into Italy, disarming their former allies.Mark Clark's Fifth Army, crucified at Salerno.The U.S. military already knew that Italy would surrender, and thought that the battle would be easy, so they were angry and confused.Enemy tanks and artillery pinned them down on a beachhead less than five miles deep.Every night, a German who could speak English yelled over the radio to the besieged troops.He seemed to be a fan of Hollywood Westerns, and he yelled in that tone, "Okay, man. Come and surrender. You're all under our fire control." It went on for four months.In Berlin, a heroic "Lord Haha" who broadcast Goebbels' propaganda predicted "another Dunkirk".

Thus began the tragedy of the Italian campaign—the fruitless fighting, the needless suffering, the endless siege.But on the east coast of Italy, Montgomery's Eighth Army made rapid progress. After joining forces with the British First Airlift Division, which occupied the Taranto Naval Base, it went straight to the port of Bari on the Adriatic Sea.The British army advanced concurrently, wanting to relieve the pressure on the US military.The U.S. Air Force bombed the mountains overlooking Salerno.The beachhead was crowded with American artillery until, on September 5, the Germans finally began to retreat slowly towards Naples.

What went wrong in this Italian campaign? If the generals don't know it, the company commanders do.The terrain is hostile to the Fifth Army.It took them three weeks and nearly twelve thousand casualties before they finally reached Naples.The Apennines run straight through the whole of Italy like a backbone.Since all Italian rivers flow from these mountains, the infantry had to cross one valley after another.And every time a valley is passed, there are always mountains, and the German army is standing on top of them.The most famous is Mount Cassino.The 1,400-year-old Cassino Temple is here, which is also the western stronghold of General Kesselring's Gustav Line.The enemy dug trenches in the mountains on the high ground surrounding the monastery, and used mortars and whistle bombs (this is the name given to it by American soldiers), forcing the American infantry to pay a lot of casualties.American tanks were repeatedly destroyed by Krupp Type 88 cannons.Believing that the Germans were using the Cassino Temple as an observation post, the Allies razed it to rubble by plane.But nothing was solved.Enemy fire is as accurate and relentless as ever. To make matters worse for the infantry, Eisenhower went back to England to plan a cross-Channel attack on France.He took his best generals, Patton, Montgomery, and Omar Bradley.The cold wind and snow in Italy hit the jagged mountains.The mud was waist deep during the day and frozen into solid blocks at night.Cartoonist Bill Mauldin believes that the mud there is almost haunted: "In time of peace, I don't think Europe will be so muddy. Likewise, I don't think the mud in the world will be as deep as in Europe. It's so sticky, so wet. It's not even the right color, like normal dirt." And so the war of attrition continued day after day.The corpses were piled in bloody sleeping bags or military ponchos, tied like bundles of fagots with communications unit wire.A hungry dog ​​will bite the throat of a dead man.Chilblains and trench foot disease were endemic.The sentries shivered from the cold on the sentry post.Italian winters have never been so severe in living memory. After the victory of the Second World War, the War Department informed the newspapers and magazines that the infantry should no longer be called "G.I".The reason is: the original meaning of the word "G·I" is that everything is issued by the government, so for American soldiers, it is "degrading, degrading, and degrading".In an air of triumph, editors and publishers immediately agreed.The name seemed absurd at the time, but in the long run, it paid off: because just as infantrymen in 1918 were called "Fried Dough," infantrymen in the Vietnam War were called "Old Grumbles," and the word "G.I." , which refers specifically to soldiers in World War II.He is a symbol of the youth of this swing music generation, or a symbol of this generation of youth that is gradually