KINER, Harold G. [posthumously]
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company F,
117th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division.
Place and date: Near Palenberg, Germany, 2 October 1944.
Citation: With 4 other men, he was leading in a frontal
assault 2 October 1944, on a Siegfried Line pillbox near Palenberg, Germany.
Machinegun fire from the strongly defended enemy position 25 yards away
pinned down the attackers. The Germans threw hand grenades, 1 of which dropped
between Pvt. Kiner and 2 other men. With no hesitation, Private Kiner hurled
himself upon the grenade, smothering the explosion. By his gallant action
and voluntary sacrifice of his own life, he saved his 2 comrades from serious
injury or death. |
PENDLETON, Jack J. [posthumously]
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company
I, 120th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division.
Place and date: Bardenberg, Germany, 12 October 1944.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at
the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 12 October 1944.
When Company I was advancing on the town of Bardenberg, Germany, they reached
a point approximately two-thirds of the distance through the town when they
were pinned down by fire from a nest of enemy machineguns. This enemy strong
point was protected by a lone machinegun strategically placed at an intersection
and firing down a street which offered little or no cover or concealment
for the advancing troops. The elimination of this protecting machinegun
was imperative in order that the stronger position it protected could be
neutralized. After repeated and unsuccessful attempts had been made to knock
out this position, S/Sgt. Pendleton volunteered to lead his squad in an
attempt to neutralize this strongpoint. S/Sgt. Pendleton started his squad
slowly forward, crawling about 10 yards in front of his men in the advance
toward the enemy gun. After advancing approximately 130 yards under the
withering fire, S/Sgt. Pendleton was seriously wounded in the leg by a burst
from the gun he was assaulting. Disregarding his grievous wound, he ordered
his men to remain where they were, and with a supply of handgrenades he
slowly and painfully worked his way forward alone. With no hope of surviving
the veritable hail of machinegun fire which he deliberately drew onto himself,
he succeeded in advancing to within 10 yards of the enemy position when
he was instantly killed by a burst from the enemy gun. By deliberately diverting
the attention of the enemy machine gunners upon himself, a second squad
was able to advance, undetected, and with the help of S/Sgt. Pendleton's
squad, neutralized the lone machinegun, while another platoon of his company
advanced up the intersecting street and knocked out the machinegun nest
which the first gun had been covering. S/Sgt. Pendleton's sacrifice enabled
the entire company to continue the advance and complete their mission at
a critical phase of the action. |
HORNER, Freeman V.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company
K, 119th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division.
Place and date: Wurselen, Germany, 16 November 1944.
Citation: S/Sgt. Horner and other members of his company
were attacking Wurselen, Germany, against stubborn resistance on 16 November
1944, when machinegun fire from houses on the edge of the town pinned the
attackers in flat, open terrain 100 yards from their objective. As they
lay in the field, enemy artillery observers directed fire upon them, causing
serious casualties. Realizing that the machineguns must be eliminated in
order to permit the company to advance from its precarious position, S/Sgt.
Horner voluntarily stood up with his submachine gun and rushed into the
teeth of concentrated fire, burdened by a heavy load of ammunition and hand
grenades. Just as he reached a position of seeming safety, he was fired
on by a machinegun which had remained silent up until that time. He coolly
wheeled in his fully exposed position while bullets barely missed him and
killed 2 hostile gunners with a single, devastating burst. He turned to
face the fire of the other 2 machineguns, and dodging fire as he ran, charged
the 2 positions 50 yards away. Demoralized by their inability to hit the
intrepid infantryman, the enemy abandoned their guns and took cover in the
cellar of the house they occupied. S/Sgt. Horner burst into the building,
hurled 2 grenades down the cellar stairs, and called for the Germans to
surrender. Four men gave up to him. By his extraordinary courage, S/Sgt.
Horner destroyed 3 enemy machinegun positions, killed or captured 7 enemy,
and cleared the path for his company's successful assault on Wurselen. |
CURREY, Francis S.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company K,
120th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division.
Place and date: Malmedy, Belgium, 21 December 1944.
