219:, and rifle fire, he moved fearlessly and calmly from man to man along his 40-yard squad front, encouraging each to hold against the overwhelming assault of a fanatical foe surging up the hillside. 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 5 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
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as a bludgeon against his assailants. Spotting 1 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
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made the supreme sacrifice. Sgt. Messerschmidt's sustained heroism in hand-to-hand combat with superior enemy forces was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.
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He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. Braving machinegun,
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until he was killed. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor ten months later, on July 17, 1946.
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Messerschmidt, aged 20 at his death, was buried in Christ
Lutheran Church Cemetery,
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soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the
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in May 1943, and by
September 17, 1944, was serving as a
149:(October 20, 1923 – September 17, 1944) was a
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United States Army personnel killed in World War II
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253:"Medal of Honor recipients - World War II (M-S)"
319:World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor
261:United States Army Center of Military History
304:United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
309:People from Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
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164:Messerschmidt joined the Army from
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263:. June 8, 2009. Archived from
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242:WWII Army Enlistment Records
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314:United States Army soldiers
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16:United States Army soldier
201:Barnesville, Pennsylvania
184:attack on that day, near
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66:Barnesville, Pennsylvania
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257:Medal of Honor citations
64:Christ Church Cemetery,
35:Grier City, Pennsylvania
207:Medal of Honor citation
147:Harold O. Messerschmidt
23:Harold O. Messerschmidt
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174:30th Infantry Regiment
115:30th Infantry Regiment
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186:fr:Raddon-et-Chapendu
178:3rd Infantry Division
166:Chester, Pennsylvania
119:3rd Infantry Division
93:Years of service
157:—for his actions in
194:hand to hand combat
151:United States Army
87:United States Army
53:Raddon-et-Chapendu
45:September 17, 1944
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221:submachine gun
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172:in Company L,
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49:(aged 20)
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76:United States
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269:. Retrieved
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159:World War II
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129:World War II
125:Battles/wars
47:(1944-09-17)
294:1944 deaths
289:1923 births
180:. During a
283:Categories
271:2008-01-02
229:References
73:Allegiance
170:Sergeant
105:Sergeant
81:Service/
55:, France
190:France
182:German
135:Awards
83:branch
60:Buried
51:near
111:Unit
101:Rank
42:Died
37:, US
29:Born
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