Wretschko t1_j9i0kt9 wrote on February 22, 2023 at 2:46 AM

Getting "Await Further Instructions" vibes from this image.

Wretschko t1_iwoioj7 wrote on November 17, 2022 at 3:58 AM

Reply to TIL: WW1 Armistice Day was Nov 11th, fighting was to cease at 11:00 AM. An American solider charged a German machine gun nest with 16 mins left, and died at 10:59 AM. The last soldier to die in WWI. by wats6831

A major general ORDERED his officers to keep attacking despite knowing that the armistice was going to take place in hours and he didn't care that his junior officers might get killed as a result.

"Because he had taught English, [Maj. Gen. Charles P. Summerall, Pershing’s commander of the V Corps] prided himself that he possessed a literary turn of phrase. “We are swinging the door by its hinges. It has got to move,“ he told his subordinates as he ordered them to cross the Meuse River on the war’s last day. “Only by increasing the pressure can we bring about [the enemy’s] defeat. ... Get into action and get across.“ His parting shot was: “I don’t expect to see any of you again, but that doesn’t matter. You have the honor of a definitive success — give yourself to that.“"

What a dick.

Excellent article about the Armistice Day clusterfuck by American commanders that apparently led to nearly 7,000 needless deaths from the Army Times.