Don Levine (April 1, 1928 – May 22, 2014) was a business executive at toy manufacturers Hasbro credited as the "father" of G.I. Joe action figures .
80-613: Donald Levine was born in Elmhurst, New York to the late Ralph and Mildred Levine. He graduated Syracuse University. He was an avid tennis player competing in the Jr. Davis Cup and representing the US Army in tournaments in Asia during his military career. As Hasbro's head of research and development, Levine guided G.I. Joe through its design and development after receiving the conceptual idea from
160-565: A Providence, Rhode Island hospice. He is survived by Nan, his wife of nearly 60 years. They have three children and four grandchildren. His funeral was held at Temple Beth-El in Providence on May 25, 2014. "Nobody wins a war, but they fight in the wars. And my attitude was, someday I'm gonna do it." On his life and attitude before joining the military in an interview with video producer Chad Hembree. "Someday I'm going to do something to honor this military, these military people, who fight in
240-457: A Semovente group from Centauro and 15 Panzer) launched another assault on the U.S. position on the morning of February 22 toward Bou Chebka Pass. Although the American defenders were pressed hard the line held and, by mid-afternoon, the U.S. infantry and tanks launched a counterattack that broke the combined German and Italian force. More than 400 Axis prisoners were taken as the counterattack
320-806: A 2-mile-wide (3.2 km) gap in the Grand Dorsal chain of the Atlas Mountains in west central Tunisia . It was a part of the Tunisian campaign of World War II . The Axis forces , led by Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel , were primarily from the Afrika Korps Assault Group, the Italian Centauro Armored Division and two Panzer divisions detached from the 5th Panzer Army , while
400-618: A blow at the Eighth Army, catching them off balance while still assembling its forces. He at least had the consolation that he had inflicted heavy losses on his enemy and that the Allied concentrations in the Gafsa – Sbeitla area had been destroyed. At a meeting at Rommel's Kasserine HQ on February 23, Kesselring and his Chief of Staff Siegfried Westphal tried to change Rommel's mind, arguing that there were still possibilities for success. Rommel
480-530: A fool." Producer Lester Cowan considered James Gleason and Walter Brennan for the lead role but selected Meredith because he was lesser known. Meredith had been serving as a captain in the Army, and the Army refused to release him from active duty. According to Meredith, the Army was overruled by presidential advisor Harry Hopkins , and his honorable discharge from the Army was approved personally by general George C. Marshall . Meredith spent time with Pyle, who
560-573: A man named Stanley Weston (Weston received $ 100,000 for his contribution) and the name from a 1945 film called The Life of G.I. Joe , also called The Story of G.I. Joe . Levine served with the United States Army in the Korean War and Hasbro's employees also included many military veterans, so it was decided the toy should be outfitted in the uniforms of the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force and their respective accessories. He wanted
640-553: A physically smaller man such as Meredith to better portray the middle-aged Pyle. As a compromise, Mitchum was chosen to play Bill Walker. The film was one of Mitchum's earliest starring roles. Nine war correspondents are listed as technical advisors in the film's credits, three of whom appear in the scene in which Pyle learns that he has won the Pulitzer Prize . Wellman's wife, actress Dorothy Coonan Wellman , appears in an uncredited speaking role as Lt. Elizabeth "Red" Murphy,
720-422: A prisoner, Warnicki suffers a nervous breakdown and is sent to the infirmary. Ernie returns to the correspondents' quarters to write a piece on Murphy's death and is told by his fellow reporters that he has won the Pulitzer Prize for his combat reporting. Ernie again connects with the outfit after Cassino is finally taken. His reunion with the men is interrupted when a string of mules is led to them, each carrying
800-402: A screen of German anti-tank guns, and sustained heavy casualties. A U.S. forward artillery observer whose radio and landlines had been cut by shellfire recalled, It was murder. They rolled right into the muzzles of the concealed eighty-eights and all I could do was stand by and watch tank after tank blown to bits or burst into flames or just stop, wrecked. Those in the rear tried to turn back but
