Chapter 15 Summary and Analysis

"We'll Start the War from Right Here" examines the 4th Division's amazing success in the first zone assaulted from the sea. The chapter title comes from Brig. Gen. Roosevelt's (apocryphal) pronouncement upon discovering they are a half-mile off target. Plans call for thirty-two "swimming" tanks to land at 0630, followed by the 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry, aboard twenty Higgins boats divided between Tare Green and Uncle Red beaches. The second wave of thirty-two Higgins boats follows five minutes later, bringing ashore more infantry plus demolition teams. The third wave, ten minutes later, brings bulldozer tanks and "regular" Shermans. The fourth wave, two minutes later, brings Engineer Combat Battalions (ECBs). Tides, wind, waves, and smoke contribute to the snafu, but the loss of three out of four LCCs (see previous chapter) is the primary factor. Higgins boats outrun the slow tanks. Roosevelt is...