Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant,
U.S. Army, Co. E, 60th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division. Place
and date: Normandy, France, 14, 16, and 23 June 1944. Entered
service at: Buffalo, N.Y. Birth: Medina, N.Y. G.O. No.: 58,
19 July 1945.
Citation:
Heroically led his platoon against the enemy in Normandy,
France, on 14, 16, and 23 June 1944. Although painfully wounded
on the 14th near Orglandes and again on the 16th while spearheading
an attack to establish a bridgehead across the Douve River,
he refused medical aid and remained with his platoon. A week
later, near Flottemanville Hague, he led an assault on a tactically
important and stubbornly defended hill studded with tanks,
antitank guns, pillboxes, and machinegun emplacements, and
protected by concentrated artillery and mortar fire. As the
attack was launched, 2d Lt. Butts, at the head of his platoon,
was critically wounded by German machinegun fire. Although
weakened by his injuries, he rallied his men and directed
1 squad to make a flanking movement while he alone made a
frontal assault to draw the hostile fire upon himself. Once
more he was struck, but by grim determination and sheer courage
continued to crawl ahead. When within 10 yards of his objective,
he was killed by direct fire. By his superb courage, unflinching
valor and inspiring actions, 2d Lt. Butts enabled his platoon
to take a formidable strong point and contributed greatly
to the success of his battalion's mission.
HAWK,
JOHN D.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S.
Army, Company E, 359th Infantry, 90th Infantry Division. Place
and date: Near Chambois, France, 20 August 1944. Entered service
at: Bremerton, Wash. Birth: San Francisco, Calif. G.O. No.:
55, 13 July 1945.
Citation:
He manned a light machinegun on 20 August 1944, near Chambois,
France, a key point in the encirclement which created the
Falaise Pocket. During an enemy counterattack, his position
was menaced by a strong force of tanks and infantry. His fire
forced the infantry to withdraw, but an artillery shell knocked
out his gun and wounded him in the right thigh. Securing a
bazooka, he and another man stalked the tanks and forced them
to retire to a wooded section. In the lull which followed,
Sgt. Hawk reorganized 2 machinegun squads and, in the face
of intense enemy fire, directed the assembly of 1 workable
weapon from 2 damaged guns. When another enemy assault developed,
he was forced to pull back from the pressure of spearheading
armor. Two of our tank destroyers were brought up. Their shots
were ineffective because of the terrain until Sgt. Hawk, despite
his wound, boldly climbed to an exposed position on a knoll
where, unmoved by fusillades from the enemy, he became a human
aiming stake for the destroyers. Realizing that his shouted
fire directions could not be heard above the noise of battle,
he ran back to the destroyers through a concentration of bullets
and shrapnel to correct the range. He returned to his exposed
position, repeating this performance until 2 of the tanks
were knocked out and a third driven off. Still at great risk,
he continued to direct the destroyers' fire into the Germans'
wooded position until the enemy came out and surrendered.
Sgt. Hawk's fearless initiative and heroic conduct, even while
suffering from a painful wound, was in large measure responsible
for crushing 2 desperate attempts of the enemy to escape from
the Falaise Picket and for taking more than 500 prisoners.
*KELLY,
JOHN D.
Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant
(then Corporal), U.S. Army, Company E, 314th Infantry, 79th
Infantry Division. Place and date: Fort du Roule, Cherbourg,
France, 25 June 1944. Entered service at: Cambridge Springs,
Pa. Birth: Venango Township, Pa. G.O. No: 6, 24 January 1945.
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his
life above and beyond the call of duty. On 25 June 1944, in
the vicinity of Fort du Roule, Cherbourg, France, when Cpl.
Kelly's unit was pinned down by heavy enemy machinegun fire
emanating from a deeply entrenched strongpoint on the slope
leading up to the fort, Cpl. Kelly volunteered to attempt
to neutralize the strongpoint. Arming himself with a pole
charge about 10 feet long and with 15 pounds of explosive
affixed, he climbed the slope under a withering blast of machinegun
fire and placed the charge at the strongpoint's base. The
subsequent blast was ineffective, and again, alone and unhesitatingly,
he braved the slope to repeat the operation. This second blast
blew off the ends of the enemy guns. Cpl. Kelly then climbed
the slope a third time to place a pole charge at the strongpoint's
rear entrance. When this had been blown open he hurled hand
grenades inside the position, forcing survivors of the enemy
guncrews to come out and surrender The gallantry, tenacity
of purpose, and utter disregard for personal safety displayed
by Cpl. Kelly were an incentive to his comrades and worthy
of emulation by all.
OGDEN,
CARLOS C.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant,
U.S. Army, Company K, 314th Infantry, 79th Infantry Division.
Place and date: Near Fort du Roule, France, 25 June 1944.
Entered service at: Fairmont, Ill. Born: 19 May 1917, Borton,
Ill. G.O. No.: 49, 28 June 1945.
Citation: On the morning of 25 June 1944, near Fort du Roule, guarding
the approaches to Cherbourg, France, 1st Lt. Ogden's company
was pinned down by fire from a German 88-mm. gun and 2 machineguns.
Arming himself with an M-1 rifle, a grenade launcher, and
a number of rifle and handgrenades, he left his company in
position and advanced alone, under fire, up the slope toward
the enemy emplacements. Struck on the head and knocked down
by a glancing machinegun bullet, 1st Lt. Ogden, in spite of
his painful wound and enemy fire from close range, continued
up the hill. Reaching a vantage point, he silenced the 88mm.
gun with a well-placed rifle grenade and then, with handgrenades,
knocked out the 2 machineguns, again being painfully wounded.
