Medal of Honor: Henry Schauer - World War II - May 23-24, 1944

Name: Henry Schauer
Rank: Private First Class
Branch: U.S. Army
War: World War II
Unit: 3d Infantry Division
Date of Action: May 23-24, 1944
Location: Near Cisterna di Littoria, Italy

Summary of Action

On 23 and 24 May 1944, Private First Class Henry Schauer displayed extraordinary heroism during combat operations near Cisterna di Littoria, Italy.

While serving with a patrol advancing through enemy territory, Schauer suddenly came under fire from four German snipers attacking from the rear.

Without hesitation, he rose from the protection of a ditch and deliberately walked thirty yards toward the enemy while rifle fire centered directly upon him.

Stopping in the open, Schauer calmly fired four bursts from his Browning Automatic Rifle at different ranges, killing all four snipers.

Almost immediately afterward, he spotted a fifth sniper concealed behind a chimney and killed him with another burst.

Later that same day, the patrol was halted again by a devastating German artillery barrage and fire from two enemy machine guns.

As shells exploded nearby and tracer rounds swept past him at chest level, Schauer once more left cover alone and advanced directly toward the enemy positions.

Kneeling in full view of the Germans, he fired a single burst from his BAR that killed both gunners of a machine gun only sixty yards away.

When two additional German soldiers attempted to man the weapon, Schauer instantly cut them down as well.

Reloading under fire, he shifted his aim toward a second machine gun nearly five hundred yards distant.

Emptying his BAR into the position, he killed the entire four-man German crew.

The following morning, the patrol again became pinned down by machine-gun fire and shells fired from a nearby German Mark VI tank.

Schauer crawled toward the enemy position before suddenly standing upright only eighty yards from the machine gun while bullets tore into the ground around him.

At the same time, tank shells exploded within twenty yards of his position.

Ignoring the fire completely, Schauer calmly raised his BAR to his shoulder and fired one devastating burst that killed all four members of the German machine-gun crew.

Through his fearless actions and extraordinary marksmanship, Schauer repeatedly shattered enemy strongpoints and enabled the patrol to continue its mission despite overwhelming opposition.

Medal of Honor Citation

SCHAUER, HENRY

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On 23 May 1944, at 12 noon, Pfc. (now T/Sgt.) Schauer left the cover of a ditch to engage 4 German snipers who opened fire on the patrol from its rear. Standing erect he walked deliberately 30 yards toward the enemy, stopped amid the fire from 4 rifles centered on him, and with 4 bursts from his BAR, each at a different range, killed all of the snipers. Catching sight of a fifth sniper waiting for the patrol behind a house chimney, Pfc. Schauer brought him down with another burst. Shortly after, when a heavy enemy artillery concentration and 2 machineguns temporarily halted the patrol, Pfc. Schauer again left cover to engage the enemy weapons single-handed. While shells exploded within 15 yards, showering dirt over him, and strings of grazing German tracer bullets whipped past him at chest level, Pfc. Schauer knelt, killed the 2 gunners of the machinegun only 60 yards from him with a single burst from his BAR, and crumpled 2 other enemy soldiers who ran to man the gun. Inserting a fresh magazine in his BAR, Pfc. Schauer shifted his body to fire at the other weapon 500 yards distant and emptied his weapon into the enemy crew, killing all 4 Germans. Next morning, when shells from a German Mark VI tank and a machinegun only 100 yards distant again forced the patrol to seek cover, Pfc. Schauer crawled toward the enemy machinegun. stood upright only 80 yards from the weapon as its bullets cut the surrounding ground, and 4 tank shells fired directly at him burst within 20 yards. Raising his BAR to his shoulder, Pfc. Schauer killed the 4 members of the German machinegun crew with 1 burst of fire.