How a US Lieutenant’s “Cylinder Trick” Killed 2 German in 40 seconds and Saved His Trapped Platoon

Описание: Discover why Second Lieutenant Vernon Baker, a black officer in a segregated unit explicitly dismissed by his own division commander Major General Edward M. Almond as inherently "prone to cowardice" and denied a steel helmet by regimental logistics, shattered the stalemate at the "Triangle of Death," single-handedly dismantling the German defensive network that had repelled three previous American assaults to become the most lethal soldier on the Italian front.

Learn about the tactical reality of April 5, 1945, at Castello Aghinolfi, where the 92nd Infantry Division faced the western anchor of the Gothic Line. This analysis reconstructs the engagement at 0700 hours, detailing how Baker utilized a standard issue M1 Garand to neutralize a reinforced concrete observation post through an eight-inch firing slit, effectively blinding German artillery batteries in the valley. Examine the specifications of the weaponry employed, from the 9.5-pound semiautomatic rifle used to eliminate the initial spotters to the white phosphorus grenades—burning at 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit—deployed to clear concealed machine gun nests. The narrative tracks the disintegration of Baker’s weapons platoon, Company C, 1st Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment, which sustained seventy percent casualties, dropping from twenty-five men to just six effectives under 50mm mortar bracketing and sniper fire. Further investigation highlights the command failure of Captain John F. Runyon, the retrieval of German MG42 machine guns for use against their former owners, and the subsequent "walkover" capture of the castle by the 473rd Infantry Regiment due to the devastation Baker inflicted. The text also scrutinizes the bureaucratic suppression of Baker’s Medal of Honor for fifty-two years, citing the 1996 federally funded review of 1.2 million service records that exposed the statistical impossibility of zero African American recipients during the war, leading to his eventual vindication by President Bill Clinton on January 13, 1997.

This case study deconstructs the intersection of combat effectiveness and social prejudice, revealing a stark lesson on how tactical improvisation and individual competence can overcome both entrenched enemy fortifications and the systemic institutional failures of a segregated military hierarchy.

Perfect for students of small unit tactics, World War II researchers, and anyone investigating the combat record of the Buffalo Soldiers or the 92nd Infantry Division.

Subscribe for more in-depth military history analysis.