disappearing.These teenagers were originally pretty, and left home in unsuitable khaki military uniforms. When they came back, they were 23 years old.When the elevated trolley or something on Third Avenue passes by, and you hear a whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, or a sound like canvas tearing, you will get nervous for no reason. . Sadly, few people now remember what GIs were like back then.In TV sitcoms, actors often show the situation of serving in the army at that time, which makes children think that war is a thrilling and exciting thing after watching it.Every soldier in the European battlefield thinks this way. In the future, when their boss has a child, the child will ask him one day: "Dad, what were you doing during the war?" It never occurred to him that he didn't have to answer this question.The kids would then comment, no doubt, if it was Hogan's hero, or McHale, these two were the protagonists of an American television comedy series. - Translator's Navy Warrior, that's great.Or worst of all, "How fun it would be to fight with Patton!" Of course there are other images of soldiers, but they're not realistic either.The Daughters of the American Revolution, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the warriors of the American Legion all described American soldiers as selfless heroes with clean-shaven faces and neatly trimmed hair.The college students in the 1970s were full of doubts. Could it be that there really was such a time when people could be proud of wearing military uniforms, carrying rifles, and thinking it was justified to shoot and kill? Such an era does exist, and these people belong to this era.The infantry in Europe was by the winter of 1943 a proven fighter, considered skilled even by Alexander the Great and Napoleon.These infantrymen are not as brazen as they are (or rather, they are not as bragging as they are said to be. People who have fought do not believe the legends of these famous generals), and if they have ranks, they will not wear them on the front line. Put on the epaulets, because the German soldiers on the front line (everyone called Kraut) are happy to snipe officers.American soldiers did not shave or cut their hair during the war, not because they wanted to be Flowerchildren, another name for hippies. —Translator, but because they have no razor, shaving cream, mirror, hot water, or time. After two weeks of torrential rain in Italy, crouching in mud-filled foxholes, dodging enemy bombs, tanks, grenades, bullets, flamethrowers, booby traps, high explosives, phosphorescent bombs, and more, one Man looks like a tramp.His behavior is often not very civilized.He would shit in full view of his peers, and there were a lot of people who were interested in him doing it and commented there.He spoke obscenely and was particularly rude to people who hadn't been to the front (calling them "bastards from the rear echelon").The clothes of these soldiers were damp and moldy, and they would tear easily, and sometimes they had a foul smell.But most of all, he's mentally jaded.Some people take years to recover from boredom, others never recover. When it was all over, the generals awarded each other honors and congratulations--it sounds a bit sarcastic to say that, but soldiers would say that, and if you don't know how far they see through everything, you can't understand theirs.At this time, a civilian employee of the Quartermaster Corps conducted a historical survey and found that in World War II, an average American soldier carried 84.3 pounds a day.This made him the most heavily loaded infantryman in the history of warfare.This figure will startle some people, including the generals.It is unforgivable that the generals do not know.But those who have been soldiers will not be surprised by this at all. He knows that he has become a beast of burden.When entering the front line, he puts on or takes his military uniform, helmet and helmet pads, M-1 rifle, dagger, water bottle, entrenchment tool (a tool with both shovel and pick), bayonet, first aid kit, bullet belt, among which Each bag holds rifle magazines, two straight straps across the shoulders for spare ammunition, grenades