Citation: He was an automatic rifleman with the 3d Platoon
defending a strong point near Malmedy, Belgium, on 21 December 1944, when
the enemy launched a powerful attack. Overrunning tank destroyers and antitank
guns located near the strong point, German tanks advanced to the 3d Platoon's
position, and, after prolonged fighting, forced the withdrawal of this group
to a nearby factory. Sgt. Currey found a bazooka in the building and crossed
the street to secure rockets meanwhile enduring intense fire from enemy
tanks and hostile infantrymen who had taken up a position at a house a short
distance away. In the face of small-arms, machinegun, and artillery fire,
he, with a companion, knocked out a tank with 1 shot. Moving to another
position, he observed 3 Germans in the doorway of an enemy-held house. He
killed or wounded all 3 with his automatic rifle. He emerged from cover
and advanced alone to within 50 yards of the house, intent on wrecking it
with rockets. Covered by friendly fire, he stood erect, and fired a shot
which knocked down half of 1 wall. While in this forward position, he observed
5 Americans who had been pinned down for hours by fire from the house and
3 tanks. Realizing that they could not escape until the enemy tank and infantry
guns had been silenced, Sgt. Currey crossed the street to a vehicle, where
he procured an armful of antitank grenades. These he launched while under
heavy enemy fire, driving the tankmen from the vehicles into the house.
He then climbed onto a half-track in full view of the Germans and fired
a machinegun at the house. Once again changing his position, he manned another
machinegun whose crew had been killed; under his covering fire the 5 soldiers
were able to retire to safety. Deprived of tanks and with heavy infantry
casualties, the enemy was forced to withdraw. Through his extensive knowledge
of weapons and by his heroic and repeated braving of murderous enemy fire,
Sgt. Currey was greatly responsible for inflicting heavy losses in men and
material on the enemy, for rescuing 5 comrades, 2 of whom were wounded,
and for stemming an attack which threatened to flank his battalion's position. |
BOLDEN, Paul L.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company
1, 120th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division.
Place and date: Petit-Coo, Belgium, 23 December 1944.
Citation: He voluntarily attacked a formidable enemy
strong point in Petit-Coo, Belgium, on 23 December, 1944, when his company
was pinned down by extremely heavy automatic and small-arms fire coming
from a house 200 yards to the front. Mortar and tank artillery shells pounded
the unit, when S/Sgt. Bolden and a comrade, on their own initiative, moved
forward into a hail of bullets to eliminate the ever-increasing fire from
the German position. Crawling ahead to close with what they knew was a powerfully
armed, vastly superior force, the pair reached the house and took up assault
positions, S/Sgt. Bolden under a window, his comrade across the street where
he could deliver covering fire. In rapid succession, S/Sgt. Bolden hurled
a fragmentation grenade and a white phosphorous grenade into the building;
and then, fully realizing that he faced tremendous odds, rushed to the door,
threw it open and fired into 35 SS troopers who were trying to reorganize
themselves after the havoc wrought by the grenades. Twenty Germans died
under fire of his submachinegun before he was struck in the shoulder, chest,
and stomach by part of a burst which killed his comrade across the street.
He withdrew from the house, waiting for the surviving Germans to come out
and surrender. When none appeared in the doorway, he summoned his ebbing
strength, overcame the extreme pain he suffered and boldly walked back into
the house, firing as he went. He had killed the remaining 15 enemy soldiers
when his ammunition ran out. S/Sgt. Bolden's heroic advance against great
odds, his fearless assault, and his magnificent display of courage in reentering
the building where he had been severely wounded cleared the path for his
company and insured the success of its mission. |
BEAUDOIN, Raymond O. [posthumously]
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company
F, 119th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division.
Place and date: Hamelin, Germany, 6 April 1945.
Citation: He was leading the 2d Platoon of Company F
over flat, open terrain to Hamelin, Germany, when the enemy went into action
with machineguns and automatic weapons, laying down a devastating curtain
of fire which pinned his unit to the ground. By rotating men in firing positions
he made it possible for his entire platoon to dig in, defying all the while
the murderous enemy fire to encourage his men and to distribute ammunition.
He then dug in himself at the most advanced position, where he kept up a
steady fire, killing 6 hostile soldiers, and directing his men in inflicting
heavy casualties on the numerically superior opposing force. Despite these
defensive measures, however, the position of the platoon became more precarious,
for the enemy had brought up strong reinforcements and was preparing a counterattack.
