Quote Originally Posted by PanzerJaeger View Post
The regimental history is the farthest removed from Ambrose's account.

You can almost see the evolution of the story. In the interview given to Marshall directly after the battle, Winters silenced the guns with tanks and significantly more men. A month later, his Distinguished Service Cross was given for taking out two of the guns with seven men, withdrawing, and returning with tank support for the other two. By the time Ambrose tracked him down for an interview years later, the tanks had been completely scrubbed from the story and it turned into a scene from Saving Private Ryan.
Is there any record of which tanks where involved? Surely they would also record their own ops. Would be interesting to triangulate the sources.

There are interesting parralels and key points where the stories seem to diverge and come back together in the BoB version, i.e. when Winters' attack falters, his unit gets low on ammo and the squad from D company reinforce them. I can see how these smaller elements might contain a nugget of truth but were amplified.

Another thing that strikes me is the reference both in BoB and what STFS posted above - that the assault on Brecourt Manor is "taught to this day" to Cadets at West point. What is the version that they teach I wonder? Does it involve taking out a whole battery or 2 guns with infantry alone or tank reinforcement?

Throughout his testimonies/interviews on BoB, Winters comes accross as highly respectful of the men he served with. I do think it would be surprising if he were to be inflating his own record at the expenses of comrades, particularily fallen ones.