880-552: A story outline based on Pyle's columns reproduced in Here is Your War, which the Army approved on November 27. Attempts to write a script that would accurately translate Pyle's style and sentiments to the screen delayed filming for a year After the D-Day Invasion of Normandy, with the end of the war in sight, the script became more focused on Pyle's movements with the infantry in its final advance to victory. The screenplay
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#1732775553623960-517: A withdrawal from Sbeitla and Feriana. The U.S. II Corps was able to concentrate at the Kasserine and Sbiba Passes, on the western arm of the mountains. U.S. casualties were 2,546 men, 103 tanks, 280 vehicles, 18 field guns, three anti-tank guns and an anti-aircraft battery . At this point, there was some argument in the Axis camp about what to do next; all of Tunisia was under Axis control, and there
1040-508: Is in shorthand, avoiding the obvious, which includes every great question like the danger of death and the separation from everybody they love. Farber adds: “Wellman’s The Story of G. I. Joe is one of the only movies in years that says just about all it has to say, and drives it home with real cinematic strength.” The Academy Film Archive preserved G.I. Joe in 2000. Battle of Kasserine Pass The Battle of Kasserine Pass took place from 18-24 February 1943 at Kasserine Pass ,
1120-740: The 18th Army Group , commanded by General Sir Harold R. L. G. Alexander , to tighten the operational control of the three Allied nations involved and improve their coordination. Major General Lloyd Fredendall was relieved by Eisenhower and sent home. Training programs at home had contributed to U.S. Army units in North Africa being saddled with disgraced commanders who had failed in battle and were reluctant to advocate radical changes. Eisenhower found through Major General Omar Bradley and others, that Fredendall's subordinates had lost confidence in him and Alexander told U.S. commanders, "I'm sure you must have better men than that". Fredendall took
1200-649: The 21st Panzer Division . Facing the German armored advance was the British 6th Armoured Division (less the 26th Armoured Brigade which except for the tanks of the 16/5th Lancers had been sent to Thala). Also in the line was the 18th Regimental Combat Team from the U.S. 1st Infantry Division ; and three battalions of infantry from U.S. 34th Infantry Division . There were also three U.S. Field Artillery battalions, elements of two British anti-tank regiments and some French detachments. The Germans made little progress against
1280-705: The Allied forces were from the U.S. II Corps ( Major General Lloyd Fredendall ), the British 6th Armoured Division ( Major-General Charles Keightley ) and other parts of the First Army ( Lieutenant-General Kenneth Anderson ). The battle was the first major engagement between U.S. and Axis forces in Africa. The initial handful of American battalions suffered many casualties and were successively pushed back over 50 miles (80 km) from their original positions west of Faïd Pass, until they met an advancing brigade of
1360-596: The Allied invasion of France , while the film's Company C is said to have made a landing under fire at Salerno . While the screenwriters chose the 18th Infantry Regiment for the film, Pyle's favorite outfit was the 133rd Infantry Regiment of the 34th Infantry Division, a unit that he had covered in 1942 while it was still stationed in Northern Ireland and then again in Tunisia. The events in Italy portrayed in
1440-579: The Comando Supremo in Rome. At 13:30 on February 19, Rommel received the Comando Supremo ' s agreement to a revised plan. He was to have 10th and 21st Panzer Divisions transferred from Arnim's 5th Panzer Army to his command and attack through the Kasserine and Sbiba passes toward Thala and Le Kef to the north, clearing the Western Dorsale and threatening the 1st Army's flank. Rommel
1520-524: The 1st Armored Division would be trapped between the 10th Panzer Division and its supporting units moving north along the second road to Tebessa. The combined force fought a costly delaying action in front of Thala, retreating ridge by ridge to the north until by dark, the force held the German attacks just south of the town. The divisional artillery (48 guns) of the 9th Infantry Division and anti-tank platoons, that had moved from Morocco on February 17, 800 mi (1,300 km) west, dug in that night. Next day,
1600-475: The 26th Armoured Brigade some 10 miles (16 km) further back. The Afrika Korps Assault Group began moving along the Hatab River valley towards Haidra and Tebessa in the early afternoon of February 21 and advanced until they met defenders consisting of the U.S. 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division and Combat Command B of the U.S. 1st Armored Division at Djebel el Hamra. The German–Italian force
