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Harold Owen Messerschmidt

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Harold Owen Messerschmidt Famous memorial Veteran

Birth
Grier City, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, USA
Death
17 Sep 1944 (aged 20)
Raddon-et-Chapendu, Departement de la Haute-Saône, Franche-Comté, France
Burial
Barnesville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, USA GPS-Latitude: 40.8288269, Longitude: -76.0230103
Memorial ID
View Source
World War II Medal of Honor Recipient. He served as a Sergeant in the United States Army in Company L, 30th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for action on September 17, 1944 near Radden, France. He was killed in action. His citation reads in part "Knocked to the ground by a burst from an enemy automatic weapon, he immediately jumped to his feet, and ignoring his grave wounds, fired his submachine gun at the enemy that was now upon them, killing five and wounding many others before his ammunition was spent. Virtually surrounded by a frenzied foe and all of his squad now casualties, he elected to fight alone, using his empty sub-machine gun as a bludgeon against his assailants. Spotting one of the enemy about to kill a wounded comrade, he felled the German with a blow of his weapon. Seeing friendly reinforcements running up the hill, he continued furiously to wield his empty gun against the foe in a new attack, and it was thus that he made the supreme sacrifice."
World War II Medal of Honor Recipient. He served as a Sergeant in the United States Army in Company L, 30th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for action on September 17, 1944 near Radden, France. He was killed in action. His citation reads in part "Knocked to the ground by a burst from an enemy automatic weapon, he immediately jumped to his feet, and ignoring his grave wounds, fired his submachine gun at the enemy that was now upon them, killing five and wounding many others before his ammunition was spent. Virtually surrounded by a frenzied foe and all of his squad now casualties, he elected to fight alone, using his empty sub-machine gun as a bludgeon against his assailants. Spotting one of the enemy about to kill a wounded comrade, he felled the German with a blow of his weapon. Seeing friendly reinforcements running up the hill, he continued furiously to wield his empty gun against the foe in a new attack, and it was thus that he made the supreme sacrifice."

Bio by: Don Morfe




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  • Maintained by: Find a Grave
  • Originally Created by: Don Morfe
  • Added: Mar 8, 2003
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7243967/harold_owen-messerschmidt: accessed ), memorial page for Harold Owen Messerschmidt (20 Oct 1923–17 Sep 1944), Find a Grave Memorial ID 7243967, citing Christ Church Cemetery, Barnesville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.