Medal of Honor: Francis J. Clark, World War II, September 12 & 17, 1944

Name: Francis J. Clark
War: World War II
Date of Action: September 12 & 17, 1944
Place: Near Kalborn, Luxembourg & Sevenig, Germany
Unit: Company K, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division
Rank: Technical Sergeant

Summary of Action

In the autumn of 1944, with the Allies pressing through Luxembourg and into Germany, the men of Company K faced overwhelming fire and the shattering loss of leaders. On September 12, as his comrades struggled to cross the Our River under a storm of machine-gun and rifle fire, Clark left his safe position, crawled across open fields, and rallied a pinned-down platoon leaderless in the open. He brought them to safety, then turned back alone to rescue a wounded soldier while German guns hammered at him.

Clark refused to stop. He assaulted enemy positions with grenades, scattered German patrols, and led daring sorties that forced an entire enemy company to withdraw. Five days later, near Sevenig, Germany, he again fought with reckless courage—killing machine-gun crews, taking command of shattered platoons, and inspiring men to stand firm when counterattacks threatened to break the line. Even after being wounded, he manned a pillbox through the night, and at daybreak emerged to personally kill more Germans who were setting up new guns only yards away.

When food and water ran short, Clark volunteered to carry supplies across open ground under fire to isolated comrades. By the time his ordeal ended, he had assumed command of scattered troops, beaten back assaults, destroyed enemy weapons, and transformed fear into fighting spirit. His relentless bravery saved lives, crushed enemy resolve, and kept Company K in the fight.

Medal of Honor Citation

He fought gallantly in Luxembourg and Germany. On 12 September 1944, Company K began fording the Our River near Kalborn, Luxembourg, to take high ground on the opposite bank. Covered by early morning fog, the 3d Platoon, in which T/Sgt. Clark was squad leader, successfully negotiated the crossing; but when the 2d Platoon reached the shore, withering automatic and small-arms fire ripped into it, eliminating the platoon leader and platoon sergeant and pinning down the troops in the open. From his comparatively safe position, T/Sgt. Clark crawled alone across a field through a hail of bullets to the stricken troops. He led the platoon to safety and then unhesitatingly returned into the fire-swept area to rescue a wounded soldier, carrying him to the American line while hostile gunners tried to cut him down. Later, he led his squad and men of the 2d Platoon in dangerous sorties against strong enemy positions to weaken them by lightning-like jabs. He assaulted an enemy machinegun with hand grenades, killing 2 Germans. He roamed the front and flanks, dashing toward hostile weapons, killing and wounding an undetermined number of the enemy, scattering German patrols and, eventually, forcing the withdrawal of a full company of Germans heavily armed with automatic weapons. On 17 September, near Sevenig, Germany, he advanced alone against an enemy machinegun, killed the gunner and forced the assistant to flee. The Germans counterattacked, and heavy casualties were suffered by Company K. Seeing that 2 platoons lacked leadership, T/Sgt. Clark took over their command and moved among the men to give encouragement. Although wounded on the morning of 18 September, he refused to be evacuated and took up a position in a pillbox when night came. Emerging at daybreak, he killed a German soldier setting up a machinegun not more than 5 yards away. When he located another enemy gun, he moved up unobserved and killed 2 Germans with rifle fire. Later that day he voluntarily braved small-arms fire to take food and water to members of an isolated platoon. T/Sgt. Clark’s actions in assuming command when leadership was desperately needed, in launching attacks and beating off counterattacks, in aiding his stranded comrades, and in fearlessly facing powerful enemy fire, were strikingly heroic examples and put fighting heart into the hard-pressed men of Company K.