|
(Courtesy Rex Combs collection) |
HEADQUARTERS; 508TH PARACHUTE INFANTRY
APO 230, U.S. ARMY |
|
CITATION WORK SHEET |
| a. |
Robert B. White,
15337117, Sgt. Inf, U.S. Army |
| b. |
For Heroic Conduct |
| c. |
30 Oct 1944
d. 2 mi. from Bemmel, Holland |
| e. |
Sgt White, sqd ldr, Co. "A" 508 Prcht. Inf. |
| f. |
Volunteered to go
into enemy territory on a daylight recon.
After penetrating into enemy lines, this man
endeavored to take an enemy SS man as prisoner.
Failing in this, the enemy was killed, and in the
ensuing attack upon an officer and two men of this
patrol, Sgt White prevented the enemy [from] using
their machine gun by firing three rounds into the
piece, damaging it [to] such an extent that it would
not function, and killing one of the gunners.
Upon seeing his officer patrol leader ear the verge of
unconsciousness and bleeding from the mouth and
nose, due to enemy concussion grenades, he refused
to withdraw without the patrol leader, even though
ordered to do so.
After an advance into
enemy territory this patrol was ambushed by the
enemy, and was receiving fire, at very short
range, of many automatic weapons and rifles.
Though completely surrounded, Pvt Schmalz
voluntarily crawled through the ring of enemy, to
friendly troops, organized them and drove the enemy
off, enabling the two officers and two men to
withdraw to safety.
His action
undoubtedly saved the life of the patrol leader, and
was of great value in returning with a vast amount
of information concerning the no. + kind of enemy
troops and their position. |
| |
| |
| k. |
St. Albans, W. Va. |
| |
LEGEND |
a. Name, Rank, ASN
b. Award Phrase
c. When?
d. Where? |
e. Position, Unit & Orgn
f. What?
g. Why?
h. How? |
i.. Status?
j. Result?
k. Hometown?
|
| |
NOTES: Jeff Combs,
son of Rex Combs, wrote the following when he
supplied the citation image to us:
"The officer referred to in this
document is my father. Sgt's White & Kinman & my
father were on a three man patrol in a canal and
were spotted by the Germans, one of them threw a
grenade just in front of my father and it knocked
him senseless. Sgt. White told me years ago
that at the edge of the canal was a stone wall
which, as he looked over the wall, he came face to
face with a German soldier. He quickly ducked back
down. He had my father's Thompson and as the
German stuck his head back up over the wall again,
he emptied a magazine into his head and he said, 'It
took his head clean off.'"
CONCLUSION: Sgt White received the Bronze Star Medal
based on this recommendation |
| |
|
|
