This video is a deep dive into the tactics, techniques, and procedures of the WWII rifle platoon in the attack. A platoon's-eye view of offensive combat covering everything from recon by fire to withdrawal, including a look at infantry replacements, ammunition load, and the "Four F's" of fighting. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 00:45 Historical Context 6:14 Platoon in Combat 7:15 Phase 1 – Contact with the Enemy Unlikely 7:47 Phase 2 – Contact Expected, But Enemy Location Unknown 9:59 Phase 3 – Enemy Presence Known 14:02 Phase 4 – Aimed Small-Arms Fire Encountered 23:52 Phase 5 – Enemy Located and Engaged (Platoon Maneuver) 38:19 Phase 6 – Assault, Pursuit by Fire, Reorganization, Pt. 1 41:17 How Much Ammunition did a WWII Soldier Carry? 43:22 Phase 6 – Assault, Pursuit by Fire, Reorganization, Pt. 2 52:33 Phase 7 – Continuation of the Attack 53:06 Phase 8 – Organization and Defense of Ground 54:59 Withdrawal 56:56 Conclusion *Note: I have included this helmet-tapping arm-and-hand signal for the sake of completeness, though I am aware it may not have been used during WWII. This illustration was originally sourced from the 1 February 1946 edition of FM 22-5 (the first update to that manual since 1 December 1943). As late as February 1945 infantry leaders were being instructed to signal Cover the Advance (Withdrawal) with: "Commence Firing. Following any order for a movement, or maneuver, this signal automatically indicates that the designated squad (team) is to cover the movement of the remaining squads (teams) by fire." Sometime in the intervening year the arm-and-hand signal depicted in this video was adopted. It may have been introduced at the tail-end of WWII, or it may not have actually entered the U.S. Army's visual signals vernacular until 1 February 1946. Minor Note: That word at 15:47 is obviously meant to be "alliterative"; I couldn't tell you what happened to the "-ive." As always, I only notice these kinds of things while working on the closed captioning AFTER the video has gone public...