The President of the United States
in the name of The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the
Medal of Honor
to
MURPHY, AUDIE L
Rank and organization:
Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B 1 5th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place
and date: Near Holtzwihr France, 26 January 1945. Entered service at:
Dallas, Tex. Birth: Hunt County, near Kingston, Tex. G.O. No.. 65, 9
August 1945.
Citation:
2d Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by 6 tanks and waves
of infantry. 2d Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions in a woods,
while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the
artillery by telephone. Behind him, to his right, 1 of our tank destroyers received a
direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods. 2d Lt. Murphy continued to
direct artillery fire which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the
enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer,
which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machinegun
against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from 3 sides, but his deadly
fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks,
losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available
weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a
squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close
as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored it
and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his
way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a
counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped
out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50. 2d Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage
and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and
destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective.
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