McGillick 1

BRCOURT MANOR ASSAULT

OPERATION OVERLORD

ALEXANDER MCGILLICK
TEAM ONE
AVC3 17-004
01 OCTOBER 2017
 McGillick 2

CONTENTS

THESIS 3

HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 3

SETTING THE STAGE 4

RECONNAISSANCE AND INITIAL SKIRMISH 6

ANALYSIS OF THE RECONNAISSANCE AND INITIAL SKIRMISH 8

ATTACK GERMAN POSITIONING AREA FOR ARTILLERY (PAA) 10

ANALYSIS OF THE ATTACK ON THE GERMAN (PAA) 14

DESTRUCTION OF THE GERMAN BLOCKING FORCE 16

ANALYSIS OF THE DESTRUCTION OF THE GERMAN BLOCKING FORCE 17

CONCLUSION 19

BIBLIOGRAPHY 20

Thesis
 McGillick 3

E (Easy) Company, 506th Infantry Regiment accomplished the assault

on Brcourt Manor through the employment of the Characteristics of the Offense, and

Captain Richard Winters ability to exercise the Mission Command Principles. Easy

Companys masterful employment of audacity, concentration, tempo, and surprise

culminated in a victory over a superior force.1 Winters successfully applied the Mission

Command Principles of building a cohesive team through mutual trust, creating shared

understanding, exercising disciplined initiative, and accepting prudent risk.2 The

application of the Characteristics of Offense and the Mission Command Principles

ultimately drove Easy Company to win a tactical battle at Brcourt Manor. Easy

Companys victory significantly contributed to the overall strategic success of Operation

Overlord. The assault on Brcourt Manor consists of three specific tasks: conduct

reconnaissance, attack German Positioning Area for Artillery (PAA), and the destruction

of the German blocking force.

Historical Introduction

Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy.3 It was a

major operation that led to the successful invasion of German-occupied Europe.

Operation Overlord began with a beach assault; code named Operation Neptune.

Operation Neptune consisted of 1,200 aircraft, 5,500 vessels and 160,000 troops.3 The

massive assaulting Allied force failed to meet their objectives on the first day of battle

but slowly gained ground when they successfully captured the port city of Cherbourg.

The 7th German Army mounted a counter-attack which ended with more than 50,000

1 Offense and Defense ADRP 3-90. (2012). Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office.
2 U.S. Army Mission Command. ADRP 6-0. (2012). Washington D.C. Government Printing Office.:
Department of the Army.
3 Blumesnson, Martin. Breakout and Pursuit. Washgton D.C.: Department of the Army, 1961, pp.36-40.
 McGillick 4

German soldiers killed and the rest surrounded.3 The Allied armies launched a sub-

operation of Overlord, Operation Dragoon. Operation Dragoon resulted in the liberation

of Paris.4 With the German Army crippled and suffering heavy losses, they retreated

across the Seine river, marking the end of Operation Overlord.

Setting the Stage

Five hours after the invasion of Normandy commenced, glider aircraft and C-47s,

fully loaded with paratroopers from the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions, launched into

the night sky.5 Their objective: disrupt German defensive lines, destroy communication

assets, and seek targets of opportunity. Anti-aircraft batteries covered the beachhead

and disrupted the Allied advance. This forced inexperienced pilots to deploy their

paratroopers as soon as they started receiving antiaircraft fire. The pilots gave their

cargo the green light and dropped the 101st and 82nd Division all over the peninsula.

Most paratroopers never reached the drop zone. Instead, they spent the night trying to

rally together and form some semblance of a cohesive fighting force.6 This left Soldiers

from entirely different divisions to band together and make the most of their situation.7

Unfortunately, this chaos resulted in many paratroopers death or capture.

4 Nieuwint, J. (2017). Operation Overlord - In Color!. [online] WAR HISTORY ONLINE. Available at:
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/operation-overlord-in-color.html [Accessed 4 Oct. 2017].
5 Warfarehistorynetwork.com. (2017). 82nd Airborne at Sainte-Mere-Eglise. [online] Available at:

http://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/82nd-airborne-at-sainte-mere-eglise/ [Accessed 14 Sep.

2017].
6 Warfarehistorynetwork.com.
7 Warfarehistorynetwork.com.
 McGillick 5

The following morning, the heavy German resistance attempted to block the

massive invasion of Allied forces from the sea.8 Pill boxes, underwater obstacles,

barbed wire, mines, and artillery threatened to halt the Allied advance. The American

landing craft on Utah beach were taking affective indirect fire from a German 105mm

artillery battery. These guns were in a fortified battle position in a field just north of an

estate called Brcourt Manor. The artillery battery was directed by a forward observer

on the beach providing corrections by telephone, the accuracy was deadly and proved

to be a problem for the Allied landing.9

The assault on Brcourt Manor was an expertly led and executed offensive.

