MURPHY, AUDIE L. Rank and organization:
Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B 1 5th Infantry, 3d Infantry
Division. Place and date: Near Holtzwihr France, 26 January 1945.
Entered service at: Dallas, Tex. Birth: Hunt County, near Kingston,
Tex. G.O. No.. 65, 9 August 1945. Citation 2d Lt. Murphy commanded
Company B, which was attacked by 6 tanks and waves of infantry.
2d Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions
in a woods, while he remained forward at his command post and
continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone.
Behind him, to his right, 1 of our tank destroyers received a
direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods.
2d Lt. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire which killed
large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy
tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning
tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment,
and employed its .50 caliber machinegun against the enemy. He
was alone and exposed to German fire from 3 sides, but his deadly
fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack
to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall
back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to
eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position
and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on
his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to
be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored
it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition
was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical
attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which
forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire
wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50. 2d
Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch
of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction,
and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective.
YORK, ALVIN C.
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company G, 328th
Infantry, 82d Division. Place and date: Near Chatel-Chehery, France,
8 October 1918. Entered service at: Pall Mall, Tenn. Born: 13
December 1887, Fentress County, Tenn. G.O. No.: 59, W.D., 1919.
Citation: After his platoon had suffered heavy casualties and
3 other noncommissioned officers had become casualties, Cpl. York
assumed command. Fearlessly leading 7 men, he charged with great
daring a machinegun nest which was pouring deadly and incessant
fire upon his platoon. In this heroic feat the machinegun nest
was taken, together with 4 officers and 128 men and several guns.
