FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Alton W Knappenberger ~ February 23, 2009

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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~ 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!

[HiJinx]

I’ll be pounding my head before the night is over.

I did that this morning on a counter-top at the kids' house - hit the corner hard enough to break the skin on my pate...hate it when that happens...

[Pusterfuss]

How was the home show? Did The Boss get any new ideas?

I am guessing I committed to about $30,000 at the show. (rebuild the pond, stone counter tops, and a garden window.) I am a one man stimulus plan!

[SandRat]

Day is done. Network was out for the 1st half of the day again. Finally came back about 1140.

Take my taxes in this evening to be done and see how bad the damage is.

How’s yours going?

[HiJinx]

$30K? That’s good to know - my wife was talking about our annual home show just the other day.

I know a new kitchen island is in the works...more stimulus coming up for the home improvement industry.

[HiJinx]

Hey, Sandy, how are things? Sounds like I picked a good day to be gone. I’ll bet some folks were biting fingernails by the time the network came back.

Good luck on the taxes. This may be a good time to bump the withholding, all things considered. Or bump your charitable giving. It’s about the only discretionary deductible expense a person has...

[SandRat]

I’m about maxed out on the things you mentioned.

Yes, things were a little testy up there today with the sourest words coming from the customer regarding our IT CZAR..

[HiJinx]

I suspect the problem is the DOIM, and we have no control over them.

[darkangel82]

DOIM? Department of Idiot Morons?

[SandRat]

Yep them was the RFO.

[HiJinx]

Directorate of Information Management on the Org. Chart but in truth your guess is as good as any!

[TASMANIANRED]

You didn’t give yourself a concussion did you?

I konked myself with the door to the freezer not to long ago.

Patting a kiss on you booboo.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hurrah....the stimulus is working! And with the time for The Boss’ projects. d:o)

[Kathy in Alaska]

w h !!

Thanks, unique, for the jumpers!

TS.....#200!!

[fatima]

Happy Birthday Cody.Hope you have a great day:)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Oh no! Knocking on wood...no allergies for me that I know of....maybe to work. LOL! We have a horrible air system and lack of timely filter changes.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Click the pic…..

Road Trip: Fort Polk, Louisiana

NOTE: CANTEEN MUSIC
Posted daily and on the Music Thread
for the enjoyment of our troops and visitors.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Not too fond of Monday, huh? Too cute, the Monday basher. ((HUGS))

[Kathy in Alaska]

Catching up....

Thanks, Meg...((HUGS))...what a beautiful flag graphic. Thanks for helping honor our troops.