The following story is a passage taken from one of my favorite WWII books of all time, Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose. It tells the story of an action by the 82nd Abn. div. near Ste. Mere-Eglise the day after D-day. it is just one of the thousands of battles fought in Normandy during the campaign. I have the cite at the end of the story just to make everyone clear on the fact that this is from a book. Post freely:

"To the west, inland from Utah Beach, on the morning of June 7, Lt. Wray's foray had broken up the German counterattack into Ste. Mere-Eglise before it got started. By noon the Germans were dropping mortar shells on the town. Pvt. Jack Leonard of the 82nd was in a foxhole that took a direct hit. His stomach was blown away. His last words were, 'God damn the bastards, they got me. The Hell with it.'
That afternoon E Company, 505th PIR, moved out to drive the Germans farther back. Those who participated included Sgt. Otis Sampson, an old cavalry soldier with ten years in the army, by reputation the best mortarman in the division, something he had proved on D-Day; Lt. James Coyle, a platoon leader in the 505th PIR; and Lt. Frank Woosley, a company executive officer in the 505th. In some ways the experience they were about to have-fighting in the hedgerows-typified what others were going thorugh that same day, or would be experiencing in the days to follow; in other ways they were atypically lucky.
The company had two tanks attatched to it. Lt. Coyle's order was to take his platoon across the field and attack the hedgerow ahead, simple and straightforward enough. But Coyle had been in Normandy for a day and a half, and he knew this wasn't Fort Benning. He protested. He explained to his CO that the Germans dug into and behind the hedgerows and they would exact a bloody price from infantry advancing through a field, no matter how good the men were at fire and movement.
Coyle figured there had to be a better way. He recieved permission to explore alternate routes. Lt. Woosley accompanied him. Sure enough, Coyle found a route through the sunken lanes that brought the Americans to a point where they were looking down a lane running perpindicular to the one they were on. It was the main German position, inexplicably without cover or observation posts on its flank.
The paratroopers were thus able to observe an unsuspecting German battalion at work. It had only arrived at the position a quarter of an hour earlier (which may explain the unguarded flank) but it already had transformed the lane into a fortress. Communication wires ran up and down. Mortar crews worked their weapons. Sergeants with binoculars leaned against the bank and peered through openings cut in the hedge, directing the mortar fire. Other forward observers had radios and were directing the fire of heavy artillery from the rear. Riflemen at the embankment had also cut haloes through which they could aim and fire. At the near and far corners of the lane, the corners of the field, German heavy machine guns were tunneled in, the muzzles of thier guns just peeking through a small hole in the embankment, with crews ready to send crisscrossing fire to the front.
That was the staggering firepower Coyle's platoon would have run into, had he obeyed without question his original orders. Because he had refused and sucessfully argued his point, he was now on the German flank with his men and two tanks behind him. The tanks did a nintey-degree turn. The men laid down a base of rifle and machine gun fire, greatly aided by a barrage of mortars from Sgt. Sampson. Then the tanks shot thier 75mm cannon down the lane.
Germans fell all around. Sampson fired all his mortar shells, then picked up a BAR. 'I was that close, I couldn't miss,' he remembered. 'That road was thier death trap. It was so easy I felt ashamed of myself and quit firing. I felt I had bagged my quota.'
The German survivors waved a white flag. Coyle told his men to cease fire, stood up, walked down the lane to take the surrender. Two grenades came flying over the hedgerow and landed at his feet. He dove to the side and escaped, and the firing opened up again. The Americans had the Germans trapped in the lane, and after a period of taking casualties without being able to inflict any, the German soldiers began to take off, bursting through the hedgerow and emerging into the field with thier hands held high, crying, 'Comrade!'
Soon there were 200 or so men in the field, hands up. Coyle promptly went through the hedgerow, to begin the rounding-up process, and promptly got hit in the thigh with a sniper's bullet, not badly but he was furious with himself for twice not being cautious enough. But he had great self-control, and he got the POWs gathered in and put under guard. He and his men had effectively destroyed an enemy battalion without losing a single man."

-Stephen Ambrose, Citizen Soldiers, 1997 by Ambrose-Tubbs, Inc.

Excellent, excellent book. Read it if you can.

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"Live as brave men; and if fortune is adverse, front its blows with brave hearts." - Cicero

did you know the 82 a/b divs origional dz on d-day was caen..lee.

ultra had descovered the location of a german div near the base of the cherbourg peninsular,so gen bradley moved the d/z of the 82nd to st.mere-eglise,against the advice of tedder and lee-mallory.montgomery and eisenhower however,agreed with bradley.i often wonder what if the 82nd did land in its original caen area.a big what if indeed.lee..

Great quote, must go back and re-read Citizen Soldiers. I'm not a major Ambrose fan but I do like that book.

-SC

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"DO NOT BE DAUNTED IF CHAOS REIGNS! It undoubtedly will."
-Brigadier James Hill, 3rd Parachute Brigade