What it was like to fight in World War 2?

Answer 1

It was like all wars before and since, it was an adventure interlaced with hours, days months and sometimes years of boring training. It culminated in well trained desert troops being sent against alpine fortresses, ski troops who had been trained in Aspen. Colorado slogging on to beaches, troops who had spent months training for parachute assaults confronting major armour assaults at the Battle of the Bulge while "resting". It saw the Mess Seargent and the aircraft repairman and the Seabee defending and making counter attacks at Guadalcanal, it saw highy trained people doing transition time from one aircraft to another an to still another for two years and never seeing combat. It meant building ships that were obsolete and un-neededed before they left the drydock. It meant sending troops that spoke German as a first language to the Pacific and Japanes-Americans to Italy. It was boring. It was SNAFU, and most wars will follow this model.

Answer 2

From what I have read, and from World War 2 veterans I have spoken with, it was much the same as in any war throughout human history; long months of boredom punctuated by a few minutes of mortal terror. Some soldiers went mad and ran away. Some froze in combat and lost control of their bladder and bowels. It was not nearly as glamorous as most of the World War 2 movies portrayed it at the time, or since.