Medal of Honor: Patrick L. Kessler - World War II - May 23, 1944

Name: Patrick L. Kessler
Rank: Private First Class
Branch: U.S. Army
War: World War II
Unit: Company K, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division
Date of Action: May 23, 1944
Location: Near Ponte Rotto, Italy

Summary of Action

On 23 May 1944, Private First Class Patrick L. Kessler displayed extraordinary heroism during combat operations near Ponte Rotto, Italy.

As Company K advanced against entrenched German positions, devastating machine-gun fire erupted and killed five American soldiers, bringing the attack to a halt.

Without waiting for orders, Kessler sprinted fifty yards through the storm of enemy fire to organize an assault against the machine-gun nest.

Directing three soldiers to provide covering fire, he crawled forward alone through the bullets until he was discovered only yards from the enemy position.

Ignoring the furious automatic fire directed at him, Kessler charged straight into the emplacement.

Standing over the machine gun at point-blank range, he killed the gunner and assistant gunner, then leaped into the position and overpowered a third German soldier in hand-to-hand combat.

A fourth German attempted to flee, but Kessler wounded him as he escaped.

While escorting his prisoner to the rear, Kessler witnessed two more American soldiers killed by fire from another heavily defended enemy strongpoint that had already taken the lives of ten men from the company.

Turning his prisoner over to another soldier, Kessler immediately returned to the fight.

Crawling through intense machine-gun fire and exploding artillery shells, he reached a fallen American soldier, took his Browning Automatic Rifle and ammunition, and continued advancing alone toward the enemy defenses.

Passing through an anti-personnel minefield while enemy machine guns concentrated their fire directly upon him, Kessler crawled to within fifty yards of the position and began exchanging fire with the Germans.

When artillery shells exploded nearby, he suddenly rose from cover and advanced in a slow walk directly toward the enemy while firing his BAR from the hip.

Despite overwhelming fire, he reached the edge of the strongpoint, killed the machine gunners, and forced thirteen German soldiers to surrender.

Even after capturing the enemy position, the fight was not over.

As he escorted the prisoners to the rear, two German snipers opened fire from nearby cover.

Several prisoners attempted to escape in the confusion, but Kessler threw himself to the ground, pinned the prisoners down with suppressive fire, then engaged the snipers and captured them as well.

With the final enemy resistance destroyed, Company K resumed its advance and captured its objective without further opposition.

Pfc. Kessler was later killed in action, but his fearless assault remains one of the most extraordinary acts of individual battlefield courage during the Italian Campaign.

Medal of Honor Citation

KESSLER, PATRICK L.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Kessler, acting without orders, raced 50 yards through a hail of machinegun fire, which had killed 5 of his comrades and halted the advance of his company, in order to form an assault group to destroy the machinegun. Ordering 3 men to act as a base of fire, he left the cover of a ditch and snaked his way to a point within 50 yards of the enemy machinegun before he was discovered, whereupon he plunged headlong into the furious chain of automatic fire. Reaching a spot within 6 feet of the emplacement he stood over it and killed both the gunner and his assistant, jumped into the gun position, overpowered and captured a third German after a short struggle. The remaining member of the crew escaped, but Pfc. Kessler wounded him as he ran. While taking his prisoner to the rear, this soldier saw 2 of his comrades killed as they assaulted an enemy strongpoint, fire from which had already killed 10 men in the company. Turning his prisoner over to another man, Pfc. Kessler crawled 35 yards to the side of 1 of the casualties, relieved him of his BAR and ammunition and continued on toward the strongpoint, 125 yards distant. Although 2 machineguns concentrated their fire directly on him and shells exploded within 10 yards, bowling him over, Pfc. Kessler crawled 75 yards, passing through an antipersonnel minefield to a point within 50 yards of the enemy and engaged the machineguns in a duel. When an artillery shell burst within a few feet of him, he left the cover of a ditch and advanced upon the position in a slow walk, firing his BAR from the hip. Although the enemy poured heavy machinegun and small arms fire at him, Pfc. Kessler succeeded in reaching the edge of their position, killed the gunners, and captured 13 Germans. Then, despite continuous shelling, he started to the rear. After going 25 yards, Pfc. Kessler was fired upon by 2 snipers only 100 yards away. Several of his prisoners took advantage of this opportunity and attempted to escape; however, Pfc. Kessler hit the ground, fired on either flank of his prisoners, forcing them to cover, and then engaged the 2 snipers in a fire fight, and captured them. With this last threat removed, Company K continued its advance, capturing its objective without further opposition. Pfc. Kessler was killed in a subsequent action.