Final words on the battlefield. (1 Viewer)

[larso]

I was reading 'On Shaggy Ridge' by Phillip Bradley the other night. It tells of the series of actions fought by the Australian 7th Division in the Ramu Valley in New Guinea in 1943. An early engagement saw the 2/6 Commando Company attack and hold the village of Kaiapit. The company lost 14 dead but inflicted over 200 Japanese dead in an epic display of aggression and the use of Bren and Owen guns. The Australian commander mentioned he wouldn't mind a captive and accordingly, Herbert Harris a medical orderly went to the aid of a wounded Japanese soldier with the intention of, after medically assisting him, capturing him. The Japanese soldier however exploded a grenade, killing himself and mortally wounding Harris.
The next day, prior to his death from his wounds Harris spoke to his commander saying -

"You're responsible for my condition sir, I was trying to follow your orders and this is what happened to me."

Yikes! I gather plenty of men wanted to say something like this and never got the chance. It's an exchange which chills me. What do you say as the commander? It was a reasonable enough request really but.....

Anyway, it got me thinking what other notable things have been said on battlefield death-beds?

 

[larso]

Not exactly notable but another that came to mind was I think in one of Max Hastings books? A British soldier was mortally wounded in Normandy and his regret was not living to see how it all turned out. It struck me that we generally expect life events to follow a movie script with a clear conclusion. I wonder how any other soldiers at the end, wondered who would win etc? A very human question.