During the American Civil War, green units that had never been in battle were said to have "seen the elephant" after being under fire for the first time. They were now veterans, having been witness to, and part of, something that could never be completely conveyed to those without the experience. The historical evidence shows that trained, veteran soldiers were dramatically more likely to survive and perform their combat mission than inexperienced troops. For American replacements in World War II, the first two weeks in combat were the most dangerous. After that period they had become veterans and wily in the ways of battlefield survival.
