FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Alton W. Knappenberger ~ July 22, 2013

Serving The Best Troops and Veterans In The World !! | StarCMC

[Kathy in Alaska]

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!

For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.

Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!

~ Hall of Heroes ~

Alton W. Knappenberger

Info from this website and also here.

           

Alton Knappenberger was working on a Pennsylvania pig farm when he was drafted in 1943 at the age of nineteen. He landed at Anzio, on the Italian coast, on January 22, 1944, as part of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, and although he did not know it at the time, he was about to become engaged in one of the toughest combat actions of World War II. “Knappie,” as his friends called him, was surprised by how little resistance the Germans initially offered. But as his unit slowly pushed inland over the next few days, he could sense that the enemy was regrouping. It rained constantly. He never forgot the mud; it was so thick and viscous that he worried it might suck off his boots.

On February 1, as Private First Class Knappenberger’s battalion neared the small town of Cisterna di Littoria, the Germans launched a strong counterattack with tanks and artillery that nearly overwhelmed the U.S. force. It was the Germans’ intent to push the Americans into the sea. With American soldiers taking heavy casualties all around him, Knappenberger crawled to a rise so that he could see the enemy. A German machine gun about eighty yards away opened fire, its slugs hitting right in front of Knappenberger and kicking mud into his face. He scrambled to a Browning Automatic Rifle lying beside one of his dead comrades, stood up, and aimed a burst at the machine gun, killing the three Germans operating it. Two Germans crawled to a point within twenty yards of Knappenberger’s knoll and threw potato masher grenades at him. Knappenberger wheeled and killed them both with one burst from his automatic rifle.

He was moving forward when a second German machine gun opened fire from a range of a hundred yards. Knappenberger silenced it with the BAR. Shortly afterward, a German 20 mm antiaircraft gun directed fire at his unit. He took out the German position with his BAR. For the next two hours, Knappenberger single-handedly held off the enemy infantry, which was threatening the efforts of the U.S. force to organize a defense. When he ran low on ammunition, he crawled through heavy fire to the body of another fallen American and grabbed clips from his pack. He resumed firing and repelled a German platoon armed with automatic weapons. Despite heavy fire, shells bursting within fifteen yards of him, he held his precarious position while continuing to fire at the enemy. Finally, his ammunition supply completely exhausted, he rejoined his company, having disrupted the enemy attack for more than two hours. Only six men out of his company of two hundred had not been killed or wounded.

Over the next few weeks, the breakout from Anzio stalled and developed into a stalemate between Allied and German forces as each regrouped. Knappenberger was in a foxhole not far from where the February action had occurred when he was informed that he was to receive the Medal of Honor. It was presented to him on June 8, 1944, by General Mark Clark, commander of the 5th Army, with American troops looking on and the regimental band playing. Soon therafter, Knappenberger was sent home and traveled around the country telling his story as part of a war bond drive. After the war, he returned home to Pennsylvania and worked as a truck driver and supervisor of an asphalting crew.

The President of the United States
in the name of The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the
Medal of Honor

to

    KNAPPENBERGER, ALTON W.

    Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, 3d Infantry Division.
    Place and date: Near Cisterna di Littoria, Italy, 1 February 1944.
    Entered service at: Spring Mount, Pa.
    Birth: Cooperstown, Pa. G.O. No.: 41, 26 May 1944.

    Citation:

    For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action involving actual conflict with the enemy, on 1 February 1944 near Cisterna di Littoria, Italy. When a heavy German counterattack was launched against his battalion, Pfc. Knappenberger crawled to an exposed knoll and went into position with his automatic rifle. An enemy machinegun 85 yards away opened fire, and bullets struck within 6 inches of him. Rising to a kneeling position, Pfc. Knappenberger opened fire on the hostile crew, knocked out the gun, killed 2 members of the crew, and wounded the third. While he fired at this hostile position, 2 Germans crawled to a point within 20 yards of the knoll and threw potato-masher grenades at him, but Pfc. Knappenberger killed them both with 1 burst from his automatic rifle. Later, a second machinegun opened fire upon his exposed position from a distance of 100 yards, and this weapon also was silenced by his well-aimed shots. Shortly thereafter, an enemy 20mm. antiaircraft gun directed fire at him, and again Pfc. Knappenberger returned fire to wound 1 member of the hostile crew. Under tank and artillery shellfire, with shells bursting within 15 yards of him, he held his precarious position and fired at all enemy infantrymen armed with machine pistols and machineguns which he could locate. When his ammunition supply became exhausted, he crawled 15 yards forward through steady machinegun fire, removed rifle clips from the belt of a casualty, returned to his position and resumed firing to repel an assaulting German platoon armed with automatic weapons. Finally, his ammunition supply being completely exhausted, he rejoined his company. Pfc. Knappenberger's intrepid action disrupted the enemy attack for over 2 hours.

