|
Charles N. DeGlopper
FULL
MEDAL OF HONOR
CITATION
|
 |
Place:
Merderet River at la Fiere, France
Date: June 9, 1944
Rank and organization:
Private First Class, U.S. Army, Co. C,
325th Glider Infantry, 82d Airborne Division. |
The
President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March
3, 1863, has awarded in the name of The Congress the Medal of Honor to
Private
UNITED STATES ARMY
*DEGLOPPER, CHARLES N.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Co. C, 325th Glider
Infantry, 82d Airborne Division. Place and date: Merderet River at la Fiere,
France, 9 June 1944. Entered service at: Grand Island, N.Y. Birth: Grand Island,
N.Y. G.O. No.: 22, 28 February 1946. Citation: He was a member of Company C,
325th Glider Infantry, on 9 June 1944 advancing with the forward platoon to
secure a bridgehead across the Merderet River at La Fiere, France. At dawn the
platoon had penetrated an outer line of machineguns and riflemen, but in so
doing had become cut off from the rest of the company. Vastly superior forces
began a decimation of the stricken unit and put in motion a flanking maneuver
which would have completely exposed the American platoon in a shallow roadside
ditch where it had taken cover. Detecting this danger, Pfc. DeGlopper
volunteered to support his comrades by fire from his automatic rifle while they
attempted a withdrawal through a break in a hedgerow 40 yards to the rear.
Scorning a concentration of enemy automatic weapons and rifle fire, he walked
from the ditch onto the road in full view of the Germans, and sprayed the
hostile positions with assault fire. He was wounded, but he continued firing.
Struck again, he started to fall; and yet his grim determination and valiant
fighting spirit could not be broken. Kneeling in the roadway, weakened by his
grievous wounds, he leveled his heavy weapon against the enemy and fired burst
after burst until killed outright. He was successful in drawing the enemy action
away from his fellow soldiers, who continued the fight from a more advantageous
position and established the first bridgehead over the Merderet. In the area
where he made his intrepid stand his comrades later found the ground strewn with
dead Germans and many machineguns and automatic weapons which he had knocked out
of action. Pfc. DeGlopper's gallant sacrifice and unflinching heroism while
facing insurmountable odds were in great measure responsible for a highly
important tactical victory in the Normandy Campaign.
|
