Medal of Honor: Francis J. Clark, World War Two, 12 September 1944

FRANCIS J. CLARK
Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company K, 109th Infantry, 28th Infantry Division
Place and date: Near Kalborn, Luxembourg, 12 September 1944; near Sevenig, Germany, 17 September 1944
Entered service at: Salem, New York
Born: Whitehall, New York
G.O. No.: 77, 10 September 1945

The autumn of 1944 found the men of the 28th Infantry Division locked in a desperate contest along the Luxembourg–Germany frontier. Rain, fog, and bitter enemy fire turned every crossing, every hilltop, into a place where survival was uncertain and leadership often determined whether men would stand or scatter. It was in this crucible that Technical Sergeant Francis J. Clark of New York revealed himself as a soldier of extraordinary determination and valor.

On September 12, near the small village of Kalborn, Luxembourg, Clark’s company was attempting to ford the Our River. The 3rd Platoon, where he served as squad leader, managed the crossing under the cover of early morning fog. But when the 2nd Platoon attempted the same, a storm of automatic weapons and rifle fire tore into the exposed men, killing their leaders and pinning them helpless in the open. From relative safety, Clark saw their plight. Without hesitation, he crawled across an open field raked by bullets to reach the stricken platoon. Calmly, he rallied the shaken men, restored order under fire, and personally led them back to safety. Not content with that, he returned again into the kill zone, dragging a wounded comrade to safety while enemy gunners tried to cut him down.

For the days that followed, Clark’s ferocity seemed tireless. He led small groups of men in lightning raids against enemy strongpoints. Armed with grenades, he personally destroyed a machine-gun nest, killed several enemy soldiers, and scattered German patrols. His aggression and relentless drive forced a full enemy company to withdraw, buying precious time for his hard-pressed regiment.

Five days later, on September 17 near Sevenig, Germany, Clark again proved indispensable. His company was battered, many of its leaders killed or wounded. Clark single-handedly advanced against an enemy machine gun, killing the gunner and scattering the crew. When German counterattacks drove deep into Company K’s lines, he assumed command of two leaderless platoons, moving among the men to steady their resolve. Though wounded the next morning, Clark refused evacuation. He took position in a pillbox, killing Germans at close range—including one who had advanced to within five yards of his line. Later, at the risk of his life, he carried food and water to an isolated platoon under fire.

Time and again, Clark’s presence at the front line turned chaos into cohesion. His courage became contagious, his actions a living standard for men who otherwise might have broken under relentless pressure. By the end of those harrowing days in Luxembourg and Germany, he had saved lives, shattered enemy attacks, and kept the 109th Infantry Division moving forward against odds that would have broken lesser men.

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.