Preface
Tony
Anton Suppes (Tony) was the oldest brother in a family of eight brothers and sisters. Depending upon who you are, he goes by dad, grandpa, papa, uncle Tony, or Tony. The respect that was shared for Tony by family is that of being a good man and patriarch for years. He did not speak much of the war and did not participate in memorial or veteran’s day events.
Tony’s part in WWII history is tied to a WWII history that has not been well documented. Part of the lack of documentation is due to the speed with which it happened and due to the extraordinary success in the form of low casualties. That campaign is part of Patton’s biography, and the army’s history is often referred to as the Victory Division due to the manner in which Patton’s army made fast progress from the start of August until V-Day Europe nine months later.
Tony was the eyes, ears, gunner, and interpreter of the lead tank of a five M8 reconnoiter tanks with four crewmen in each tank. When asked if he was ever on the front lines of the war, his response was that he spent his entire deployment at or behind enemy lines. All crewmen made it through the campaign at or behind enemy lines. His squadron (led by Lt. Walson, beside Tony in the lead tank) was certainly in a position to influence the extraordinary success of the Victory Division.
This is much of the rest of the story. The squadron did their job as expected, and much more. Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of lives were saved.
Tony came out of the war drinking and smoking, and did not talk about what he went through. The habit of smoking cigarettes was made easy for the service men, smoking was encouraged as a way to calm nerves without diminishing performance. He smoked incessantly after the war. In about 1963, and while gathering with neighbors at the house next door; Tony started coughing in a manner that seemed like it would not end. It scared him. That event along with the desire to live to see his newborn son grow up caused Tony to stop smoking. He progressed from cigarettes, to cigars, to pipes, to chewing tobacco, to chewing gum, and then none of the above.
Tony died at age 94. None of the complications leading to his death could be attributed to either smoking or drinking. All but one of dad’s five brothers also died at age 94. The last (Eugene) died in 2020 at the age of 94 while in a retirement home where the cause of death was documented as Covid 19.
Patton’s Western Europe Campaign
Patton Western Europe Campaign from July 31, 1944 until V-Europe day on May 8, 1945. It was debatably the most successful and definitive in history. The German army had superior tanks and a momentum of repeated victories. And while key events are included in Patton’s biographies; the five-tank reconnoiter squadron led by Lt. Walson was unique in its point position from embarking on the beaches of Normandy through the Battle for the Retake of Bastogne through the end of the Western Europe Campaign.
Patton’s Victory Division is often associated with relatively light casualties, which is often presumed to be due to a lighter resistance than encountered by Monty and General Brady. The alternative explanation is a brilliance in strategy, aggression, and the right people in the right spots to quickly overcome the very capable and fierce German forces. The facts support this latter explanation where over 100,000 German soldiers were surrounded in Falaise Pocket (north-central France) by Patton’s well- equipped 5th army. About half of those 100,000 soldiers were captured and the rest abandoned most of their equipment.
Another factor in Patton’s advance was the French underground. The French underground and their families were in imminent danger. The pressure was on to rescue the French underground. Of course, the term “rescue” a misnomer, once the end was in sight; that French underground gave it “their all” for themselves, their families, their country, and the allies.
Patton deployed a reconnaissance strategy that was not repeated in subsequent wars. Patton used lightly armored tanks on wheels (not tracks) designed for speed and more stealth to lead his forces. The tanks were in groups of five with crews of four. The tanks proceeded forward to locate the enemy, which can be a serious problem if those four tanks are on the move and the enemy is waiting for them—this was a large factor on their rapid phasing out.
This is the story of a group of five tanks that lead Patton’s forces throughout the campaign. They were one of a three groups of five tanks who alternated turns taking the lead for their spearhead, but their group seemed to see the brunt of decisive advances. This is the story as conveyed over the decades following the war by Anton Suppes (“Tony”) who as the gunner, German Interpreter, eyes and ears, and backup driver; in the lead tank and beside commander Walson.
Tony was the right person in the right place. He was brilliant in the capacities where he was placed. He was not brilliant in other capacities, like geography and history. Tony was also a victim of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder syndrome). Tony was at peace with having to follow orders and that his actions were part of a larger effort that saved tens of thousands of lives at the end of the day, but he had to deal with engaging his enemy at close range. He was also a father who did not want to glorify war. Most of his years were silent on the war, and what he did say took years to put together.
First Person Narratives
The author of this book is the youngest of Tony’s (and Agnes’) six children, who from oldest to youngest are: Duane, Carol, Terry, Sheila, Ivan and Galen. I was born in 1963 when Tony was age 45 and with the next-youngest child 9 years older. Tony was a farmer before and after the war, and when Agnes started her shift-work job in 1969; Tony had the burnt of raising me. Tony spoke little of the war before all my brothers and sisters had married and left. I and a few non-family members bare witness to Tony’s recollection of the war. Discerning the validity of what Tony said is based on a consistency of certain accountings through the years and the details of the accountings. For this reason, several sections are written in “first person” by the author.