attached to the belt, backpack straps with backpacks containing ponchos, larks, fire strips, lunch boxes, cigarettes, Lighters, paper, family letters, all kinds of military dry rations—C and K, or canned ham denim produced by Heinz Company, which has won the Army and Navy Production Excellence Award Flag.In addition, he has to share the large armament of his combat unit, such as Browning automatic machine guns, or machine gun tripods, Browning light or heavy machine guns or tripods, or 60 or 80mm mortars or gun mount. These are must-haves.He was supposed to be wearing a gas mask, but he threw it away before leaving North Africa.There could be no more weight on his back.The War Department just wanted him to memorize more.Not because of being sadistic, but because he thinks he needs more than that.He should have a blanket at night, and a half canopy, so that he and the other soldier's can get together and stay out of the rain at night.In fact, what he needs most is a few more pairs of socks.Without socks to change, mud gets on your feet, and over time, it can turn into trench foot disease.The pain in his feet was unbearable, and he couldn't walk, so he had to climb to the emergency station of the battalion headquarters. The doctor cut open the shoes, and his feet were swollen to the size of footballs.Sometimes only amputation is required.This is sometimes the case with frostbite.In the later period of the war, some specially cared-for divisions were issued "boots" to keep them dry.But nothing can replace socks for warmth. These mud-covered, strange-looking fighters are most worried about not these, but the German artillery.On one occasion, the Yankee, a weekly GI magazine, quoted a corporal as saying: "These guns are not forgiving! Some people say: You don't have to bend over when you hear the shells roaring, because it's too late. But anyway, we still Bow down. Mortar shells hit the mark almost silently, but the silence is also scary. Because we need to know where the shell landed.” Among the Nazi cannons, the most feared was the Krupp 88.At times, the cannon almost seemed to bend.At that time, American soldiers thought that there was nothing more powerful than this "sent mail" (German artillery shells).But those guys wearing Iron Cross medals on the opposite hill don't necessarily see it that way.By 1944, the "send mail" in the United States had radar-guided rockets, radio-fuzed shells, and an incendiary sprayed by a flamethrower.The combustion agent was jointly developed by Harvard University chemists and Mobil Oil Company technicians.It soaks soap powder and gasoline together, called napalm. Roosevelt once said that it was a pity that no one had given the war an appropriate name, which revealed his true thoughts.He himself wanted to call it "The War of Tyrants".He also thought it was a pity that there were no such touching songs as "Tiperali" and "Over There" during the World War I.This can reveal the trump card. It turns out that this is what the commanders-in-chief and five-star generals think.If the American soldiers heard it, they might boo and object.In their view, it is enough to number the world wars.If, since it would be demeaning to call them GIs, having numbers as war numbers would have lessened their honor, they accepted anyway.This is fair! Walter Johnson once pointed out that although the book written by Eisenhower was titled "Expedition to the Continent", the war in the European battlefield did not have the spirit of expedition.The disillusionment caused by the First World War made any subsequent slogans and demonstrations lose their appeal. "The economy is depressed and the scars are still there. Those who felt that the future was bleak in difficult times, in this war, they feel that the future is even more bleak. The pursuit of honor in the youth has been replaced by the determination to defeat the enemy. There is no doubt about the justice of this cause, but the people of the whole country are fighting with a sullen face." It's interesting that two of the most famous comic book characters who portrayed American soldiers in Europe weren't funny.War can sometimes be too absurd to believe, and if the European battlefield