Vine Entanglements Colonel Liversedge, U. S. Marine Corps, New Georgia: “The Japanese used a prickly native vine for entanglements. The vines were interwoven and used to protect defensive positions in lieu of barbed wire. Results were effective and impeded attack. Vines had to be cut before progress could be made.
“Our own troops should be instructed in the use of these vines as a means of improvisation when wire is not available.”
SECTION V
HINTS ON THE HEINIE
Reverse Slope Tactics Second Lieutenant S. W. Malkin, Infantry, Platoon Leader, Sicily: “Enemy machine guns, mortars, and automatic rifles were located on the reverse side of the hills so as to catch our advancing infantry as they came over the skyline.”
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Don’t Gawk! Private George Scott, Infantry, Sicily: “Several times German planes pretended that they were involved in a dog-fight to secure the attention of the ground troops. Then they swooped down in a strafing run.”
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Traps and Mines Private First Class Edward Borycz, Infantry, Sicily: “The enemy abandoned his tanks with motor running. When we tried to stop the motors they blew up.
“The Germans would put a mine in a road with another mine a sufficient depth under it so that it would not be seen if the top mine were removed. For a while our sappers did not run the mine detector over the area again where the first mine had been found. But after the dirt became packed down sufficiently by traffic, the second mine would go off.”
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