Anton Suppes (Tony) was the oldest brother in a family of eight brothers and sisters. Depending upon who you are, he goes by dad, grandpa, papa, uncle Tony, or Tony. The respect that was shared for Tony by family is that of being a good man and patriarch for years. He did not speak much of the war and did not participate in memorial or veteran’s day events.
Tony’s part in WWII history is tied to a WWII history that has not been well documented. Part of the lack of documentation is due to the speed with which it happened and due to the extraordinary success in the form of low casualties. That campaign is part of Patton’s biography, and the army’s history is often referred to as the Victory Division due to the manner in which Patton’s army made fast progress from the start of August until V-Day Europe nine months later.
Tony was the eyes, ears, gunner, and interpreter of the lead tank of a five M8 reconnoiter tanks with four crewmen in each tank. When asked if he was ever on the front lines of the war, his response was that he spent his entire deployment at or behind enemy lines. All crewmen made it through the campaign at or behind enemy lines. His squadron (led by Lt. Walson, beside Tony in the lead tank) was certainly in a position to influence the extraordinary success of the Victory Division.
This is much of the rest of the story. The squadron did their job as expected, and much more. Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of lives were saved.
Tony came out of the war drinking and smoking, and did not talk about what he went through. The habit of smoking cigarettes was made easy for the service men, smoking was encouraged as a way to calm nerves without diminishing performance. He smoked incessantly after the war. In about 1963, and while gathering with neighbors at the house next door; Tony started coughing in a manner that seemed like it would not end. It scared him. That event along with the desire to live to see his newborn son grow up caused Tony to stop smoking. He progressed from cigarettes, to cigars, to pipes, to chewing tobacco, to chewing gum, and then none of the above.
Tony died at age 94. None of the complications leading to his death could be attributed to either smoking or drinking. All but one of dad’s five brothers also died at age 94. The last (Eugene) died in 2020 at the age of 94 while in a retirement home where the cause of death was documented as Covid 19.
Patton’s Western Europe Campaign
Patton Western Europe Campaign from July 31, 1944 until V-Europe day on May 8, 1945. It was debatably the most successful and definitive in history. The German army had superior tanks and a momentum of repeated victories. And while key events are included in Patton’s biographies; the five-tank reconnoiter squadron led by Lt. Walson was unique in its point position from embarking on the beaches of Normandy through the Battle for the Retake of Bastogne through the end of the Western Europe Campaign.
Patton’s Victory Division is often associated with relatively light casualties, which is often presumed to be due to a lighter resistance than encountered by Monty and General Brady. The alternative explanation is a brilliance in strategy, aggression, and the right people in the right spots to quickly overcome the very capable and fierce German forces. The facts support this latter explanation where over 100,000 German soldiers were surrounded in Falaise Pocket (north-central France) by Patton’s well- equipped 5th army. About half of those 100,000 soldiers were captured and the rest abandoned most of their equipment.
Another factor in Patton’s advance was the French underground. The French underground and their families were in imminent danger. The pressure was on to rescue the French underground. Of course, the term “rescue” a misnomer, once the end was in sight; that French underground gave it “their all” for themselves, their families, their country, and the allies.
Patton deployed a reconnaissance strategy that was not repeated in subsequent wars. Patton used lightly armored tanks on wheels (not tracks) designed for speed and more stealth to lead his forces. The tanks were in groups of five with crews of four. The tanks proceeded forward to locate the enemy, which can be a serious problem if those four tanks are on the move and the enemy is waiting for them—this was a large factor on their rapid phasing out.
This is the story of a group of five tanks that lead Patton’s forces throughout the campaign. They were one of a three groups of five tanks who alternated turns taking the lead for their spearhead, but their group seemed to see the brunt of decisive advances. This is the story as conveyed over the decades following the war by Anton Suppes (“Tony”) who as the gunner, German Interpreter, eyes and ears, and backup driver; in the lead tank and beside commander Walson.
Tony was the right person in the right place. He was brilliant in the capacities where he was placed. He was not brilliant in other capacities, like geography and history. Tony was also a victim of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder syndrome). Tony was at peace with having to follow orders and that his actions were part of a larger effort that saved tens of thousands of lives at the end of the day, but he had to deal with engaging his enemy at close range. He was also a father who did not want to glorify war. Most of his years were silent on the war, and what he did say took years to put together.
First Person Narratives
The author of this book is the youngest of Tony’s (and Agnes’) six children, who from oldest to youngest are: Duane, Carol, Terry, Sheila, Ivan and Galen. I was born in 1963 when Tony was age 45 and with the next-youngest child 9 years older. Tony was a farmer before and after the war, and when Agnes started her shift-work job in 1969; Tony had the burnt of raising me. Tony spoke little of the war before all my brothers and sisters had married and left. I and a few non-family members bare witness to Tony’s recollection of the war. Discerning the validity of what Tony said is based on a consistency of certain accountings through the years and the details of the accountings. For this reason, several sections are written in “first person” by the author.