is absurd, the two characters Willie and Joe look at it with a smile.But on most occasions they are melancholy.The painter wrote an article explaining at the time: "We don't need someone to indoctrinate, or tell us that there is a war. We know that there is a war because we have seen it with our own eyes. We don't like war at all. But we don't Not many soldiers deserted, so the hype was superfluous." Despite this, it is strange to say that from the point of view of voluntarily going to war, there is no generation of young people in history who are more mentally prepared than them.Volunteer only because they know the job must be done.That's how they see war: it's a job, a dirty, disgusting job.But if you are a young, ruddy, well-nourished, nervous boy, what can you do but go to war? Surely there are people who refuse to go to war.Robert Lowell was an example of a conscientious objector.In his imagination he could see victims of the air strikes losing limbs and legs, and he didn't want to be a part of it.But not many people see it like him.Even if there were, most of them would not be willing to give the world to Hitler. Dr. Henry Coffin, then president of Concord Theological Seminary (later his nephew also became a pastor of Yale University), said: "The seminary will not be a refuge for those who escape from the conscripts." In a generation, most people agree, even those who detest violence.Had he been in the Vietnam War, he would have taken a different stance.Because the nature of the two wars is completely different.Among the casualties in Vietnam, the proportion of those from poor families was astonishing. Before 1972, college students were exempt from military service.When they graduated, they all learned to exploit the various loopholes of the conscription law.But in World War II, anyone who was healthy went.Lieutenant Colonel Henry Lodge commanded tanks in the African desert, William Nolan was a major in France, Hank Greenberg, the famous Detroit professional boxer, was a second lieutenant, Jimmy Stewart and Clark Gabriel was an Air Force officer, Walter Winchell and John Ford were naval officers, John Houston was a major, Darryl Zanuck and Frank Capra were lieutenant colonels, and Jackie Cogan was a Glider pilot.Paul Douglas was forty years old and still in the army, serving in the Marine Corps as a private.Others who volunteered were Joe DiMaggio, Red Skelton, Robert Montgomery, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Henry Fonda, Louis Hayward, Tyrone Power, and David Neil. arts.Henry Lodge, William Nolan were later Republican senators, Jimmy Stewart and Clark Gable were famous movie actors, Walter Winchell was a famous broadcaster, John Ford was a famous movie director , John Huston is a famous film director, Darryl Zanuck is a film producer, and Frank Capra is a famous film director.Jack Cogan was originally a child actor in the movie.Paul Douglas is a Senator. Joe DiMaggio is a famous baseball player, Red Skelton, Robert Montgomery, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Henry Fonda, Louis Hayward, Tyrone Power and David Niven All famous movie actors. ——Translator January 1942, Joe Louis Joe Louis, a black man, was the national boxing champion of the year. ——The translator took 2:55.6 in the boxing match to knock down Buddy Bell.After giving all his earnings to the New York branch of the Naval Pension Society, he enlisted in the Army himself—despite the astonishment that throughout World War II, the Red Cross divided blood into "white men." Blood" and "Negro's blood" are packed in different containers.Joe Louis might have hesitated if there had been color in the fighting, and the rich and privileged had stayed in safe places.But they did not stay in safe areas.The president's son, Captain Franklin Roosevelt Jr., who was honored for bravery in the naval battle off Casablanca, was then an artillery officer on a destroyer.Major Glenn Miller was randomly martyred.Also killed were Ensign Wells Lewis, son of Sinclair Lewis, and Ensign Peter Lehman, son of Herbert Lehmann of New York. . —Translator; Sergeant Peter Saltonstall, son of a Massachusetts senator, Joseph Kennedy, Jr., son of a diplomatic