SILK, EDWARD A.
Rank and Organization:: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army,
Company E, 398th Infantry, 100th Infantry Division. Place and Date Near St. Pravel,
France, 23 November 1944. Entered Service at: Johnstown, Pa. Born: 8 June
1916, Johnstown, Pa. G.O. No.: 97, 1 November 1945.
Citation:
1st Lt. Edward A. Silk commanded the weapons platoon of Company E, 398th Infantry, on 23
November 1944, when the end battalion was assigned the mission of seizing high ground
overlooking Moyenmoutier France, prior to an attack on the city itself. His company jumped
off in the lead at dawn and by noon had reached the edge of a woods in the vicinity of St.
Pravel where scouts saw an enemy sentry standing guard before a farmhouse in a valley
below. One squad, engaged in reconnoitering the area, was immediately pinned down by
intense machinegun and automatic-weapons fire from within the house. Skillfully deploying
his light machinegun section, 1st Lt. Silk answered enemy fire, but when 15 minutes had
elapsed with no slackening of resistance, he decided to eliminate the strong point by a
l-man attack. Running 100 yards across an open field to the shelter of a low stone wall
directly in front of the farmhouse, he fired into the door and windows with his carbine;
then, in full view of the enemy, vaulted the wall and dashed 50 yards through a hail of
bullets to the left side of the house, where he hurled a grenade through a window,
silencing a machinegun and killing 2 gunners. In attempting to move to the right side of
the house he drew fire from a second machinegun emplaced in the woodshed. With magnificent
courage he rushed this position in the face of direct fire and succeeded in neutralizing
the weapon and killing the 2 gunners by throwing grenades into the structure. His supply
of grenades was by now exhausted, but undaunted, he dashed back to the side of the
farmhouse and began to throw rocks through a window, demanding the surrender of the
remaining enemy. Twelve Germans, overcome by his relentless assault and confused by his
unorthodox methods, gave up to the lone American. By his gallant willingness to assume the
full burden of the attack and the intrepidity with which he carried out his extremely
hazardous mission, 1st Lt. Silk enabled his battalion to continue its advance and seize
its objective.
