The German general looked at the American officer and did not surrender, because he could not believe that a dirty looking, casual man was a general.
By 1944, the German forces had already been alerted to something unsettling with the U.S. Army.
Thousands of horses were still being used to transport food, ammunition and equipment for the German divisions. The Americans came in with trucks, jeeps and what seemed like endless convoys of motorized vehicles.
There were the soldiers, TOO.
They sat on the floor, joked, used nicknames and were casual with officers, even disrespectful to Germans who had been raised on military discipline.
Finally, during a surrender, the cultural CLASH erupted.
A German general is said to have demanded official papers to prove that Brigadier General Charles Canham was indeed a general.
Canham had NONE.
Rather, he looked around and pointed his thumb at the tired American soldiers behind him.
These are my credentials.
That was all they needed to say.
The battle-worn soldiers behind him had fought their way there. Canham had no need to present a stamped document as proof of authority.
Later, the saying was adopted as the division's motto.
The Germans demanded documents.
Canham gestured to the men who had beaten them.
Credit: Matthew Anthony
