16-236 Garand Picture of the Day - Belgium. 23 December 1944.

[Mark in Rochester]

A U.S. Army soldier rests in his foxhole in freezing temperatures during the Siege of Bastogne. The Siege of Bastogne was an engagement in December 1944 between American and German forces at the Belgian town of Bastogne, as part of the larger Battle of the Bulge. The goal of the German offensive was to reach the harbor at Antwerp. In order to reach it before the Allies could regroup and bring their superior air power to bear, German mechanized forces had to seize the roadways through eastern Belgium. Because all seven main roads in the Ardennes mountain range converged on the small town of Bastogne, control of its crossroads was vital to the German attack. The siege lasted from 20 December 1944 to 27 December 1944, after which the besieged American forces were relieved by elements of the U.S. Third Army (United States Army Central), resulting in an Allied victory. Near Bastogne, Province of Luxembourg, Wallonia, Belgium. 23 December 1944. Image taken by Robert Capa.

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[Paul S.]

Infantry - sleep when you can and where you can.

[matthanne1]

frozen ground makes it hard to get any deeper, too.

[CINDERS]

Looks like he has pulled in a bit of what ground cover there is for a bit softer lay and a tad of insulation from the frozen earth.

[Flying10uk]

Many years ago, it was suggested to me that a good place for a soldier to sleep in the field was the rut in the ground that is created when a heavy tracked vehicle such as a M.B. Tank moves over soft ground. I thought at the time, and still do, that the only problem with this idea is if another vehicle moves over the same bit of ground during the night while you are asleep.

Do soldiers actually sleep in track ruts often while in the field?

[matthanne1]

No and I did not let my soldiers do so either, for precisely the same reason. Then when we went to Desert Storm, we all slept in the vehicles anyway.

[browningautorifle]

Many years ago, it was suggested to me that a good place for a soldier to sleep in the field was the rut in the ground that is created when a heavy tracked vehicle such as a M.B. Tank moves over soft ground.

As stated, that is strictly forbidden. No sleeping under, around vehicles or in roads or wheel ruts. Never, never, never. We usually didn't sleep inside them either but there were times...the driver specially...