Lots more to read about this hero here.

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission!

[ConorMacNessa]

TODAY IN HISTORY
Apollo Astronaut Neil Armstrong
Walks on the Surface of the Moon
21 July 1969



Neil Armstrong

From The NASA Website:

Apollo 11 lifted off on July 16, 1969, with Armstrong, Aldrin and Mike Collins aboard. Collins remained in lunar orbit in the command module while Armstrong and Aldrin descended in the lunar module they had named Eagle to their historic landing on the moon's surface.

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed," Armstrong said, telling a tense and waiting Earth that men had finally reached the lunar surface.

He and Aldrin spent about two hours exploring, gathering more than 50 pounds of moon rocks and setting up three scientific experiments. The next day, after 21 hours and 37 minutes on the moon, they fired Eagle's engine to begin the return to Collins and the command module.

The crew returned to Earth, landing near the USS Hornet in the Pacific after a mission of just over eight days. President Richard M. Nixon was on the aircraft carrier's deck to welcome them.

"This is the greatest week in the history of the world since the creation," Nixon told the three.

"Riamh nár dhruid ó sbairn lann!"

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[mountainlion]

So many things one could say but I say Thanks to our heroes.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Mac...*HUGS*...any gardening this weekend, or is it just too hot?

Tomatoes ready for eating? BBQ?

We actually got some real rain Friday night and Saturday morning. It was nice.

[HiJinx]

Good evening, Kathy!
Hoping all is well with you.

[ConorMacNessa]

I stepped out the front door late this afternoon to prune the Yellow Banksian Rose that grows by the front doorway. That's the extent of my gardening for this weekend - much too hot for me.

The tomatoes are coming along nicely - we've had a couple that have come in - a bunch of Romas approaching ripeness. No BBQ this weekend - I made a stir-fry in the comfort of the kitchen.

America demands Justice for the Fallen of Benghazi!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[left that other site]

What a Day that Was!

[ConorMacNessa]

Sorry to bug out so early - I'm exhausted.

GOD BLESS AND PROTECT OUR TROOPS AND OUR BELOVED NATION!


TATTOO
(Click)

Must retire – the 0445 Reveille approaches relentlessly.

The Bugler, his grim visage replete with an evil sneer, already mounts the parapet.

Spirits of Our Fallen Draw Near
To Stand The Watch Tonight!



TAPS
U.S. Marine Band
(Click)

"Do poor Tom some charity, whom the foul fiend vexes!"
(King Lear, Act III, Scene iv)



All Gave Some – Some Gave All!!!
(Click)

Good night, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America!

Godspeed our Troops around the Globe – especially those in harm’s way – by virtue of their service and sacrifice we continue to live in Freedom!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

"Riamh nár dhruid ó sbairn lann!"

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[left that other site]

Hi Evberybody!

((((HUGS))))

[Publius]

Hello, M-L.

(HUGS)

Following any of my classical music stuff?

[Kathy in Alaska]

He was a true hero for sure, Sand. ((HUGS))

How is your workshop coming along?

[SkyDancer]

>EEEEEKKK!< Bugs!!!

[luvie]

Hi, Conor.....nighty-night, Conor! :)

Sweet dreams!

[SandRat]

Yes indeed he is, Kathy...((HUUGS))

All of the excess is still junking up my workshop.

[left that other site]

Yes...I am clicking on the links of my personal favorites.

Kind of cherry-picking because of time constraints, but enjoying every minute.

I did enjoy the Piggy Song! LOL!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, HJ...fighting a bug this weekend.

Friday 8am was supposed to be “go/no go” on the new system. A meeting on Thursday afternoon got not a single “go” from any of us or the upstairs managers. Word at 9am Friday...keep testing. *sigh* We can’t even get a time card to enter correctly, and “someone” doesn’t seem to care. It has already been set back a month, and in that time they still haven’t fixed our problems from a month ago. AND there has been NO training. We are just pushing the mouse buttons trying to find the stuff we need.

Needless to say, we are not having fun, and the stress level is really high.

All is well in your corner of the world? Piper thinking about school yet? Or is she enjoying her summer and learning to shoot?

[left that other site]

BTW, have you ever done a series on Beethoven’s piano Sonatas? I know he wrote a ridiculous quantity, but a review of just the ones with “nicknames” might be nice.

An analysis of each movement, a review of the Sonata Format, a little history on how they got the nicknames, etc.

I am betting you would do a magnificent job of it! :-)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, ML...((HUGS))...are you having nice weather?
Raining has stopped?

[luvie]

God rest the souls of these fallen heroes! *hand over heart*

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Publius, and thank you for Rachmaninov’s “The Star Spangled Banner”.

[luvie]

Thanks, Galz, for another stirring account of the career of one of our brave military heroes!