Three men, sent back at intervals to obtain ammunition and reinforcements,
were killed by sniper fire. To relieve his command from the desperate situation,
1st Lt. Beaudoin decided to make a l-man attack on the most damaging enemy
sniper nest 90 yards to the right flank, and thereby divert attention from
the runner who would attempt to pierce the enemy's barrier of bullets and
secure help. Crawling over completely exposed ground, he relentlessly advanced,
undeterred by 8 rounds of bazooka fire which threw mud and stones over him
or by rifle fire which ripped his uniform. Ten yards from the enemy position
he stood up and charged. At point-blank range he shot and killed 2 occupants
of the nest; a third, who tried to bayonet him, he overpowered and killed
with the butt of his carbine; and the fourth adversary was cut down by the
platoon's rifle fire as he attempted to flee. He continued his attack by
running toward a dugout, but there he was struck and killed by a burst from
a machinegun. By his intrepidity, great fighting skill, and supreme devotion
to his responsibility for the well-being of his platoon, 1st Lt. Beaudoin
single-handedly accomplished a mission that enabled a messenger to secure
help which saved the stricken unit and made possible the decisive defeat
of the German forces. |
| 743rd Tank Battalion |
01.03.1944-23.06.1945 |
| CC B, 3rd Armored Division |
09.07.1944-17.07.1944 |
| - 33rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division |
09.07.1944-17.07.1944 |
| - 36th Armored Infantry Regiment, 3rd Armored Division (less
3rd Battalion) |
09.07.1944-17.07.1944 |
| - D Company, 63rd Armored Recon Battalion, 3rd Armored Division |
09.07.1944-17.07.1944 |
| - B Company, 23rd Armored Engineer Battalion, 3rd Armored
Division |
09.07.1944-17.07.1944 |
| - B Company, 703rd TD Battalion (SP) |
09.07.1944-17.07.1944 |
| - B Battery, 413th AAA Gun Battalion (Mobile) |
09.07.1944-17.07.1944 |
| CC B, 3rd Armored Division |
07.08.1944-12.08.1944 |
| - 33rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division |
07.08.1944-12.08.1944 |
| - 36th Armored Infantry Regiment, 3rd Armored Division (less
3rd Battalion) |
07.08.1944-12.08.1944 |
| - 391st Armored FA Battalion |
07.08.1944-12.08.1944 |
| - B & D Companies, 23rd Armored Engineer Battalion, 3rd
Armored Division |
07.08.1944-12.08.1944 |
| - E Company Detachment, 23rd Armored Engineer Battalion,
3rd Armored Division |
07.08.1944-12.08.1944 |
| - 87th Armored FA Battalion |
07.08.1944-12.08.1944 |
| - C Company, 703rd TD Battalion (SP) |
07.08.1944-12.08.1944 |
| - B Company, 703rd TD Battalion (less 3rd Platoon) (SP) |
07.08.1944-12.08.1944 |
| - B & D Battery, 486th AAA Gun Battalion (Mobile) |
07.08.1944-12.08.1944 |
| 3rd Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, 2nd Armored Division |
12.10.1944-22.10.1944 |
| 7th Armored Group |
20.11.1944-17.12.1944 |
| 740th Tank Battalion |
19.12.1944-28.12.1944 |
| CC B, 3rd Armored Division |
20.12.1944-24.12.1944 |
| - 33rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division (less 3rd Battalion) |
20.12.1944-24.12.1944 |
| - 2nd Battalion, 36th Armored Infantry Regiment, 3rd Armored
Division |
20.12.1944-24.12.1944 |
| - D Company, 23rd Armored Engineer Battalion, 3rd Armored
Division |
20.12.1944-24.12.1944 |
| 744th Tank Battalion |
07.02.1945-28.02.1945 & 09.03.1945-30.03.1945 |
| A Troop, 1st Lothian Border Yeo (British) |
23.02.1954-04.03.1945 |
| CC B, 2nd Armored Division |
26.02.1945-27.02.1945 |
| C Company, 736th Tank Battalion |
