The View from the Turret

by William B. Folkestad

The View from the Turret is two books in one. First is the story of how volunteers and draftees, most of whom came from the American Midwest's small towns and farms, adjusted to the technological demands of a modern tank battalion in combat. This is the story of their battalion's continuously adapting its weapons and tactics to the reality of battle with the new Sherman M4. In addition, William Folkestad has given us a tank commander's eye view of the fights at D-Day on Omaha Beach, the struggles in the bocage of Normandy, the Battles of Mortain and of the Bulge, all of which culminated in the Siegfried Line breakthrough and the day and night fighting for Germany itself. Tank battalions like the 743rd were trained and equipped to support the infantry to which they were attached. They operated under quite different conditions than the more famous armored divisions of World War II. Separate armored battalions had to stay with their infantry, which forced them into static battles, often a