World War II Honoree

Paul J. Wiedorfer

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Baltimore, Maryland

Honored By

Ralph Bozorth

HE WAS AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR. STAFF SERGEANT (THEN PRIVATE), U.S. ARMY, COMPANY G, 318TH INFANTRY, 80TH INFANTRY DIVISION. PLACE AND DATE: NEAR, CHAUMONT, BELGIUM, DECEMBER 25, 1944. ENTERED SERVICE AT: BALTIMORE, MARYLAND. BIRTH: BALTIMORE, MARYLAND GO NUMBER 45, JUNE 12, 1945. CITATION: 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 1 PLATOON WAS ADVANCING ACROSS AN OPEN CLEARING TOWARD ANOTHER WOOD WHEN IT WAS MET BY HEAVY MACHINE GUN FIRE FROM 2 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 3-INCH SNOWFALL THE NIGHT BEFORE OVER ICE-COVERED GROUND. PRIVATE WIEDORFER, REALIZING THAT THE PLATOON ADVANCE COULD NOT CONTINUE UNTIL THE 2 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, PRIVATE WIEDORFER REACHED A POINT SOME 10 YARDS FROM THE FIRST MACHINE GUN EMPLACEMENT AND HURLED A HAND GRENADE INTO IT. WITH HIS RIFLE HE KILLED 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 6 IMMEDIATELY SURRENDERED. THIS HEROIC ACTION BY 1 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, PRIVATE WIEDORFER ASSUMED COMMAND OF THE PLATOON, LEADING IT FORWARD WITH INSPIRED ENERGY UNTIL THE MISSION WAS ACCOMPLISHED.