Captain Hester ordered Easy Company to destroy the German artillery, he hoped this

would provide the assaulting Allied military the freedom to maneuver. Despite a chaotic

night of taking intermittent contact from enemy patrols, a small contingent of Easy

Company managed to band together and gradually generate combat power by

integrating non-organic Soldiers. Easy Company continued to move south toward Le

Grand Chemin. Soon after arriving at Le Grand Chemin Easy Company received their

orders to destroy the German artillery emplacement and continue to Brcourt Manor.10

Captain Winters received the verbal order, organized his small thirteen-man patrol,

planned, and led the assault.11 One of Winters team leaders on the assault, Sergeant

Carwood Lipton stated, "The attack was a unique example of a small, well-led assault

8HISTORY.com. (2017). D-Day - World War II - HISTORY.com. [online] Available at:

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day [Accessed 14 Sep. 2017].
9 Warfarehistorynetwork.com
10Warfarehistorynetwork.com
11Warfarehistorynetwork.com. (2017). Warfare History Network Free Briefings Dick Winters and the

Band of Brothers. [online] Available at: http://warfarehistorynetwork.com/free-briefings/dick-winters-and-

the-band-of-brothers/ [Accessed 17 Sep. 2017].
 McGillick 6

force overcoming and routing a much larger force. It was the high morale of Easy

Company men, the quickness and audacity of the frontal attack, and the fire into their

positions from different directions that demoralized the German forces and convinced

them that they were being hit by a much larger force.12 Brcourt Manor lies on an

island separated by the Waal and Rhine River and is located near Arnhem.

An overview of the Island, on October 5th the 101st Airborne was

responsible for three quarters of the Island but were supported by
British units. The British 50th Division was responsible for the area on
the right. The crossroads battle took place in the red circled area. (WAR
HISTORY ONLINE. Available at: https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-
articles/easy-company-crossroads-battle-explained.html)

Reconnaissance and Initial Skirmish

The first task that Easy Company had to complete was to locate the German

Army. The purpose of this reconnaissance was to gain enough intelligence to begin

formulating a plan to assault the German fortification. The German Army forced the 1st

Infantry Division to withdraw from the Oosterbeek area, this allowed the Germans to

occupy the hilltop and keep the allies under constant artillery bombardment during their

movement to the island. 13 Captain Dick Winters established his command post at

12 Ambrose, S. (1998). The victors. London: Simon & Schuster.

13 REED, P. (2017). Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery. [online] Battlefieldsww2.50megs.com. Available
at: http://battlefieldsww2.50megs.com/oosterbeek_war_cemetery.htm [Accessed 1 Oct. 2017].
 McGillick 7

Randwijk and maintained contact with his patrols via runner and radio. This left a wide

area for his relatively small company to defend and left their position open to infiltration

from German patrols.14 On October 5th, Captain Winters dispatched a five-man patrol

led by Sergeant Youman. His orders were to conduct a reconnaissance of the riverbank

to the south and report any enemy movement or positions. Winters had everyone drop

everything except their guns, ammunition and grenades.15 When Sergeant Youman

and his four-man patrol reached the dike, they were immediately confronted with

accurate MG42 machine gun fire and hand grenades.16 All five men were wounded, and

their radio was damaged. The small reconnaissance element had no choice but to

withdraw to Easy Companys command post. The report of an infiltration initially

confused Captain Winters, leading him to organize a patrol and investigate for himself.

With daylight fast approaching, Captain Winters ordered his men to move as quickly

and quietly as possible. Winters small patrol discovered the German artillery in a

fortified position and firing from a trench behind a hedgerow. Winters saw the attack as

a high payoff target, the key to this opportunity was initiative, an immediate appraisal of

situation, the use of terrain to get into the connecting trench and taking one gun at a

time.17 After further reconnaissance and analysis, Easy Company discovered the

German machine gun emplacement just over the hill. The German fortification

resembled an L-shape with zigzagging trenches connecting each gun pit. Captain

14 Nieuwint, J. (2017). Easy Company - Band of Brothers - The Crossroads Battle Explained. [online]
WAR HISTORY ONLINE. Available at: https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/easy-company-
crossroads-battle-explained.html [Accessed 16 Sep. 2017].
15 Koskimaki, G. (2013). D-Day with the Screaming Eagles. Casemate Publishers, p.203-231.

