11 Jan 2023 Garand Picture of the Day

[Mark in Rochester]

February 24, 1944: WWII “Merrill’s Marauders” enter Burma - Maj. Gen. Frank Merrill’s guerrilla force, nicknamed “Merrill’s Marauders,” begin a campaign in northern Burma. They were the first U.S. ground troops on the Asian mainland.



Merrill’s Marauders trudging through the Burmese jungle. (Photo: Life Magazine)

Information

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[CINDERS]

Did they have sterilisation tabs for water generally issued WWII or was it just take a chance on it, in WWI some of our boys got so thirsty they took water from shell holes.
In one of my books on that conflict a soldier was drinking the water he had just gathered from a rather large shell hole and a German corpse bobbed to the surface!!!

Though the 2 conflicts were streets apart they shared a common theme as far as I gathered from my readings on conflicts your mates were everything to you.
I should say that maxim holds true for todays soldier.

[Daan Kemp]

Sterilisation tabs were issued but you only had so many. Resupply couldn't always keep up.

[Bob Seijas]

Back in the day as a Merrill broker, I had a customer who was with the Marauders. He said they lost far more guys to disease than actual fighting, including a large number who went nuts.

[Mark in Rochester]

He said they lost far more guys to disease than actual fighting, including a large number who went nuts.

http://www.marauder.org/casualty.htm

Battle Deaths 93
Non Battle deaths 30
Wounded in Action 293
MIA 8

Total 424 14%

Dysentery 503
Typhus 149
Malaria 296
Psychoneurosis 72
Fevers 950

Total 1970 66%

[browningautorifle]

Those are staggering non-combat casualties.

[jond41403]

Did they have sterilisation tabs for water generally issued WWII or was it just take a chance on it, in WWI some of our boys got so thirsty they took water from shell holes.
In one of my books on that conflict a soldier was drinking the water he had just gathered from a rather large shell hole and a German corpse bobbed to the surface!!!

Though the 2 conflicts were streets apart they shared a common theme as far as I gathered from my readings on conflicts your mates were everything to you.
I should say that maxim holds true for todays soldier.

Yes, I have a still sealed bottle of halazon tablets dated 1945 so I'm sure they were used before then

[Mark in Rochester]

[jond41403]

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...letsAbbo-1.jpg

That is exactly the bottle I have!

[Sarge1998]

Coincidence? Yesterday the movie Objective Burma (45) was on TCM here, the movie had a scene that dealt with purifying their water. As good as the movie was for Errol Flynn fans it was not without it's fault's. A few decades ago I became aware of one of the controversies that ended with the movie being pulled from viewing in Britain and the Colonies, best described here as found in Wikipedia.

"Even though it was based on the exploits of Merrill's Marauders, Objective Burma was withdrawn from release in the United Kingdom after it infuriated the British public. Prime Minister Winston Churchill protested the Americanization of the huge and almost entirely British, Indian, and Commonwealth conflict ('1 million men')."

"Objective, Burma! London 1945 premiere was remarkable: At a line in the script, (by an American, to the effect) "We should head north, I hear there might be a few brits somewhere over there" - The entire (English) audience walked out in outrage. It got a second release in the United Kingdom in 1952 when it was shown with an accompanying apology. The movie was also banned in Singapore although it was seen in Burma and India."