Medal of Honor: Stanley Bender War, World War II, August 17, 1944

Name: Stanley Bender
War: World War II
Date of Action: August 17, 1944

Summary of Action:
On August 17, 1944, near La Lande, France, Staff Sergeant Stanley Bender’s company was halted by relentless German machine-gun fire. Climbing atop a knocked-out tank in full view of the enemy, he calmly scanned the battlefield for the source of the fire while bullets ricocheted at his feet. Once locating the enemy positions, he led two squads through an irrigation ditch under intense fire and grenade attacks. Advancing alone, Bender flanked the knoll, destroyed one machine-gun nest with a burst of fire, then walked through withering enemy and friendly fire to eliminate a second. Signaling his men forward, he personally killed another rifleman before leading his squad in clearing the strongpoint. His audacity ignited a fierce charge by the rest of the company, overrunning enemy positions, knocking out two antitank guns, killing 37 Germans, capturing 26, and seizing three bridges intact.

Medal of Honor Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On 17 August 1944, near La Lande, France, he climbed on top of a knocked-out tank, in the face of withering machinegun fire which had halted the advance of his company, in an effort to locate the source of this fire. Although bullets ricocheted off the turret at his feet, he nevertheless remained standing upright in full view of the enemy for over 2 minutes. Locating the enemy machineguns on a knoll 200 yards away, he ordered 2 squads to cover him and led his men down an irrigation ditch, running a gauntlet of intense machinegun fire, which completely blanketed 50 yards of his advance and wounded 4 of his men. While the Germans hurled hand grenades at the ditch, he stood his ground until his squad caught up with him, then advanced alone, in a wide flanking approach, to the rear of the knoll. He walked deliberately a distance of 40 yards, without cover, in full view of the Germans and under a hail of both enemy and friendly fire, to the first machinegun and knocked it out with a single short burst. Then he made his way through the strong point, despite bursting hand grenades, toward the second machinegun, 25 yards distant, whose 2-man crew swung the machinegun around and fired two bursts at him, but he walked calmly through the fire and, reaching the edge of the emplacement, dispatched the crew. Signaling his men to rush the rifle pits, he then walked 35 yards further to kill an enemy rifleman and returned to lead his squad in the destruction of the 8 remaining Germans in the strong point. His audacity so inspired the remainder of the assault company that the men charged out of their positions, shouting and yelling, to overpower the enemy roadblock and sweep into town, knocking out 2 antitank guns, killing 37 Germans and capturing 26 others. He had sparked and led the assault company in an attack which overwhelmed the enemy, destroying a roadblock, taking a town, seizing intact 3 bridges over the Maravenne River, and capturing commanding terrain which dominated the area.