1st Lt. Ogden's heroic leadership and indomitable courage
in alone silencing these enemy weapons inspired his men to
greater effort and cleared the way for the company to continue
the advance and reach its objectives.
*ROOSEVELT,
THEODORE, JR.
Rank and organization: brigadier general,
U.S. Army. Place and date: Normandy invasion, 6 June 1944.
Entered service at: Oyster Bay, N.Y. Birth: Oyster Bay, N.Y.
G.O. No.: 77, 28 September 1944.
Citation:
For gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above
and beyond the call of duty on 6 June 1944, in France. After
2 verbal requests to accompany the leading assault elements
in the Normandy invasion had been denied, Brig. Gen. Roosevelt's
written request for this mission was approved and he landed
with the first wave of the forces assaulting the enemy-held
beaches. He repeatedly led groups from the beach, over the
seawall and established them inland. His valor, courage, and
presence in the very front of the attack and his complete
unconcern at being under heavy fire inspired the troops to
heights of enthusiasm and self-sacrifice. Although the enemy
had the beach under constant direct fire, Brig. Gen. Roosevelt
moved from one locality to another, rallying men around him,
directed and personally led them against the enemy. Under
his seasoned, precise, calm, and unfaltering leadership, assault
troops reduced beach strong points and rapidly moved inland
with minimum casualties. He thus contributed substantially
to the successful establishment of the beachhead in France
.
URBAN,
MATT
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel (then Captain),
2d Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division,
World War II. Place and date: Renouf, France, 14 June to 3
September 1944. Entered service at: Fort Bragg, North Carolina,
2 July 1941. Date and place of birth: 25 August 1919, Buffalo,
New York.
Citation:
Lieutenant Colonel (then Captain) Matt Urban, l 12-22-2414,
United States Army, who distinguished himself by a series
of bold, heroic actions, exemplified by singularly outstanding
combat leadership, personal bravery, and tenacious devotion
to duty, during the period 14 June to 3 September 1944 while
assigned to the 2d Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th
Infantry Division. On 14 June, Captain Urban's company, attacking
at Renouf, France, encountered heavy enemy small arms and
tank fire. The enemy tanks were unmercifully raking his unit's
positions and inflicting heavy casualties. Captain Urban,
realizing that his company was in imminent danger of being
decimated, armed himself with a bazooka. He worked his way
with an ammo carrier through hedgerows, under a continuing
barrage of fire, to a point near the tanks. He brazenly exposed
himself to the enemy fire and, firing the bazooka, destroyed
both tanks. Responding to Captain Urban's action, his company
moved forward and routed the enemy. Later that same day, still
in the attack near Orglandes, Captain Urban was wounded in
the leg by direct fire from a 37mm tank-gun. He refused evacuation
and continued to lead his company until they moved into defensive
positions for the night. At 0500 hours the next day, still
in the attack near Orglandes, Captain Urban, though badly
wounded, directed his company in another attack. One hour
later he was again wounded. Suffering from two wounds, one
serious, he was evacuated to England. In mid-July, while recovering
from his wounds, he learned of his unit's severe losses in
the hedgerows of Normandy. Realizing his unit's need for battle-tested
leaders, he voluntarily left the hospital and hitchhiked his
way back to his unit hear St. Lo, France. Arriving at the
2d Battalion Command Post at 1130 hours, 25 July, he found
that his unit had jumped-off at 1100 hours in the first attack
of Operation Cobra." Still limping from his leg wound,
Captain Urban made his way forward to retake command of his
company. He found his company held up by strong enemy opposition.
Two supporting tanks had been destroyed and another, intact
but with no tank commander or gunner, was not moving. He located
a lieutenant in charge of the support tanks and directed a
plan of attack to eliminate the enemy strong-point. The lieutenant
and a sergeant were immediately killed by the heavy enemy
fire when they tried to mount the tank. Captain Urban, though
physically hampered by his leg wound and knowing quick action
had to be taken, dashed through the scathing fire and mounted
the tank. With enemy bullets ricocheting from the tank, Captain
Urban ordered the tank forward and, completely exposed to
the enemy fire, manned the machine gun and placed devastating
fire on the enemy. His action, in the face of enemy fire,
galvanized the battalion into action and they attacked and
destroyed the enemy position. On 2 August, Captain Urban was
wounded in the chest by shell fragments and, disregarding
the recommendation of the Battalion Surgeon, again refused
evacuation. On 6 August, Captain Urban became the commander
of the 2d Battalion. On 15 August, he was again wounded but
remained with his unit. On 3 September, the 2d Battalion was
given the mission of establishing a crossing-point on the
Meuse River near Heer, Belgium. The enemy planned to stop
the advance of the allied Army by concentrating heavy forces
at the Meuse. The 2d Battalion, attacking toward the crossing-point,
encountered fierce enemy artillery, small arms and mortar
fire which stopped the attack. Captain Urban quickly moved
from his command post to the lead position of the battalion.
Reorganizing the attacking elements, he personally led a charge
toward the enemy's strong-point. As the charge moved across
the open terrain, Captain Urban was seriously wounded in the
neck. Although unable to talk above a whisper from the paralyzing
neck wound, and in danger of losing his life, he refused to
be evacuated until the enemy was routed and his battalion
had secured the crossing-point on the Meuse River. Captain
Urban's personal leadership, limitless bravery, and repeated
extraordinary exposure to enemy fire served as an inspiration
to his entire battalion. His valorous and intrepid actions
reflect the utmost credit on him and uphold the noble traditions
of the United States.