16Nieuwint, J.
17Ham, M. (2017). D-Day: On the Beaches, Over the Cliffs, and Behind the Lines. [online] Student News
Daily. Available at: https://www.studentnewsdaily.com/editorials-for-students/d-day-on-the-beaches-over-
the-cliffs-and-behind-the-lines1/ [Accessed 1 Oct. 2017].
 McGillick 8

Winters ordered Sergeant Dukeman and Corporal Christenson to ready the 30-caliber

machine gun and prepare to fire.18 Captain Winters moved down the line and assigned

each of his men a target, initiating contact with the command, ready, aim, fire. Winters

small detachment from Easy Company killed all seven German soldiers instantly.19

Analysis of the Reconnaissance and Initial Skirmish

This first skirmish during the assault on Brcourt Manor illustrates Captain

Winters skillful use of the Mission Command Principles; building a cohesive team

through mutual trust, creating shared understanding, exercising disciplined initiative,

and accepting prudent risk. Before leading his Soldiers into combat, he had spent

months training, building a cohesive team, and nurturing a mutual trust between each

Soldier, founded on individual competence. The brutal physical and mental training he

put his men through directly prepared his Soldiers to fight in such an austere

environment. Additionally, he never asked anything from his men that he would not do

himself; leading by example also contributed to the mutual trust each Soldier had for

one another. Through his daily demonstration of leadership and care for his men he

gained their trust, and conversely, each Soldiers trust for one another grew. This

consistent and dependable sharing of hardships and danger with his men built a

dependable team with trust as their foundation. During the engagement on the German

machine gun emplacement, Captain Winters ensured that each Soldier had a shared

understanding and appreciation for their objective. He accomplished this by individually

assigning targets to each man and communicating his direction to the lowest level

18 Ambrose, S. (2001). Band of brothers. New York: Simon & Schuster.

19 Ambrose, S.
 McGillick 9

possible. Shared understanding is often difficult for commanders to create. However,

through the daily collaboration and the strong personal connections he nurtured with his

men, he built a shared understanding early and maintained it throughout the battle.

Captain Winters specifically developed a target priority scheme and fire distribution plan

for each Soldier, this level of detail allowed his platoon to exercise disciplined initiative.

His soldiers fully understood their commanders intent and their limits, thereby enabling

them to execute a disciplined initiative and follow Winters guidance. This assessment of

the situation allowed his detachment to effectively attack a much larger and fortified

force. Captain Winters accepted the prudent risk of losing the lives of his Soldiers as

well as his own to eliminate a German artillery battery. Winters ran a simple cost benefit

analysis and determined that the risk to his own men was worth the payoff of destroying

the German artillery. He knew that other unsuspecting Soldiers would lose their lives if

Easy Company did not annihilate the German position. Through the skillful use of these

Mission Command Principles, Captain Winters could collectively exercise disciplined

initiative by accepting the risk of assaulting the German machine gun to successfully

complete their objective. Easy Company ambushed the Germans with precision

because of their detailed fire distribution plan. Easy Companys ability to utilize the

Characteristics of Offense: audacity, concentration, tempo, and surprise allowed the

company to seize the decisive point in the operation, which created a marked

advantage and shaped the conditions for their success.20 Winters knew that when a

numerically inferior force must confront a larger force, if handled with audacity and

20 Offense and Defense ADRP 3-90.

 McGillick 10

boldly, the situation can allow for significant success. After sustaining casualties, Easy

Company was still able to maintain their audacity and overwhelm a numerically larger

force by boldly attacking the enemy. Despite being numerically overmatched, Easy

Company exercised concentration by focusing their available firepower. By

concentrating their available fires, they rapidly and accurately eliminated the enemy.

Captain Winters took great care to concentrate his smaller force and make a calculated

attack. Easy Company flawlessly executed a surprise ambush on the unsuspecting

Germans. Winters knew he was attacking a physically tired and likely mentally

unprepared enemy. Surprise significantly aided Easy Company in killing the first seven

Germans in their assault. Despite taking some casualties, Easy Company maintained

their tempo by immediately pursuing their attackers and fighting them on their own

terms. Winters application of the Characteristics of the Offense, through Easy

Company, allowed them to defeat the Germans.

