"Capt. James M. Burt was in command of Company B, 66th Armored Regiment
on the western outskirts of Wurselen, Germany, on 13 October 1944, when
his organization participated in a coordinated infantry-tank attack
destined to isolate the large German garrison which was tenaciously
defending the city of Aachen. In the first day's action, when
infantrymen ran into murderous small-arms and mortar fire, Capt. Burt
dismounted from his tank about 200 yards to the rear and moved forward
on foot beyond the infantry positions, where, as the enemy concentrated a
tremendous volume of fire upon him, he calmly motioned his tanks into
good firing positions. As our attack gained momentum, he climbed aboard
his tank and directed the action from the rear deck, exposed to hostile
volleys which finally wounded him painfully in the face and neck. He
maintained his dangerous post despite pointblank self-propelled gunfire
until friendly artillery knocked out these enemy weapons, and then
proceeded to the advanced infantry scouts' positions to deploy his tanks
for the defense of the gains which had been made. The next day, when
the enemy counterattacked, he left cover and went 75 yards through heavy
fire to assist the infantry battalion commander who was seriously
wounded. For the next 8 days, through rainy, miserable weather and under
constant, heavy shelling, Capt. Burt held the combined forces together,
dominating and controlling the critical situation through the sheer
force of his heroic example. To direct artillery fire, on 15 October, he
took his tank 300 yards into the enemy lines, where he dismounted and
remained for 1 hour giving accurate data to friendly gunners. Twice more
that day he went into enemy territory under deadly fire on
reconnaissance. In succeeding days he never faltered in his
determination to defeat the strong German forces opposing him. Twice the
tank in which he was riding was knocked out by enemy action, and each
time he climbed aboard another vehicle and continued the fight. He took
great risks to rescue wounded comrades and inflicted prodigious
destruction on enemy personnel and materiel even though suffering from
the wounds he received in the battle's opening phase. Capt. Burt's
intrepidity and disregard of personal safety were so complete that his
own men and the infantry who attached themselves to him were inspired to
overcome the wretched and extremely hazardous conditions which
accompanied one of the most bitter local actions of the war. The victory
achieved closed the Aachen gap."
From Capt. James Burt's Medal of Honor citation, awarded on October 30, 1945.
Thank you for your service and may you be at peace,
Brian
Oral history by Burt, himself.
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