1680-727: The 34th Division totalled 50 killed, 200 wounded and 250 missing. Regarding Allied personnel captured, Rommel and Ziegler claimed 3,721 prisoners captured but in a consolidated report of February 24 they reported 4,026 Allied prisoners of war. Materiel losses of the US II Corps were 183 tanks, 104 half-tracks, 208 guns and 512 trucks and motor vehicles were lost, some of them captured by the Germans. The Allies also lost supplies and fuel, since over 215 m (57,000 US gal) of gasoline and lubricants were seized along with 45 tons of ammunition. Rommel had hoped to take advantage of
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#17327755536231760-517: The Aleutians and The Battle of San Pietro , but was unable to gain Huston's services from the army. In August 1944, unable to complete the screenplay, Cowan recruited William Wellman to be the film's director but after facing great difficulty in convincing Wellman to take the job. Cowan asked Ernie Pyle to contact Wellman. Pyle invited Wellman to his home, where he persuaded Wellman to accept
1840-484: The Allied defense. Tanks and Bersaglieri from the Centauro Division advanced along Highway 13 and overran the 19th Combat Engineer Regiment. The U.S. survivors made a disorganized retreat up the western exit from the pass to Djebel el Hamra, where Combat Command B of the 1st Armored Division was arriving. On the exit to Thala, Gore Force slowly leapfrogged back, losing all its tanks in the process, to rejoin
1920-464: The French 75 mm (2.95 in) guns, which caused heavy casualties among the German infantry, the defenders were easily forced back. U.S. artillery and tanks of the 1st Armored Division then entered the battle, destroying some enemy tanks and forcing the remainder into what appeared to be a headlong retreat. This was, however, a trap, and when the 1st Armored Division gave chase it was engaged by
2000-522: The G.I. Joe toys to be an attempt at honoring all the service members in the United States, like him. In September 1971 he was appointed president of Leisure Concepts . In 2005-2006, Levine designed and manufactured an action figure of Osama bin Laden for a Central Intelligence Agency psychological warfare program called Devil Eyes . Levine developed a twelve-inch lifelike figure whose face
2080-412: The German advance, but all three combat commands found that each defensive position they tried to occupy had already been overrun, and they were attacked by German troops with heavy losses. On February 2, the 1st Armored Division was ordered to end its attacks and concentrate to form a reserve. The Germans captured most of Tunisia, and the entrances into the coastal lowlands were blocked. The Allies held
2160-662: The Germans was the sturdy M3 armored half-track , and for some time after the battle, German units deployed large numbers of captured U.S. vehicles. The Allies studied the results equally seriously. Positioned by senior commanders who had not personally reconnoitered the ground, U.S. forces were often located too far from each other for mutual support. It was also noted that U.S. soldiers tended to become careless about digging in, exposing their positions, bunching in groups when in open view of enemy artillery observers, and positioning units on topographic crests, where their silhouettes made them perfect targets. Too many soldiers, exasperated by
2240-577: The Kasserine Pass by 24 February. Anderson was subsequently criticised by his contemporaries for, among other things, dispersing the three combat commands of the 1st Armored Division, despite the objections of the divisional commander, Major-General Orlando Ward . As a result of lessons learned in this battle, the U.S. Army instituted sweeping changes in unit organization and tactics, and replaced some commanders and some types of equipment. U.S. and British forces landed at several points along
2320-425: The Kasserine Pass. The 21st Panzer Division at Sbeitla was ordered to attack northward through the pass east of Kasserine which led to Sbiba and Ksour. The Kampfgruppe von Broich , the battlegroup released by Arnim from 10th Panzer Division, was ordered to concentrate at Sbeitla, where it would be ready to exploit success in either pass. The Sbiba area was attacked by Battle Groups Stenkhoff and Schuette, remnants of
2400-466: The U.S. 1st Armored Division. British forces were also driven back, losing all eleven of their tanks in the process. After the initial reversal, Allied reinforcements with strong artillery support stopped the Axis advance, and an American counterattack recaptured the mountain passes in western Tunisia, defeating the Axis offensive. The Axis force was overextended and pinned down by the Allied artillery. Facing counterattacks and airstrikes, they withdrew from