Attack German Positioning Area for Artillery (PAA)

Overview of the 3 assault columns supported by light machine

guns. (WAR HISTORY ONLINE. Available at:
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/easy-company-
crossroads-battle-explained.html)
 McGillick 11

Following the squads attack on the German machine gun emplacement the

small patrol started to receive sporadic small arms fire. The patrol, led by Captain

Winters, bounded back behind the dike along the river. Captain Winters assessed the

attacking Germans force to be at least a Company sized element. Easy Company

discovered that the German fortification included not two, but four, 105mm guns

connected by a trench network defended by MG42 crew served weapon emplacements.

21 While the squad held their position, and took cover behind the dike, Captain Winters

made a radio call back to one of his Platoon Leaders, Lieutenant Welsh. Captain

Winters ordered him to reinforce the pinned down squad with the rest of 1 st Platoon,

Easy Company, and a section of machine guns from the Easy Company command

post. While Captain Winters squad waited for reinforcements, Sergeant Dukeman was

killed by a rifle grenade, initiating a fierce firefight.22 The Germans were in a superior

fighting position that was comprised of fortified trenches. Captain Winters platoon was

in a shallow ditch, that left him no choice but to seize the initiative and attack. Captain

Winters organized the platoon plus sized element into three squads. His plan was to

form a pincer movement, also called a double envelopment.23 According to his plan,

Winters would take one squad up the middle while the two other squads would

simultaneously flank the German position. Captain Winters arranged the three squads

into files, separated by two 30-caliber machine gun emplacements. 24 In a ruthless

21Kingseed, C. (2017). Major Dick Winters: GENUINE LEGEND, GENUINE MAN. America in WWII.
[online] Available at: http://www.americainwwii.com/pdfs/dick-winters-feature-june-2011.pdf [Accessed 22
Sep. 2017].
22Nieuwint, J.
23Valorstudios.com. (2017). "Silencing the Guns" shows Dick Winters and his Band of Brothers at
Brecourt Manor.. [online] Available at: http://www.valorstudios.com/Dick-Winters-at-Brecourt-Manor.htm
[Accessed 2 Oct. 2017].
24 Nieuwint, J.
 McGillick 12

display of audacity, Easy Company received the order to fix bayonets.25 Captain

Winters was the first across the field, closely followed by the rest of his platoon. Each

squad moved across the open field as a smoke grenade signaled the machine gun

teams to lay down a base of fire. The assaulting squads sprinted in three separate

columns across the 200 yards of open field to reach the German trench line. 26 Because

of their audacity and ability to maintain the initiative, the German company was

unprepared. Captain Winters was the first to arrive at the German position, firing two

clips into the retreating Germans before taking fire and joined by the rest of Easy

Company. The Easy Company assault element formed a base of fire on line and

began firing into the retreating German ranks supported by two 30-caliber machine gun

positions.

Easy Company firing on the retreating German ranks. (WAR

HISTORY ONLINE. Available at:
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/easy-company-
crossroads-battle-explained.html)

Captain Winters tasked Lieutenant Peacock to flank the left side of the German

fortification and Staff Sergeant Talbert to take the right.27 Once Easy Company had

25Warfarehistorynetwork.com
26Warfarehistorynetwork.com. (2017). Major Dick Winters: The Island In His Own Words. [online]
Available at: http://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/major-dick-winters-the-island-in-his-own-words/
[Accessed 17 Sep. 2017].
27 Warfarehistorynetwork.com
 McGillick 13

established a foothold and rejoined Lieutenant Peacock, they repositioned their .30

caliber machine gun emplacements to the newly established front.28 Private Joe

Liebgott and Cleveland Petty continued to provide a base of fire while Second

Lieutenant Compton, Private Malarkey and Sergeant Guarnere attacked the German

guns right flank. Lieutenant Lipton later stated, and then, just like in the movies, I saw

Compton and Guarnere running in and throwing grenades with almost every step. 29

Captain Winters ordered his platoon to continue engaging with small arms while he

coordinated fire support from friendly artillery assets. This combined arms integration

assisted the outnumbered Allied force in achieving the upper hand. Easy Companys

execution of the double envelopment enabled the destruction of the first gun

emplacement. Easy Company reorganized for their assault on the second 105mm gun

emplacement. Winters led the assault and successfully destroyed the second gun

position, taking only a single casualty. With two of the four guns destroyed, Winters

ordered his machine gun element to position themselves to suppress the MG42 from

across the field.30 Easy Company destroyed the third gun emplacement and sustained

again one casualty. One 105mm gun was still operational and Captain Winters ordered

the final assault. The German platoon was in total disarray, Easy Companys ability to

maintain their tempo allowed them to move on the final gun and render the German

artillery useless. 31

28 Warfarehistorynetwork.com
29 Koskimaki, G. (2013).
30 Freerepublic.com. (Formally www.brecourtassault.com) (2017). The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Lt.

