"CONCERNING SCHOOL SOLUTIONS AND HISTORICAL INACCURACY" |
THE INFANTRY SCHOOL MONOGRAPHS
After the war, a number of officers who had served in the 503d attended the Advanced Officers Course at Ft. Benning. Not surprisingly, some wrote their course monographs reflecting upon their personal 503d PRCT experiences. Some illustrated their experiences on Corregidor. Although their monographs deserve careful consideration, they were part of a specific assessment process, and were not written for the purposes of creating historical documents of record. They were written specifically to bring out tactical principles which were being studied, and there was no weighing of tactical principals against historical accuracy. That purpose does not, repeat not, include the creation of a balanced and accurate source of history. As those who attended the Infantry School will always remember, the bottom line is the ‘school solution.’ Some accounts of fire support and attack can be added or altered in order to bring out tactical principles. The Authors cannot be faulted from writing to the ‘school solution,’ - though in doing so, embellishments, speculations and fanciful episodes can and did creep in. These monographs are not the primary documentation of history and they were never meant to be - and so it must follow that their contents should not be allowed to form that history. Read them for background and familiarity by all means, read them for the military and command principles that they contain - but recognize they are flawed as historical documents, and never quote them as such. |
|
|
"OPERATIONS OF THE SECOND BATTALION ON CORREGIDOR" by Maj. John H. Blair, III.
Of the monographs, this is the most precise and reliable. |
|
|
"OPERATIONS OF 503D PARACHUTE REGIMENTAL COMBAT
TEAM IN THE CAPTURE OF CORREGIDOR ISLAND ,
16 FEBRUARY - 2 MARCH 1945 by Capt. Donald A. Crawford
Personal Experience of a Regimental Assistant S-1, which emphasizes the planning perspectives of the operation. |
|
|
"OPERATIONS OF 503D PARACHUTE
INFANTRY
REGIMENT IN THE MARKHAM VALLEY, 1-7 SEPTEMBER 1943
Personal Observation of a regimental Parachute Officer, which emphasizes the aerial supply aspects of the operation. A reliable recollection. |
|
|
"THE
OPERATION OF COMPANY ”E”, 503D PARACHUTE REGIMENT
Severe accuracy problems concerning the 'school solution' render this paper unreliable as a historical source. The paper is not supported by the eyewitnesses, especially concerning the attack upon Battery Monja and the death of Lt. Emery Ball. Annotated by the Authors.
A special commentary on Capt. Hill's map illustrations is available. |
|
|
"OPERATIONS OF THE SECOND BATTALION ON CORREGIDOR" by Lt. Edward T. Flash
Severe accuracy problems concerning the operations by E Company at Wheeler Point, particularly where it relies on the "Personal Knowledge of Capt. Hill." Entirely wrong when it announces the taking of the battery at Wheeler Point, which was never taken. |