11.03.1945-27.03.1945 |
| D Company, 18th Tank Battalion, 8th Armored Division |
17.03.1945-25.03.1945 |
| 66th Armored Regiment, 2nd Armored Division |
17.04.1945-19.04.1945 |
| 227th FA Battalion, 29th
Infantry Division (155mm Howitzer) |
14.07.1944-15.07.1944 |
| 58th FA Battalion |
15.07.1944-03.07.1944 & 10.07.1944-28.07.1944 |
| 203rd FA Battalion (155mm Howitzer) |
11.08.1943-02.09.1943 |
| 391st Armored FA Battalion |
10.07.1944-28.07.1944 |
| 18th FA Battalion (105mm Howitzer) |
18.07.1944-28.07.1944 & 20.12.1944-24.12.1944 |
| 188th FA Group |
06.08.1944-15.08.1944 |
| 142nd FA Group |
06.08.1944-15.08.1944 |
| 283rd FA Battalion (105mm Howitzer) |
15.08.1944-07.09.1944 |
| 70th FA Battalion (105mm Howitzer) |
04.11.1944-06.12.1944 |
| 909th FA Battalion, 84th Infantry Division (105mm Howitzer) |
11.11.1944-26.11.1944 |
| 401st FA Group |
01.12.1944-14.01.1945 |
| 187th FA Battalion (155mm Howitzer) |
02.12.1944-14.01.1945 |
| 229th FA Battalion, 28th
Infantry Division (105mm Howitzer) |
05.12.1944-11.01.1945 |
| 400th Armored FA Battalion |
18.12.1944-26.01.1945 |
| 941st FA Battalion (4.5inch Gun) |
19.12.1944-20.12.1944 |
| 391st FA Battalion |
20.12.1944-24.12.1944 |
| 460th FA Battalion (75mm Howitzer) |
23.12.1944-25.12.1944 |
| 76th FA Battalion (105mm Howitzer) |
24.12.1944-01.01.1945 |
| 987th FA Battalion (155mm Gun) |
26.12.1944-14.01.1945 |
| 809th FA Battalion (155mm Howitzer) |
31.12.1944-05.01.1945 |
| 401st FA Group |
31.12.1944-14.01.1945 |
| A Battery, 290th FA Observation Battalion |
31.12.1944-14.01.1945 |
| 60th Parachute FA Battalion |
17.01.1945-23.01.1945 |
| 751st FA Battalion (155mm Howitzer) |
06.02.1945-01.03.1945 & 10.03.1945-21.03.1945 |
| 25th FA Battalion (105mm Howitzer) |
06.02.1945-01.03.1945 & 10.03.1945-11.03.1945 |
| 2nd Armored Division Artillery |
07.02.1945-27.02.1945 |
| 65th FA Battalion (105mm Howitzer) |
10.03.1945-11.03.1945 |
| 691st FA Battalion (105mm Howitzer) |
11.03.1945-29.03.1945 |
| 275th Armored FA Battalion |
14.03.1945-27.03.1945 |
| 35th Infantry Division Artillery |
16.03.1945-25.03.1945 |
| 407th FA Group |
25.03.1945-29.03.1945 |
| - 211th FA Battalion (4.5inch Gun) |
25.03.1945-29.03.1945 |
| - 258th FA Battalion (155mm Gun) |
25.03.1945-29.03.1945 |
| 203rd FA Battalion (155mm Howitzer) |
08.04.1945-08.05.1945 |
| 70th FA Battalion (105mm Howitzer) |
14.04.1945-05.05.1945 |
| 12th Infantry Regiment,
4th Infantry Division |
07.08.1944-12.08.1944 |
| - 42nd FA Battalion, 4th
Infantry Division (105mm Howitzer) |
07.08.1944-12.08.1944 |
| - 1st Platoon, C Company, 634th TD Battalion (SP) |
07.08.1944-12.08.1944 |
| 1st Battalion, 116th
Infantry Regiment, 29th
Infantry Division |
30.09.1944-25.10.1944 |
| 3rd Battalion, 116th
Infantry Regiment, 29th
Infantry Division |
12.10.1944-24.10.1944 |
| 406th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division |
25.10.1944-06.11.1944 |
| 1st Battalion, 406th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division |
07.11.1944-09.11.1944 |
| 335th Infantry Regiment, 84th Infantry Division |
11.11.1944-26.11.1944 |
| 517th CT |
17.12.1944-20.01.1945 |
| 1st Battalion, 551st Parachute Infantry Regiment |
21.12.1944-25.12.1944 |
| 526th Armored Infantry Battalion |
27.12.1944-16.01.1945 |
| 99th Infantry Battalion |
27.12.1944-16.01.1945 |
| 112th CT, 28th
Infantry Division |
05.01.1945-11.01.1945 |
| 290th CT, 75th
Infantry Division |
26.03.1945-27.03.1945 |
| 137th Infantry Regiment,
35th Infantry Division |
14.04.1945-14.04.1945 |