2480-572: The accompanying combined Axis armored units poured through the pass routing U.S. forces with the 1st Armored Division into one of the worst U.S. defeats of the Tunisian Campaign. The Italian regiment was complimented by General Bülowius , commander of the DAK Assault Group, who cited their action as the instrumental event of the Axis victory. At 1:00 pm Rommel committed two battalions from 10th Panzer Division, which overcame
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2560-401: The afternoon. On February 20 during the opening attack on key American positions of the town of Djebel, the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment made a frontal assault on U.S. positions that lasted most of the morning and finally carried the position, losing the regimental commander Colonel Bonfatti in the process. This action cracked open the Allied defenses, opening the road to Thala and Tebessa. By midday
2640-519: The attack was delayed for a week until agreement was reached to mount Operation Frühlingswind , a thrust by the 5th Panzer Army through the U.S. communications and supply center of Sidi Bou Zid. Rommel's forces, 60 miles (97 km) to the south-west, would conduct Operation Morgenluft to capture Gafsa and advance on Tozeur. On February 14 the 10th and 21st Panzer divisions began the Battle of Sidi Bou Zid , about 10 mi (16 km) west of Faïd, in
2720-502: The attempt. The Allied build-up continued, more aircraft became available and new airfields in eastern Algeria and Tunisia were built. The Allies reduced the flow of Axis troops and equipment into Tunis and Bizerta , but a sizable Axis force was already ashore. On January 23, 1943, the Allied Eighth Army took Tripoli , Erwin Rommel 's main supply base. Rommel had anticipated this, switching his line of supply to Tunis with
2800-482: The battle and the Allied command, instructed the 9th divisional artillery to stay behind. On the morning of February 22 an intense artillery barrage from the massed Allied guns forestalled the resumption of the 10th Panzer Division attack, destroying armor and vehicles and disrupting communications. Broich, the battle group commander, decided to pause and regroup but Allied reinforcements continued to arrive. Under constant fire, 10th Panzer waited until dark to retire from
2880-477: The battlefield, limiting effective Allied air reconnaissance and allowing relentless German bombing and strafing attacks that disrupted Allied attempts at deployment and organization. Attacks by the Luftwaffe in close support of German ground offensives often neutralized U.S. attempts to organize effective defensive artillery fire. General Dwight D. Eisenhower began restructuring the Allied command, creating
2960-573: The battlefield. Overextended and with supplies dwindling, pinned down by the Allied artillery in the pass in front of Thala and now facing U.S. counterattacks along the Hatab River, Rommel realized his strength was spent. At Sbiba, along the Hatab River and now at Thala, the efforts of the German and Italian forces had failed to make a decisive break in the Allied line. With little prospect of further success, Rommel judged that it would be wiser to break off to concentrate in South Tunisia and strike
3040-433: The blame but Anderson, the First Army commander, was judged to be at fault for the failure to concentrate Allied armored units and keep forces concentrated, that later disintegrated into individual units. When Fredendall disclaimed all responsibility for the poorly equipped French XIX Corps and denied French requests for support, notably when under pressure at Faïd, Anderson allowed the request to go unfulfilled. Anderson
3120-784: The coast of French Morocco and Algeria on November 8, 1942, during Operation Torch . This came only days after the breakthrough of the British Eighth Army ( Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery ) following the Second Battle of El Alamein . In response, German and Italian troops were ferried in from Sicily to occupy Tunisia, one of the few easily defended areas of North Africa and only one night's sail from bases in Sicily. This short passage made it very difficult for Allied naval vessels to intercept Axis transports, and air interdiction proved equally difficult, because
3200-620: The combat-zone bride of character "Wingless" Murphy. The Army agreed to Wellman's request for 150 soldiers, who were training in California for deployment to the Pacific and had all been veterans of the Italian campaign, as extras during the six weeks of filming in late 1944. The War Department allowed the men to grow beards for their roles. Wellman insisted that actual soldiers speak much of the dialogue for authenticity. He also insisted that
