| Show most thrilling exploit of war wins high honor lone yank officer 0 repulses tank attack led by germans washington A young officer who manned a machine gun atop a blazing abandoned tank destroyer and beat back a tank led assault by germans has beep been awarded the nations top decoration he Is first lt audle audie L murphy 21 of 0 f texas who won the congressional medal of honor near france last january 20 26 he was still a second lieutenant and new to the command of his company in the third infantry division says the chicago tribune the citation accompanying the medal which was waa to be given to murphy in europe credited him with killing or wounding 50 0 of the germans with machine gun fire and with directing art artillery lUery fire earlier in the fighting which killed many more some of murphys Murp hys buddies estimated that he accounted for or nazis in the hour long battle swept from woods murphy was in front of his company when the two german infantry companies paced by six heavy tanks swept from a woods H he e ordered his men to fau fall back to prepared positions while he stayed at his advance post to cau call for artillery fire to smash the germans in the open he was alone except tor for a tree and the tank destroyer about 10 y yards s ads to his right first lt walter W Wels an artillery officer of fredonia fre donia donla N D who witnessed the action said later the art artillery Ulery fire that murphy directed had a deadly effect 1 I saw germans disappearing in clouds of dirt and snow he related then a german 88 83 mm sheu shell crashed into the tank destroyer and its crew balled out tailing falling back to join the remainder of the company I 1 smoke and flames spurted from the destroyer the german tank crews I 1 criers swung wide around it fearing that at its gasoline and ammunition wo would uld blow up with the german infantry only yards ards away murphy dashed over to the destroyer climbed into the turret and began blasting the nazis with its 50 caliber machine gun Wels called it the bravest thing ive ever seen a man do in com combat bat adding exposed to foes fire I 1 he H e was completely exposed to the enemy fire are and there was a blaze under trim him that threatened to blow the destroyer to bits machine gun machine pistol and 88 shellfire was all all around him twice the tank destroyer was hit by direct and lieutenant murphy was engulfed in smoke and flame his lothing clothing was riddled by flying fragments of 0 shells and bits of rocks I 1 saw that his trouser leg was soaked with blood twelve germans tried to sneak up along a ditch and flank him but he swung the machine gun and killed ki U ed all of them at a 50 yard range the nazi infantry was stalled without the infantry the enemy tanks advance and the whole attack collapsed murphy dropped wearily off the destroyer all his almut ammunition aaion gone and limped back to his company refusing treatment he reorganized his company and led it in an attack that routed the germans murphy a native of Farmers vilie joined the army on his birthday and fought throughout the african sicilian italian and french campaigns he has been wounded three times and wears the purple heart with two clusters united states U boats sank 1256 jap ships washington U S submarines operating in tar far eastern waters in the last three months of the war sank 69 enemy vessels the navy announced recently bringing to 1256 the number of japanese ships sunk by american craft lp in the war none of the sin kings in the last three months had been announced previously the figures were compiled from reports of submarines after their return arc from m pacific action the latest bag included 20 japanese warships and 49 noncombatant t ships anese the warships sunk were two japanese submarines one mine layer two minesweepers two large sub chasers eight special sub chasers tour four coastal defense frigates and one torpedo boat jobs for all goal seen in billion income washington treasury secretary vinson told congress that a national income of billion dollars will be needed to provide jobs tor for all who are willing and able to work to assure employment for 60 million people purchasing power must be increased enough to boost consumption 50 per cent and to expand construction and investment by per cent over prewar levels vinson said in a statement tor for the senate banking committee vinson endorsed the so called full employment bill which the committee Is considering but cautioned that ultimate rel reliance lance tor for jobs must come from an expansion of private consumption and investments I 1 |
