Medal of Honor: Forrest L. Vosler – WWII, December 20, 1943

Forrest Lee Vosler

Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Forces
Conflict: World War II
Unit: 358th Bombardment Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group (Heavy), 8th Air Force
Date of Action: December 20, 1943
Location: Over Bremen, Germany

Action Summary:
The skies over Bremen were a furnace of flak and fire. On December 20, 1943, Technical Sergeant Forrest Vosler took his place aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress as a radio operator and waist gunner, knowing full well the odds. The target was deep in the heart of Nazi Germany — and Bremen's defenses were waiting.

As the bomb run ended and the Fortress turned for home, a storm of anti-aircraft shells found their mark. The plane shuddered as explosions tore through its fuselage. One cannon shell ripped into the radio compartment, shredding Vosler’s legs. Another blast in the tail disabled the rear guns and wounded the tail gunner. Bleeding and barely able to stand, Vosler dragged himself to his gun station and kept firing, shielding his crew with sheer willpower.

A second shell exploded near his face and chest — blinding him, burning him, mauling his vision. Yet he refused aid. He could no longer see, but he could still fight. When the pilot announced they would have to ditch in the sea, the crippled Fortress had no working radio. Vosler, slipping in and out of consciousness, worked by feel — his eyes useless, hands trembling — until he brought the shattered radio back to life and sent the desperate SOS that would lead rescuers to them.

When the plane finally hit the water, Vosler, blind and gravely wounded, crawled onto the wing and held the wounded tail gunner from sliding into the freezing Atlantic until help came. He saved not only the radio and the mission — but the lives of his crew.

Official Medal of Honor Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry in action against the enemy above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a radio operator-air gunner on a heavy bombardment aircraft in a mission over Bremen, Germany, on 20 December 1943. After bombing the target, the aircraft in which T/Sgt. Vosler was serving was severely damaged by antiaircraft fire, forced out of formation, and immediately subjected to repeated vicious attacks by enemy fighters. Early in the engagement a 20-mm. cannon shell exploded in the radio compartment, painfully wounding T/Sgt. Vosler in the legs and thighs. At about the same time a direct hit on the tail of the ship seriously wounded the tail gunner and rendered the tail guns inoperative. Realizing the great need for firepower in protecting the vulnerable tail of the ship, T/Sgt. Vosler, with grim determination, kept up a steady stream of deadly fire. Shortly thereafter another 20-mm. enemy shell exploded, wounding T/Sgt. Vosler in the chest and about the face. Pieces of metal lodged in both eyes, impairing his vision to such an extent that he could only distinguish blurred shapes. Displaying remarkable tenacity and courage, he kept firing his guns and declined to take first-aid treatment. The radio equipment had been rendered inoperative during the battle, and when the pilot announced that he would have to ditch, although unable to see and working entirely by touch, T/Sgt. Vosler finally got the set operating and sent out distress signals despite several lapses into unconsciousness. When the ship ditched, T/Sgt. Vosler managed to get out on the wing by himself and hold the wounded tail gunner from slipping off until the other crew members could help them into the dinghy. T/Sgt. Vosler’s actions on this occasion were an inspiration to all serving with him. The extraordinary courage, coolness, and skill he displayed in the face of great odds, when handicapped by injuries that would have incapacitated the average crewmember, were outstanding.