3280-421: The combined firepower of the defending force which had also laid minefields. The 21st Panzer Division was checked and then driven back by February 20. Defending the pass was a force consisting of the U.S. 1st Battalion, 26th Regimental Combat Team , the U.S. 19th Combat Engineer Regiment, the 6th Field Artillery Battalion , a tank destroyer battalion and a battery of French artillery. On the hills to their west
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3360-555: The dead body of a G.I. to be placed on the ground. A final mule, led by Dondaro, bears the body of Walker. The soldiers express their grief in the presence of Walker's corpse. Ernie joins the company as it proceeds down the road, narrating its conclusion: "For those beneath the wooden crosses, there is nothing we can do, except perhaps to pause and murmur, 'Thanks pal, thanks.'" Casting for the role of Pyle began in June 1944. Pyle had pleaded: "For God's sake, don't let them make me look like
3440-520: The director role. Pyle covered the 1st Infantry Division, including the 18th Infantry, in Tunisia from January to May 1943, and wrote a column on the American defeat at Kasserine Pass . He also landed with the 1st Division during the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. However, after the Sicilian campaign, which is mentioned but not portrayed in the film, the 18th Infantry moved to England to prepare for
3520-509: The eastern arm of the mountains, an excellent position to thrust east to the coast, split the Axis forces in southern Tunisia from the forces further north, and cut the line of supply to Tunis. Elements of the 5th Panzer Army, headed by General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim , reached the Allied positions on the eastern foot of the Atlas Mountains on January 30. The 21st Panzer Division met French troops at Faïd, and, despite excellent use of
3600-408: The eighty-eights seemed to be everywhere. The 21st Panzer Division resumed its advance towards Faïd. American infantry casualties were exacerbated by the practice of digging shallow shell scrapes instead of foxholes , as German tank drivers could easily crush a man inside a scrape by driving into it and simultaneously making a half-turn. Several attempts were made by the 1st Armored Division to stop
3680-519: The film are based on Pyle's experiences with soldiers of the 36th Infantry Division in the Battle of San Pietro and the 133rd Infantry in the Battle of Monte Cassino . Mitchum's character of captain Bill Walker was modeled on two soldiers who had impressed Pyle. Walker was based on Captain Henry T. Waskow of the 36th Division's Company B 143rd Infantry. Waskow's death in combat on December 14, 1943,
3760-536: The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant. The untested infantrymen of C Company, 18th Infantry, U.S. Army, board trucks to travel to the front for the first time. Lt. Bill Walker allows war correspondent Ernie Pyle, himself a rookie to combat, to accompany them. Ernie follows
3840-611: The film's Hollywood actors live and train with the soldiers. The film's concept originated with independent producer Lester Cowan, who approached the War Department in September 1943 for cooperation in making a film about the infantry with the same high degree of prestige as in Air Force . In October, he agreed to terms with United Artists for financial support and distribution of the proposed film. Cowan then developed
3920-495: The finest outfit in the army. He finds them on a road in Italy , about to attack a German-held town. Ernie finds that Company C has become proficient at killing without remorse. In house-to-house combat, they capture the town. After arrangements are made for Murphy to marry his nurse fiancée, a fatigued Ernie struggles to stay awake during the ceremony. The company advances to a position in front of Monte Cassino , but, unable to advance, they are soon reduced to living in caves dug in
4000-604: The front and to keep command posts well forward, unlike Fredendall who had rarely visited the front line. (Ward was sent home, where he trained troops and then commanded the 20th Armored Division in Europe.) On 6 March, Major General George Patton was temporarily removed from planning for the Allied invasion of Sicily to command the II Corps . Bradley was appointed assistant corps commander and moved up to command of II Corps when Patton returned to planning for Sicily. Fredendall
