If You Survive by George Wilson: A US Army Officer in the European Theatre in WWII
If You Survive, written by George Wilson, is a first person account of a US Army officer in the European Theatre during the Second World War. His account took place over an eight month period of constant combat which began days after the Normandy landings and up to the Battle of the Bulge. Wilson’s story begins as a young infantry lieutenant right out of Officer Candidate School, who was sent to war as a replacement officer. Only a few days after the Normandy landings, his regimental commander informs the group of replacement lieutenants that if they survive their first battle he will promote them. During Wilson’s eight months of combat, he served with F Company of the 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division. As a platoon leader and eventually as a company commander, he fought at famous battles at St. Lo, the Siegfried Line, Hurtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. Throughout his missions in Northwestern Europe, he tells his story by including endless accounts of heroism, weakness, and stupidity, revealed by all types of soldiers he encountered. Despite his ever-changing surroundings, Wilson was still able to always place the mission first, never accept defeat, and never leave a fallen comrade. At some point in the Hurtgen Forest, Wilson was separated from one of his platoon leaders and riflemen. This predicament resulted in his decision to run across a field with a handful of his men into a tree line where he thought his platoon leader might be. After taking heavy fire from enemy cannons crossing the field, they finally reached the tree line. No sign of his platoon leader or riflemen, instead there was several German soldiers digging a Tiger tank about fifty yards below their position. Instead of assaulting the vulnerable German soldiers, Wilson decided to stick to the mission of finding his own men. “Very slowly we backed off. We didn’t have a bazooka, and we couldn’t be distracted from our main purpose of finding the only