Richard Winters at Brecourt Manor - (6/6/1944) - Jan 21st, 2004. [online] Available at:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-vetscor/1062013/posts [Accessed 1 Oct. 2017].
31 Offense and Defense ADRP 3-90.
 McGillick 14

Analysis of the Attack on The German (PAA)

Easy Company displayed the mastery of the Characteristics of Offense in this

phase of the battle through their projection of audacity, forward tempo, and surprise

enabled them to achieve victory. 32 Their assault on the German fortified position was

high risk and could have resulted in the destruction of their entire formation. The

attackers had to overcome fortified German defensive positions, machine gun bunkers,

artillery, rested soldiers, and a better equipped stockpile of weaponry. Easy Company

was at a tactical disadvantage, but their application of the Characteristics of Offense set

the conditions for their victory. Audacity was crucial during this phase of their assault on

the German PAA. Audacity is inherently necessary for any offensive operation, but even

more so when fighting a numerically superior enemy that has well established defensive

fighting positions. By boldly attacking the German fortification, Easy Company

compensated for their numerical inferiority. Easy Company charged into the German

positions, overwhelming them, and attacking them from multiple fronts. This bold

maneuver caused the Germans to believe they were being attacked by a superior force

and allowed Easy Company to easily overwhelm them. Winters organized his men in a

simple manner that allowed them to concentrate their combat power through his use of

a double envelopment formation without massing a huge force. This use of

concentration also was substantial in their victory because it allowed the most efficient

use of the combat power Easy Company had at their disposal. Easy Company surprised

the Germans defending the PAA by striking at a time and place the enemy wasnt

expecting. Easy Company charged into the German trenches, throwing grenades and

32 Offense and Defense ADRP 3-90.

 McGillick 15

engaging the enemy in close combat. Surprise contributed most significantly to the

destruction of the German PAA. Winters employment of his Soldiers through the double

envelopment allowed Easy Company to surprise the Germans by varying their direction

of attack and causing psychological shock and reducing the coherence of their counter

attack. It was essential for Easy Company to maintain their tempo to prevent the

Germans from organizing and recovering for the psychological shock their surprise

assault had caused. Captain Winters plan for their assault was simple and easily

executed. His use of the Mission Command Principles: building a cohesive team

through mutual trust, creating shared understanding, exercising disciplined initiative,

and accepting prudent risk played a significant role in Easy Companys victory. Easy

Companys symphony of destruction on the PAA is the most obvious example of a

cohesive team. Without radio communication or visual contact, they moved as a single,

methodical unit through the German defensive positions. Winters created a shared

understanding of their key tasks and allowed him to maintain disciplined initiative with a

substantially smaller force.33 When Winters clearly briefed the adjacent squads on his

plan, this cultivated a shared understanding and a successful assault. The very nature

of Winters plan forced his other leaders to leave his direct control. However, he enabled

his subordinates to exercise disciplined initiative in the absence of direct orders when

they were separated in the German trenches. Winters accepted the risk of separating

his already smaller force for what he saw as a tactical advantage by outmaneuvering

the Germans and overwhelming them on three different fronts. Their initial machine gun

suppression allowed the three squads to maneuver, unchallenged, to a more

33 U.S. Army Mission Command. ADRP 6-0.

 McGillick 16

advantageous position and directly engage the retreating German force. Despite

fighting in the enemys own trenches, Easy Company surprised their foe and was able

to monopolize on the chaos caused before the enemy could mount an effective counter

attack or defense.

Destruction of the German Blocking Force

Overview of the final phase in Easy Companys attack on the

remaining German element. (WAR HISTORY ONLINE. Available at:
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/easy-company-
crossroads-battle-explained.html)

Easy Companys final task and purpose was to remove the Germans from the

island. Easy Company had successfully destroyed the artillery battery but several MG42

machine gun nests remained.34 Winters wanted to remove the Germans from the island,

but he knew that he had sustained too many casualties. Winters pulled the machine

gunners back first and Private Malarkey fired a 60mm mortar while a machine gun team

setup and suppressed a likely German location.35 The Germans had reinforced their

position with an additional company. Captain Winters knew that equipped with a platoon

plus sized element and after taking several casualties after the last engagement, it was

unlikely they could survive another fight. He radioed to the Easy Company command

34 Ambrose, S. (2004). Band of brothers. New York: Simon & Schuster.

35 Ambrose, S
 McGillick 17

post to request Fox companys support. 36 Upon the arrival of the platoon from Fox

Company Captain Winters briefed the two platoons on the concept of the operation.