4080-618: The front was held mostly by British infantry, with exceptionally strong backing by unified U.S. and British artillery, under Brigadier General Stafford LeRoy Irwin , the U.S. artillery commander. The British had 36 guns, supported by armoured cars of the Derbyshire Yeomanry and Valentine and Crusader tanks of the 17th/21st Lancers . Anderson ordered the 9th Infantry Division and its artillery support to Le Kef to meet an expected German attack but U.S. Major General Ernest N. Harmon , who had been sent by Eisenhower to report on
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#17327755536234160-412: The goal of blocking the southern approach to Tunisia from Tripoli at Gabès. The Mareth Line , which the French had built to protect against an Italian attack from Libya , was ... a line of antiquated French blockhouses, which in no way measured up to the standards required by modern warfare.... Allied troops had already crossed the Atlas Mountains and set up a forward base at Faïd , in the foothills on
4240-421: The ground, persistent rain and mud, endless patrols and savage artillery barrages. When his men are forced to eat cold rations for Christmas dinner, Walker obtains food for them at gunpoint. Casualties are heavy, and young replacements are quickly killed before they can learn how to survive in combat. Walker is always short of lieutenants, and the veterans lose men, including Murphy. After a night patrol to capture
4320-559: The inexperience of the new Allied commanders but was opposed by Arnim who, wanting to conserve strength in his sector, ignored Kesselring's orders and withheld the attached heavy tank unit of 10th Panzer. Rommel felt that most U.S. units and commanders had shown their inexperience, losing sight of the broader picture. Rommel was later impressed with how quickly U.S. commanders came to understand and implement mobile warfare and also praised U.S. equipment: "British experience has been put to good use in American equipment". Of particular interest to
4400-469: The interior of the roughly triangular Atlas range, but with the exits blocked this was of little advantage to the Allies. For the next two weeks, Rommel and the Axis commanders further north debated what to do next. Rommel did not consider the Eighth Army a serious threat because, until Tripoli was open, Montgomery could maintain only a small force in south Tunisia. Ships commenced unloading on February 9 but
4480-478: The interior plain of the Atlas Mountains. The U.S. tanks were defeated and the infantry, poorly sited on three hills and unable to give mutual support, was isolated. A counterattack the next day was easily repulsed and on February 16 the Germans advanced towards Sbeitla . After the success at Sidi Bou Zid, Rommel ordered the Afrika Korps Assault Group to attack Gafsa on February 15, but, on
4560-476: The men all the way to the front lines through the rain and mud. Ernie comes to know the men about whom he will write, including Sgt. Warnicki and privates Dondaro, Mew and Murphy. Their baptism by fire occurs at the Battle of Kasserine Pass , a bloody chaotic defeat. Pyle is present at battalion headquarters when Walker arrives as a runner for his company commander. Ernie and the company part ways, but months later he seeks to find them, as he believes that they are
4640-524: The nearest Allied airbase to Tunisia, at Malta , was over 200 mi (320 km) away. The Run for Tunis in November and December 1942 is the term for an attempt to reach Tunis before German and Italian reinforcements could arrive. Because of the poor road and rail communications, only a small, division -sized Allied force could be supplied and due to the excellent defensive terrain, small numbers of German and Italian troops were sufficient to defeat
4720-512: The night before, Anderson ordered the defenders to evacuate Gafsa and make the main defence line the hills around Feriana , as he believed Gafsa should not be defended against a large attack. The next day, because of the threat to the southern flank, Anderson obtained Eisenhower's agreement and ordered a withdrawal from the Eastern Dorsale, to the line of the Western Dorsale from Feriana northwards. Early on February 17, Fredendall ordered
4800-403: The north was the regrouping 1st Armored Division although only Combat Command B was fit for combat. The positions in the pass had been placed under Colonel Alexander Stark, commander of the 26th RCT, on the night of February 18 and the command named Stark Force. An attempt to surprise the Kasserine defenses by the 33rd Reconnaissance Unit into the pass failed and a battalion of Panzer grenadiers
4880-563: The port was not fully operational until the end of the month. Rommel made a proposal in early February to Comando Supremo (Italian High Command in Rome) to attack with two battlegroups, including detachments from the 5th Panzer Army, toward two U.S. supply bases just to the west of the western arm of the mountains in Algeria. A quick thrust could capture the supplies and disrupt a U.S. attempt to concentrate forces near Tebessa. Arnim objected and
