How a US Sniper's 'Telephone Line Trick' Killed 96 Germans and Saved His Brothers in Arms

Discover why the skills of a poor Kentucky turkey hunter, initially considered irrelevant to mechanized warfare, became the decisive factor in halting a massive German armored counter-attack during the battle for the Colmar Pocket.

This analysis explores the desperate fighting in Alsace on January 24th, 1945. Learn about the German counter-offensive aimed at the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, which involved 600 infantry and six Mark VI Tiger tanks. Explore how 1st Lt. Garlin Murl Conner, a 120-pound soldier recovering from a hip wound, escaped a field hospital and volunteered for a suicide mission. Features analysis of the 400 yards he ran under direct artillery fire, unspooling a field telephone wire. Learn how he used "still-hunting" techniques, learned during the Great Depression to hunt wild turkeys, to remain completely motionless for three hours in a 30-centimeter ditch as German patrols passed within arm's reach. We examine the military records documenting his famous order, "Blanket my position," which called 105mm shells and 81mm mortars directly onto his own coordinates. This action resulted in 50 enemy dead and over 100 wounded, shattering the German assault and saving his battalion. This documentary draws on official citations and testimonies, including that of Lt. Col. Harold Wigetman, to detail Conner's full 28 months of combat, 10 major campaigns, seven wounds, and his posthumous Medal of Honor.

This engagement reveals a crucial strategic lesson: how individual adaptability and unconventional skills, honed by civilian survival, can prove more decisive in combat than superior enemy numbers or armored technology.

Perfect for enthusiasts of military history, students of small-unit tactics, and anyone interested in the personal stories of Medal of Honor recipients. Subscribe for more in-depth military analysis.