The longest conversation I've had with someone who was in the Winter campaign of '44 - '45 was with a retired college professor who had been a company commander through the entire thing.

He said his company's casualties were 350%, most due to things like frostbite. With the exception of occasional 1 day reprieves to go back and get a hot meal and shower, they were left in the line the entire time.

I questioned the 350% casualty rate, asking why anyone would accept that for a unit, asked why it wasn't rotated out, there must be some reserves.

He said part of the reason was that everyone expected Germany to collapse any time, another part was that everything was being used.

That is one brutal process, and I can't imagine what it may have been like for an infantryman to be stuck out in that snow, ice and cold for what was probably the rest of your life.

The professor said that college graduates seemed to have a better chance of survival than others, and that while it didn't make any sense to him that was his experience.