Medal of Honor: Max Thompson, World War II, October 18

Name: Max Thompson
Rank: Sergeant
War: World War II
Date of Action: October 18, 1944
Unit: Company K, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
Born: July 17, 1922 – Bethel, North Carolina
Entered Service At: Prescott, Arizona

Summary of Action
On a hill near Haaren, Germany, the men of Company K endured an hour-long artillery bombardment before being assaulted by a full German infantry battalion supported by tanks. Amid the chaos, with wounded men strewn across the field and the 3rd Platoon’s position overrun, Sergeant Max Thompson refused to fall back. Alone, he sprinted to an abandoned machine gun and opened fire on the advancing enemy, holding them off until a tank shell obliterated the weapon and knocked him senseless.

Staggering to his feet, Thompson grabbed an automatic rifle and continued to fire until it jammed—then seized a rocket launcher, coolly aimed, and destroyed an enemy tank at close range. By nightfall, the enemy was pushed back to a few remaining pillboxes. When his squad’s fire failed to dislodge the entrenched Germans, Thompson crawled alone through the dark, hurling grenades into the openings until he silenced one position after another.

Bleeding and exhausted, he refused to stop until the last bunker fell and the hill was secure. His one-man stand turned the tide of the battle—and saved his company from destruction.

Medal of Honor Citation
THOMPSON, MAX
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company K, 18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Haaren, Germany, 18 October 1944. Entered service at: Prescott, Ariz. Birth: Bethel, N.C. G.O. No.: 47, 18 June 1945.
Citation: On 18 October 1944, Company K, 18th Infantry, occupying a position on a hill near Haaren, Germany, was attacked by an enemy infantry battalion supported by tanks. The assault was preceded by an artillery concentration, lasting an hour, which inflicted heavy casualties on the company. While engaged in moving wounded men to cover, Sgt. Thompson observed that the enemy had overrun the positions of the 3d Platoon. He immediately attempted to stem the enemy’s advance single-handedly. He manned an abandoned machinegun and fired on the enemy until a direct hit from a hostile tank destroyed the gun. Shaken and dazed, Sgt. Thompson picked up an automatic rifle and although alone against the enemy force which was pouring into the gap in our lines, he fired burst after burst, halting the leading elements of the attack and dispersing those following. Throwing aside his automatic rifle, which had jammed, he took up a rocket gun, fired on a light tank, setting it on fire. By evening the enemy had been driven from the greater part of the captured position but still held 3 pillboxes. Sgt. Thompson’s squad was assigned the task of dislodging the enemy from these emplacements. Darkness having fallen and finding that fire of his squad was ineffective from a distance, Sgt. Thompson crawled forward alone to within 20 yards of 1 of the pillboxes and fired grenades into it. The Germans holding the emplacement concentrated their fire upon him. Though wounded, he held his position fearlessly, continued his grenade fire, and finally forced the enemy to abandon the blockhouse. Sgt. Thompson’s courageous leadership inspired his men and materially contributed to the clearing of the enemy from his last remaining hold on this important hill position.