Medal of Honor: Name: James L. Harris, World War II, October 7, 1944

Name: James L. Harris
Rank: Second Lieutenant
War: World War II
Date of Action: October 7, 1944
Unit: 756th Tank Battalion
Entered Service At: Hillsboro, Texas
Born: Hillsboro, Texas

Summary of Action
On the night of October 7, 1944, near Vagney, France, an enemy raiding force—supported by a tank and two platoons of infantry—slipped through the mist and struck an American command post. Responding at once, Second Lieutenant James L. Harris led his M4 Sherman tank and a small patrol forward to engage the attackers. Realizing the danger ahead, he ordered his tank to stop and advanced alone on foot, moving ahead of his men into the blackness armed only with his sidearm. Within moments, he was struck by a burst of machine gun fire that tore through his abdomen. Crawling back through the mud, leaving a trail of blood behind, he reached his tank but was too weak to climb inside. Propped on the ground between his tank and the enemy’s position, Harris continued to give fire orders, directing his crew until his own vehicle was destroyed in the fight. Even as the battle raged around him, he refused medical aid until one of his wounded crewmen had been carried to safety. A second shell struck him, severing his leg. He died before help could arrive—but his calm heroism and refusal to yield saved the lives of the command post personnel and drove off the German attack.

Medal of Honor Citation
HARRIS, JAMES L.
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 756th Tank Battalion. Place and date: At Vagney, France, 7 October 1944. Entered service at: Hillsboro, Tex. Birth: Hillsboro, Tex. G.O. No.: 32, 23 April 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 7 October 1944, in Vagney, France. At 9 p.m. an enemy raiding party, comprising a tank and 2 platoons of infantry, infiltrated through the lines under cover of mist and darkness and attacked an infantry battalion command post with hand grenades, retiring a short distance to an ambush position on hearing the approach of the M-4 tank commanded by 2d Lt. Harris. Realizing the need for bold aggressive action, 2d Lt. Harris ordered his tank to halt while he proceeded on foot, fully 10 yards ahead of his 6-man patrol and armed only with a service pistol, to probe the darkness for the enemy. Although struck down and mortally wounded by machinegun bullets which penetrated his solar plexus, he crawled back to his tank, leaving a trail of blood behind him, and, too weak to climb inside it, issued fire orders while lying on the road between the 2 contending armored vehicles. Although the tank which he commanded was destroyed in the course of the fire fight, he stood the enemy off until friendly tanks, preparing to come to his aid, caused the enemy to withdraw and thereby lose an opportunity to kill or capture the entire battalion command personnel. Suffering a second wound, which severed his leg at the hip, in the course of this tank duel, 2d Lt. Harris refused aid until after a wounded member of his crew had been carried to safety. He died before he could be given medical attention.