Oh I agree with you Horse Soldier - I am not saying they are eager beavers ready to get out there and kick Ivan's butt. But I can see men who have fought for years and dont want any part of being seen as running away while the war is still officially on staying instead of going on the Bug Out Fleet.
Especially those with close ties to German or British units who see leaving as selling out their allies and dont want to leave until its really over. And the Russians still having troops on the ground in Germany itself is hardly saying we won, lets go home.
Plus there is a strong feeling in the US military that we dont leave buddies behind - and there are a lot of US troops still cut off in Poland that I can see people rankling a lot at the decision to write them off. Possibly to the point that they tell their higher ups to go to hell, we arent going anywhere till everyone goes home and staying.
That could be the reason so many HQ troops stayed - i.e. they wont leave without the Marines, the 8th and everyone else still on enemy territory but still very much alive and intact as units.
Actually thats one group that for sure would have stayed - there is no way any Marines still on German, Norwegian or UK soil would have gone home with the 2nd still cut off in Poland. Marines do not abandon their buddies - ever.
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