Medal of Honor: Herschel F. Briles – World War II – November 20, 1944

Name: Herschel Floyd Briles
Rank: Staff Sergeant
Organization: U.S. Army
Unit: Company C, 899th Tank Destroyer Battalion
Place and Date: Near Scherpenseel, Germany – 20 November 1944
Entered Service At: Fort Des Moines, Iowa
Born: February 7, 1914 – Colfax, Iowa
Departed: July 17, 1994
Accredited to: Iowa

Summary of Action

On November 20, 1944, as American forces pushed through Germany’s fortified West Wall, Staff Sergeant Herschel F. Briles led his platoon of tank destroyers across an exposed slope. Halfway across, enemy artillery found its mark. A direct hit tore into one of the destroyers — killing one crewman, wounding two more, and engulfing the vehicle in flames.

Without hesitation, Briles jumped from the safety of his own armored vehicle and sprinted into the fire-swept open ground. Artillery shells and small-arms rounds raked the slope as he climbed onto the burning destroyer, dropped into the turret, and hauled the wounded crewmen out one by one. Then, with the vehicle’s ammunition cooking off around him, he extinguished the fire.

The next morning, from a new position, Briles spotted a large German infantry force preparing to advance. Swinging his machine gun onto the attackers, he unleashed such accurate and concentrated fire that 55 enemy soldiers surrendered — breaking a two-day stalemate and allowing American units to link up.

Later that same day, when another destroyer was struck by a hidden German tank, Briles again raced forward through incoming fire. He pulled more wounded from the wreck, then climbed back into the burning vehicle to extinguish the flames and salvage it under continuous threat of exploding ammunition.

Through every act of unflinching courage, Staff Sergeant Briles preserved lives, saved critical equipment, and broke the enemy’s momentum — demonstrating the absolute highest standard of American battlefield leadership.

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Medal of Honor Citation

He was leading a platoon of destroyers across an exposed slope near Scherpenseel, Germany, on 20 November 1944, when they came under heavy enemy artillery fire. A direct hit was scored on 1 of the vehicles, killing 1 man, seriously wounding 2 others, and setting the destroyer afire. With a comrade, S/Sgt. Briles left the cover of his own armor and raced across ground raked by artillery and small-arms fire to the rescue of the men in the shattered destroyer. Without hesitation, he lowered himself into the burning turret, removed the wounded and then extinguished the fire. From a position he assumed the next morning, he observed hostile infantrymen advancing. With his machinegun, he poured such deadly fire into the enemy ranks that an entire pocket of 55 Germans surrendered, clearing the way for a junction between American units which had been held up for 2 days. Later that day, when another of his destroyers was hit by a concealed enemy tank, he again left protection to give assistance. With the help of another soldier, he evacuated two wounded under heavy fire and, returning to the burning vehicle, braved death from exploding ammunition to put out the flames. By his heroic initiative and complete disregard for personal safety, S/Sgt. Briles was largely responsible for causing heavy enemy casualties, forcing the surrender of 55 Germans, making possible the salvage of our vehicles, and saving the lives of wounded comrades.