One platoon would advance toward the German position on-line while the other

platoon would establish a base of fire and cover their movement. The first platoon would

then serve as the base of fire while the second platoon advanced. This use of bounding

over watch allowed them to navigate over 600 yards of open terrain. 37 The opposing

force was well equipped, prepared and drastically outnumbered Easy Company, even

after receiving tactical control (TACON) over an additional platoon of reinforcements.

Using the same tactic of bounding over watch, Winters elected to live and fight another

day. Winters ordered Easy Company to break contact and retrograde to Le Grand

Chemin. 38

Analysis of the Destruction of the German Blocking Force

Military historians and tacticians often cite The Brcourt Manor Assault as a

perfect and classic example of expertly executed small unit tactics and leadership

overcoming a larger enemy unit. 39 Easy Companys action at Brcourt Manor was a

textbook infantry assault. Easy Company had lost four men and two wounded. Winters

and his men had killed 15 Germans, and wounded several more; in short order they had

eliminated the 50-man platoon of elite German paratroopers defending the guns, and

scattered the gun crews.40 Easy Companys assault on a fortified force by employing the

36 Nieuwint, J.
37 Nieuwint, J.
38 Nieuwint, J
39 Landavazo, Julian. "The Effectiveness of Allied Airborne Units on D-Day." (2011).

http://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hist_etds/43 [Accessed 1 Oct. 2017]

40 Freerepublic.com.
 McGillick 18

double envelopment tactic is studied at the United States Military Academy and many

Reserve Officer Training Corps units around the United States. Easy Companys

merciless display of the Characteristics of Offense, to include audacity, concentration,

tempo, and surprise, contributed to their success. Winters later explained, after several

years of analysis of their actions, that their natural adrenaline, coupled with the

elements of surprise and audacity, compensated for some foolish mistakes.41 Winters

constantly studied military doctrine and tactics, and as a result he understood small unit

tactics. In the final phase of the assault when Easy Company attempted to push the

remaining Germans off the island, Winterss knew it was a big risk. To successfully

employ the characteristic audacity it is imperative to know when and where to take

risk. Winters knew that Easy Company would sustain heavy losses and their primary

mission a success, therefore, he correctly withdrew his Soldiers. For a smaller unit to

overcome a larger enemy force he knew that, initiative, an immediate appraisal of the

situation was paramount.42 Captain Winters seemingly infallible application of the

Mission Command Principles by building cohesive teams through mutual trust, creating

shared understanding, exercising disciplined initiative, and accepting prudent risk

played a crucial role in their victory that cannot be understated. Winters believed that his

ability to lead his men was a product of how he lived and utilized basic leadership

principles. He gained their respect early in his time as their leader by living and

integrating with his Soldiers. By simply being present, he understood his men, and they

understood him. Outside of an operational context and on a personal level, he created a

41 Winters, R. and Kingseed, C. (2008). Beyond band of brothers. New York: Berkley Caliber.
42 Winters, R. and Kingseed, C.
 McGillick 19

shared understanding between himself and his men. In an operational context, Winters

had the innate ability to devise a sound plan and ensure his entire team could execute

the plan by describing it in the simplest of terms. Captain Winters later wrote in his

memoir that, once the battle began it was their discipline and collective training that

overcame individual and unit fears. 43 The time, energy, and effort they had invested

into challenging training paid off when the bullets started flying, enabling his team to

maintain a disciplined initiative. Winters described the events that transpired as simply

laying down a base of fire to cover the assault. 44

Conclusion

What Captain Winters left untold is his astute ability to lead by example; one of

the most powerful leadership tools any leader has at their disposal. In all, Captain

Winters received the Distinguished Service Cross. The men of Easy Company who

participated in the assault received Bronze and Silver Stars. Several different

organizations have attempted to upgrade Captain Richard Winters award to a

Congressional Medal of Honor but have been unsuccessful. Captain Winters and Easy

Company went on to conduct several more missions and contributed significantly to the

war effort.

43 Winters, R. and Kingseed, C.

44 Kingseed, C. (n.d.). Conversations with Major Dick Winters. Dutton Caliber; Reprint edition.
 McGillick 20

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 McGillick 21

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