Medal of Honor: Wilburn K. Ross, World War II, October 30, 1944

Name: Wilburn K. Ross
Rank: Private
War: World War II
Date of Action: October 30, 1944
Unit: Company G, 350th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division
Born: May 12, 1922 – Strunk, Kentucky
Entered Service At: Strunk, Kentucky

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Summary of Action

Near St. Jacques, France, Private Wilburn K. Ross found himself at the heart of a desperate fight. His company, shattered by heavy losses after a failed assault, was reduced to just a handful of men when German mountain troops launched a fierce counterattack. Moving his light machine gun forward—ten yards ahead of the rifle line—Ross braced himself to take the full weight of the assault.

For more than five hours, Ross fought alone, firing until his barrel smoked and the ground around him churned with bullets and grenades. Enemy troops crawled to within yards of his position, hurling explosives into the dirt at his feet, but he refused to give ground. As his comrades ran out of ammunition, they crawled forward under fire to strip rounds from his belt, while Ross held the line—repelling wave after wave of German attacks.

Even when ordered to fall back, Ross refused, determined to fight to the last. At the moment the enemy gathered for their final assault, fresh ammunition arrived. Ross opened fire once more, cutting down 40 Germans and wounding 10 others, ending the assault single-handedly and saving what remained of his company.

For 36 straight hours, Private Ross held his post—embodying the quiet, unshakable courage that defined the American soldier in World War II.

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Medal of Honor Citation

Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company G, 350th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division.
Place and date: Near St. Jacques, France, 30 October 1944.
Entered service at: Strunk, Ky.
Birth: Strunk, Ky.
G.O. No.: 30, 14 April 1945.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty near St. Jacques, France. At 11:30 a.m. on 30 October 1944, after his company had lost 55 out of 88 men in an attack on an entrenched full-strength German company of elite mountain troops, Pvt. Ross placed his light machinegun 10 yards in advance of the foremost supporting riflemen in order to absorb the initial impact of an enemy counterattack. With machinegun and small-arms fire striking the earth near him, he fired with deadly effect on the assaulting force and repelled it. Despite the hail of automatic fire and the explosion of rifle grenades within a stone’s throw of his position, he continued to man his machinegun alone, holding off 6 more German attacks.

When the eighth assault was launched, most of his supporting riflemen were out of ammunition. They took positions in echelon behind Pvt. Ross and crawled up, during the attack, to extract a few rounds of ammunition from his machinegun ammunition belt. Pvt. Ross fought on virtually without assistance and, despite the fact that enemy grenadiers crawled to within 4 yards of his position in an effort to kill him with handgrenades, he again directed accurate and deadly fire on the hostile force and hurled it back.

After expending his last rounds, Pvt. Ross was advised to withdraw to the company command post, together with 8 surviving riflemen, but, as more ammunition was expected, he declined to do so. The Germans launched their last all-out attack, converging their fire on Pvt. Ross in a desperate attempt to destroy the machinegun which stood between them and a decisive breakthrough. As his supporting riflemen fixed bayonets for a last-ditch stand, fresh ammunition arrived and was brought to Pvt. Ross just as the advance assault elements were about to swarm over his position. He opened murderous fire on the oncoming enemy; killed 40 and wounded 10 of the attacking force; broke the assault single-handedly, and forced the Germans to withdraw.

Having killed or wounded at least 58 Germans in more than 5 hours of continuous combat and saved the remnants of his company from destruction, Pvt. Ross remained at his post that night and the following day for a total of 36 hours. His actions throughout this engagement were an inspiration to his comrades and maintained the high traditions of the military service.