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#17327755536234960-429: The rocky soil of Tunisia, were still digging shallow slit trenches instead of deep foxholes. The 1st Armored Division was on the receiving end of German anti-tank and screening tactics and had not learned about those tactics from experienced British armored units. Others in the U.S. Army were well aware of the German deception tactics. The Allies were also unable to prevent the Germans from attaining air superiority over
5040-483: The title, but nobody could think of a better one, and I was too lazy to try." Film critic Manny Farber in The New Republic , August 13, 1945, wrote: The writing, as well as the direction, constantly shuns the romanticism that has colored almost every other war film. Nobody talks about the war, either as an aim, or as a matter of beating an enemy; in general they seem too tired to talk, and when they do it
5120-469: The wars." From archival footage cited by NPR's Elizabeth Blair for All Things Considered . This article about an American businessperson born in the 1920s is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . The Story of G.I. Joe The Story of G.I. Joe , also credited in prints as Ernie Pyle 's Story of G.I. Joe , is a 1945 American war film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Burgess Meredith and Robert Mitchum . The film
5200-437: Was French General Welvert's Task Force Welvert comprising a U.S. Ranger and infantry battalion, three French infantry battalions, two U.S. field artillery battalions, four French artillery batteries and engineer and anti-aircraft detachments. Furthest west was Task Force Bowen (consisting of the 3rd Battalion of the 26th Regimental Combat Team), blocking the track from Feriana towards Tebessa. Between Task Force Bowen and Tebessa to
5280-857: Was adamant; Kesselring finally agreed and formal orders from the Comando Supremo in Rome were issued that evening calling off the offensive and directing all Axis units to return to their start positions. On February 23 a massive American air attack on the pass hastened the German retreat and by late February 24 the pass had been reoccupied, Feriana was in Allied hands; Sidi Bou Zid and Sbeitla followed soon after. German losses at Kasserine were 201 killed, 536 wounded and 252 missing, totalling 989 casualties. In materiel , Germans lost 20 tanks, 67 vehicles and 14 guns. Allied forces captured 73 German and 535 Italian soldiers. American losses totalled 300 killed, 3,000 wounded, and 3,000 missing. Losses were so high that an additional 7,000 replacements were needed to recover units to their original strength. The French losses on
5360-581: Was also blamed for dispersing the three combat commands of the U.S. 1st Armored Division, despite the objections of Major General Orlando Ward , the divisional commander. U.S. Brigadier General Irwin later became commander of the 5th Infantry Division in Europe and went on to higher command, as did British Brigadier Nicholson, who later commanded the 2nd Infantry Division in India. Allied commanders were given greater scope for initiative and to keep forces concentrated. They were also urged to lead their units from
5440-424: Was appalled; the plan dispersed Axis forces and, through the passes, would expose their flanks. A concentrated attack on Tébessa, while entailing some risk, could yield badly needed supplies, destroy Allied potential for operations into central Tunisia and capture the airfield at Youks-les-Bains, west of Tébessa. In the early hours of February 19, Rommel ordered the Afrika Korps Assault Group from Feriana to attack
5520-477: Was developed with the input of several war correspondents and associates of Pyle, mainly Don Whitehead , Lee Miller and Paige Cavanaugh, who selected details from Pyle's columns for inclusion in the film, Director William Wellman also worked directly with Pyle. Cowan's first choice as director was John Huston , who had completed only two films before entering military service. Cowan was impressed by two combat documentaries that Huston had directed, Report from
5600-529: Was given command of Nickforce , all units north-west of the pass. During the night, the American positions on the two shoulders overlooking the pass were overrun and at 8:30 am German panzer grenadiers and Italian Bersaglieri resumed the attack. At 10:00 am Dunphie judged that Stark Force was about to give way and ordered Gore Force to the Thala side of the pass as elements of the Centauro Division launched their attack towards Tebessa and continued it during
