The response can only be called incredible. On December 17 alone, 11,000 trucks and trailers carried 60,000 men, plus ammunition, gasoline, medical supplies, and other material, into the Arrdenes. In the first week of the battle, Eisenhower was able to move 250,000 men and 50,000 vehicles into the fray. This was mobility with a vengeance. It was an achievement unprecedented in the history of war. Not even in Vietnam, not even in the 1991 Gulf War, was the U.S. Army capable of moving so many men and so much equipment so quickly. (174)
As to be expected from reading a war novel, I find myself examining the book through the historical lens. It seems as though my original prediction about the book was indeed correct, although the reader-response lens has taken a back seat. Perhaps this is because I can no longer relate as well to the soldiers' war experiences. The novel claims to provide a history of Easy Company in World War II, however the author's description of the war in general seems extremely detailed, as evidenced by this passage. The author's extensive research shines through his writing in spots like these.