ambassador, and youngest son of Harry Hopkins--Eighteen-year-old Stephen Hopkins. The boys at the front saw it in the bulletin boards (small and ad-free) of the Stars and Stripes and the Yankee or Time and New Yorker.They are as proud of America's Democratic Army as they are of America's Corps of Engineers, able to build a trapezoidal bridge overnight, and the Naval Corps of Engineers, who turned Ascension Island's The mountain was bulldozed and a mile-long airport was built.Notwithstanding this, they seldom boast of their country, not even among their own kind.They took a tough, nonchalant stance and got through what was meant to be.They never enjoy the enjoyment of the front echelon that they enjoy in the rear echelon-movies, Bob Hope Bob Hope, movie comedians. - Translator's Show, Red Cross Girls - There are complaints.However, if the whining develops into bitterness, they teach the complainer a lesson.They'd taunt him and say, "Go get the chaplain," or "Damn it," or "Fuck you, do you think the army is like home?" Any topic that can be used for everyone to complain together is extremely popular, and everyone feels relish.Of course, the K-9 regiment is a good target.The same goes for women's team members.They told me, I told you, that these guys slept with officers. "Hey, do you know about that Halsey thing? He gave a 'wave'. "WAVE" is an acronym for members of the U.S. Navy Women's Volunteer Emergency Service Corps.—Translator rushed under the bridge."( There's no acronym for female Marines, the Marines call them BAMs - Big Ass Marines; women, not to be outdone, fight back and call them HAMs - Hairy Butt Marines Clan.) But it is domestic advertisements that most cause people to complain or laugh out loud.One of the reasons they have a problem with the bulletin boards of the newspapers is that they don't have advertisements, and they want to see them, and they write home specifically to ask for them.Madison Avenue Madison Avenue in New York is the center of the American advertising industry. ——They are always eager to see what the translator is going to do next. But if the Madison Avenue story is to be believed, what they did was to win the war.A typical ad has the headline: Best Gift for Mothers! The first two paragraphs of the ad state that the gift is a sulfa drug.But when you read the third paragraph, you will know that the advertiser is an air-conditioning equipment company.It turned out that the reason why sulfonamides could be synthesized was because the air-conditioning equipment allowed scientists to work comfortably.This is a brilliant move.Another company that snatched up business did not show weakness, claiming that they also made a contribution to sinking a Japanese cargo ship with a torpedo.Because the American submarine's periscope was polished in an air-conditioned workshop, "it was the air-conditioning that made the blow possible." Another ad said, "Fertilizers can win wars." The boys thought, if that was the case, Madison Avenue was doing well.A bearing manufacturer told people in the rear not to worry, American soldiers can "drive home safely on the road" because he still uses military bearings.Sugar was used to kill Nazis.There are no castor beans in the home medicine kit because they were sent to Anzio.The tobacco leaves of Lucky brand cigarettes were also used in warfare.The steel from the old man's brand blade is used to make the bayonet.The alarm clock should ensure that the generals act on time.Some advertisements said: "To win the air battle, cotton cloth can help", "No matter the attack, the wire is the backbone", "Heavy equipment is playing a role in cleaning up the ruins and building a better future world." effect".In one poster, a soldier is lying in a hammock.The manufacturer of the metal parts said: "This shaker will never fall off, because the clamp is 30% stronger than the specified strength." In short, the more interesting the advertisement text, the more the soldiers love to read it. .However, some advertising tunes can be said to be wicked.For example, a New York cemetery deliberately chooses to broadcast its commercials after a fierce battle in a foreign country.After the soldiers discovered