5680-407: Was halted and, despite heavy pressure including air attacks, failed to dislodge the American defenders. Having brought the Axis drive towards Tebessa to a halt, General Paul Robinett and General Terry Allen now turned their attention to planning a counterattack that was to take place the next day, February 22. Plans made by both sides were upset by the battle, and the Axis forces (5th Bersaglieri,
5760-606: Was little to do until the Eighth Army arrived at Mareth. Rommel decided to attack through the Kasserine Pass into the main force of the U.S. II Corps at Tébessa to capture U.S. supplies on the Algerian side of the western arm of the mountains, eliminate the Allied ability to attack the coastal corridor linking Mareth and Tunis and threaten the southern flank of the First Army. On February 18, Rommel submitted his proposals to Albert Kesselring , who forwarded them with his blessing to
5840-508: Was nominated for four Academy Awards , including Mitchum's only career Oscar nomination. The story is a tribute to the American infantryman (G.I. Joe) during World War II , told through the eyes of Pulitzer Prize -winning war correspondent Ernie Pyle , with dialogue and narration lifted from Pyle's columns. The film concentrates on one company (C Company, 18th Infantry ) that Pyle accompanies into combat in Tunisia and Italy . In 2009,
5920-438: Was ordered into the floor of the pass and another onto Djebel Semmama, the hill on its eastern flank and slow progress was made against artillery fire. The tanks of 1/8th Panzer Regiment were committed at noon but little further progress resulted against stubborn defense. Rommel decided to commit his units from the 10th Panzer to the Kasserine Pass the next morning in a coordinated attack with the Afrika Korps Assault Group, which
6000-522: Was painted with a material that, when heated, would peel off to reveal a demon-like visage with green eyes and black markings. When asked in 2014 about Levine's involvement in the program, his family said in a statement, "Don Levine was a dedicated Patriot, and proud Korean War veteran. When called on, he was honored to assist our country." In the years before his death, he sold some rare prototypes of G.I. Joe Figures , including one that sold for $ 200,000 in 2003 at auction. In 2014 Levine died from cancer at
6080-472: Was pressed into the Afrika Korps position. Rommel had stayed with the main group of the 10th Panzer Division on the route toward Thala, where the 26th Armoured Brigade and remnants of the U.S. 26th Infantry Regiment had dug in on ridges. If the town fell and the southern of two roads from Thala to Tebessa was cut, the U.S. 9th Infantry Division to the north would be cut off and Combat Command B of
6160-649: Was reassigned to the United States and several other commanders were removed or promoted out of the way. Patton was not known for hesitancy and did not bother to request permission when taking action to support his command or other units requesting assistance. During the advance from Gafsa , Alexander, the 18th Army Group commander, had given detailed orders to Patton, afterwards changing II Corps' mission several times. Once beyond Maknassy, Alexander again gave orders Patton considered excessively detailed. From then on, Patton simply ignored those parts of mission orders he considered ill-advised on grounds of military expediency and/or
6240-600: Was recuperating in New Mexico from the emotional effects of surviving an accidental bombing by the Army Air Forces at the start of Operation Cobra in Normandy . Pyle approved of the casting of Meredith and said that he believed Meredith to be the best choice after the death of British actor Leslie Howard in a plane crash. The studio had wanted to place a leading-man type in the main role, but Wellman wanted
6320-497: Was the subject of Pyle's most famous column. Sgt. "Buck" Eversole was a platoon leader who became the subject of several of Pyle's stories. Although filmed with Pyle's cooperation, the film premiered two months to the day after he was killed in action on Ie Shima during the invasion of Okinawa . In his February 14, 1945 posting titled "In the Movies", Pyle commented: "They are still calling it The Story of G.I. Joe . I never did like
6400-512: Was to be joined by elements of the Italian 131st Armored Division Centauro . British reinforcements from the 26th Armoured Brigade ( 6th Armoured Division ) had been assembling at Thala and Brigadier Dunphie, making forward reconnaissance, decided to intervene. The First Army headquarters restricted him to sending Gore Force, a small combined-arms group of a company of infantry, a squadron of 11 tanks, an artillery battery and an anti-tank troop. Brigadier Cameron Nicholson (6th Armoured Division)
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