Christmas day 1944, the bravery of ANOTHER young GI.
« on: June 28, 2021, 06:02:29 PM »
On Christmas Day 1944, Private Paul J. Wiedorfer, Company G, 318th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division, showed great valor when he single-handedly eliminated two German machine guns which pinned down his company near Chaumont, Belgium.
Paul received the Medal of Honor for his actions that Christmas Day. He was subsequently promoted to Staff Sergeant then Master Sergeant.
Paul Wiedorfer's Medal of Honor Citation reads as follows:
He alone made it possible for his company to advance until its objective was seized. Company G had cleared a wooded area of snipers, and one platoon was advancing across an open clearing toward another wood when it was met by heavy machine-gun fire from two German positions dug in at the edge of the second wood. These positions were flanked by enemy riflemen. The platoon took cover behind a small ridge approximately 40 yards from the enemy position.
There was no other available protection and the entire platoon was pinned down by the German fire. It was about noon and the day was clear, but the terrain extremely difficult due to a three-inch snowfall the night before over ice-covered ground. Pvt. Wiedorfer, realizing that the platoon advance could not continue until the two enemy machine-gun nests were destroyed, voluntarily charged alone across the slippery open ground with no protecting cover of any kind. Running in a crouched position, under a hail of enemy fire, he slipped and fell in the snow, but quickly rose and continued forward with the enemy concentrating automatic and small-arms fire on him as he advanced.
Miraculously escaping injury, Pvt. Wiedorfer reached a point some 10 yards from the first machine-gun emplacement and hurled a hand grenade into it. With his rifle he stopped the remaining Germans, and, without hesitation, wheeled to the right and attacked the second emplacement. One of the enemy was wounded by his fire and the other six immediately surrendered. This heroic action by one man enabled the platoon to advance from behind its protecting ridge and continue successfully to reach its objective.
A few minutes later, when both the platoon leader and the platoon sergeant were wounded, Pvt. Wiedorfer assumed command of the platoon, leading it forward with inspired energy until the mission was accomplished.
On February 10, 1945, while crossing the Saar River, he was severely wounded by a mortar shell that blew up near him. Paul was evacuated to the 137th United States Army General Hospital in England where he was presented with his Medal of Honor while still in the hospital.
During his service Paul was also honored with the Bronze Star and two Purple Heart acknowledgments. A native of Baltimore Maryland, he returned to his home after the war to a ticker tape parade with General George C. Marshall and Maryland governor Herbert O'Conor in attendance. After leaving the Army, he worked for Baltimore Gas and Electric and retired from there in 1981.
Master Sergeant Paul Wiedorfer passed away on May 25, 2011 at the age of 90.
Colourised PIECE of JAKE
Original description and photo sourced from: cmohs.org, militarytimes.com, ancestry.com and US Army Archive. Found on
https://www.facebook.com/WW-II-uncovered-470413990451593