this situation, the advertisement was quickly closed.Another unbelievable ad advised parents to buy a good brand of glasses so they could recognize their son returning from the front.As a result, a large number of "victory" mail letters of angry protests came like a snowflake and were sent to the advertiser's desk.Another aircraft company advertisement asked the question: "Who is afraid of the Fokker Wulf?" A pilot from a base in the Army Air Corps wrote to the company and said: "We are afraid." Sign below, even the commander is no exception. The most famous ad during the war was "The Boy from the Top Four".It describes a soldier, lying on a sleeper in a sleeper car, recalling the "smell of ground beef steak and popcorn ... the drive of a convertible race car ... and a little dog called Pooh Pooh, or little Madara, or Hate Bill".It went on: "He got a lump in his throat and maybe tears in his eyes. But that's all right, lad. No one sees you...it's too dark..." Of course, the soldiers thought that was a lot of nonsense, too.But at least this ad is doing a good thing (asking everyone to give up their seats for soldiers who are out), which is like calling on everyone to buy war bonds, not to buy things on the black market, collect scrap iron, or if you know news of troop transfers, "keep your mouth shut." The soldiers will ignore these propagandas in silence and will not react.But what really amuses them is the blatant use of war for personal gain by some people.For example, some advertisements said that if each person chewed a few more pieces of Willigly gum every day, wartime production would increase.Or the ad for women's corsets at Montessori Clothing, showing a member of the Army Women's Corps saying, "Don't call yourself patriotic!" The sergeant stood at attention and reported that "fleas were found and have been eliminated." Another ad, "Angel in Muddy Boots," stands out in its own right.In the poster, a nurse leans over a wounded soldier.The advertiser seemed to have guessed the soldier's mind: "I remember you...you are the girl who walks fast and laughs...you are the kind of girl I like...you are not Not always in these mud-stained boots. Once, you were running on a summer lawn in brand new, light shoes..." As he spoke, the writer of the ad began to dream: "Yes , she grew up...you know her mud-stained boots. Those skilled craftsmen and women...made her sandals in bright colors and then made them for her Tough and strong boots that allow this nurse to step in the mud and walk through the rain... War breaks out and these same shoemakers create the arctic shoe for the nurse, the arctic shoe for the soldier, the jungle boot, the flying boot, the slip-resistant on deck Nautical boots, arctic felt boots, etc... one day, there will be girls running around on sunny lawns with summer in their hearts and rainbows in their feet.” Of course, the ad was drafted人不是要她们穿什么“彩虹”的，所以他说：“穿着玩玩的鞋子又会上市的，记着这个商标罢!……”不知怎的，大家还是把这个商标忘掉了。 这个“穿着沾满泥浆靴子的天使”的广告之所以很煞风景，那就是它利用了步兵们在心灵深处对爱情生活和战后和平的憧憬这种不轻易向外人道的感情。士兵各有不同，他们的憧憬倒是异常一致的。他们都曾在密布特勒式地雷的田野上一跳一跃地前进，笨拙的样子是自古以来步兵的特点。这样，他们相互之间就越来越相似了。威利和乔可能是一对双生子，威利的鼻子大点，乔的鼻子小点，有时连创作者本人也会把他俩弄错了。但是由于他们处境相似，忧患与共。他们对什么是理想的未来，已形成共同看法。这与头条新闻、突破敌阵、钳形攻势等等，都不相干；那是将军们所考虑的战争。另外一种战争，正像约翰·斯坦贝克所说的，是那些“想家的、厌倦的、滑稽可笑的、冲锋陷阵的普通士兵的战争。这些人在钢盔里洗袜子，抱怨吃得不好，向阿拉伯女郎吹口哨，或者说，见到什么女郎都吹口哨。他们硬着头皮把世界上这件最讨厌的勾当勉强熬过去，不失幽默、尊严和勇气。”这是比尔·莫尔丁所描绘的战争，这是厄尼·派尔美国战时记者。——译者所报道的战争，这是塞德·萨克美军《星条旗报》的漫画人物。——译者所经历的战争。这是那些把《扬基》周刊的蓓蒂·葛莱宝和丽塔·海华丝的封面女郎视同珍宝的人的战争，是邮政局长法兰克·沃克完全无法理解的战争。他竟然认为《老爷》杂志会引起大兵们的色情肉欲，因而下令禁止邮寄。 这场战争，使他们渴望温柔和爱情、美人和温暖，渴望有真人来代替封面女郎，渴望有一个真正的家，而不是以军队为家。当时刚从史密斯学院毕业的贝蒂·弗里登后来回忆说：“妇女也和男人一样追求家室儿女之乐，希望梦想成为令人慰藉的现实。我们都是脆弱的、想家的、寂寞的、心惊肉跳的。”范妮·赫斯特写道：美国女子“正在倒退……向着'家庭'倒退”。在欧洲，美国大兵们郁郁不乐地哼着从德军防线后面播出的“李莉·玛莲娜”的旋律，那是一首最动人的战时歌曲，对哪一国的兵都具有感染力： 在兵营前，在大门边， 点着一支灯，她站在灯前。 在那儿，我们再次相见， 我们要在灯下站着， 李莉·玛莲娜呀，一如往昔， 李莉·玛莲娜呀，一如往昔。 而在国内，姑娘们都在翘首瞻望战后的世界，她们听到的歌是： 我一人走路真孤独 因为，说句实话，我感到寂寞。 寂寞，对我说来没什么， 要是我心里知道，你 也是感到寂寞。 或者是： 苹果开花时， 我俩相见相亲， 相见相亲， 你的姓换上了我的姓! 五月天， 天气晴； 太阳亮晶晶， 今天好太阳，晒得新娘子好高兴! 可能因为前线与后方之间通信频繁，不管是在欧洲战场或者是太平洋战场的青年男女不但切望同样的未来，连未来生活的细节也往往想法一致。房子要有白色的围篱，离学校不太远，可以走路上学。女的要有一箱子银餐具，而当过大兵的则要有个自己的小室。他们会一起收拾花园。他大概每天要乘车去上班，因为他们住在宁静的郊区里。当然，他们会有孩子的，这些孩子幼时惹人喜爱，上学后聪明伶俐，到了十多岁便出人头地。中学毕业后，他们就会在全国最好的大学读书，这时，他们的父母是会非常非常引为自豪的。