FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Paul Wiedorfer ~ 21 May 2018

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

Paul Wiedorfer

Info from here.

           

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, raised in the 2400 block of McElderry Street, he attended St. Andrew's School, and graduated in 1940 from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. On November 11, 2008, a plaque honoring him was placed in Poly's Memorial Hall.

Married to his bride, Alice Stauffer, for just six months when Wiedorfer enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943, he was working as an apprentice power station operator at the Baltimore Gas & Electric Company in Baltimore, and was living in the 1900 block of Bank Street.

Wiedorfer received basic training at Camp Lee, Virginia. He was then assigned to the Quartermaster Corps, and then passed the examination for cadet air training. He was training to be a pilot, but the Army switched him to infantry because of greater need. On the way to England he crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the HMS Queen Mary, and by December 25, 1944, was serving as a private in Company G, 318th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division.

On that Christmas Day, near Chaumont, Belgium, Wiedorfer single-handedly charged across 40 yards of open ground, destroyed two German machine gun emplacements and took six Germans prisoner. He was subsequently promoted to staff sergeant and on May 29, 1945, issued the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle.

While crossing the Saar River, he was severely wounded February 10, 1945, by a mortar shell that blew up near him; shrapnel broke his left leg, ripped into his stomach, and seriously injured two fingers on his right hand. The soldier next to him died from his wounds and Paul credited that soldier for saving his life. Recent research has discovered the soldier's name to be PFC Milton C Smithers of Huntingdon, New Jersey. Paul was evacuated to the 137th United States Army General Hospital in England where he was placed in traction. While in the hospital a sergeant reading Stars and Stripes asked him how he spelled his name, and then told him he had received the Medal of Honor. Later, on May 29, 1945, Brigadier General Egmont F. Koenig with a band entered the ward to present him with his medal

Wiedorfer reached the rank of master sergeant before retiring from the Army. In addition to the Medal of Honor he was also awarded a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.

He returned to Baltimore on June 11, 1945, and was given a ticker tape parade with General George C. Marshall and Maryland governor Herbert O'Conor in attendance.

After the war he spent another three years recovering in different Army hospitals and then returned to Baltimore Gas & Electric, and retired in 1981 after 40 years of service. He and Alice had four children.

Wiedorfer died in Baltimore on May 25, 2011, at age 90. He was buried in Baltimore's Moreland Memorial Park Cemetery on June 7, 2011.

Wiedorfer's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

He alone made it possible for his company to advance until its objective was seized. Company G had cleared a wooded area of snipers, and 1 platoon was advancing across an open clearing toward another wood when it was met by heavy machinegun fire from 2 German positions dug in at the edge of the second wood. These positions were flanked by enemy riflemen. The platoon took cover behind a small ridge approximately 40 yards from the enemy position. There was no other available protection and the entire platoon was pinned down by the German fire. It was about noon and the day was clear, but the terrain extremely difficult due to a 3-inch snowfall the night before over ice-covered ground. Pvt. Wiedorfer, realizing that the platoon advance could not continue until the 2 enemy machinegun nests were destroyed, voluntarily charged alone across the slippery open ground with no protecting cover of any kind. Running in a crouched position, under a hail of enemy fire, he slipped and fell in the snow, but quickly rose and continued forward with the enemy concentrating automatic and small-arms fire on him as he advanced. Miraculously escaping injury, Pvt. Wiedorfer reached a point some 10 yards from the first machinegun emplacement and hurled a handgrenade into it. With his rifle he killed the remaining Germans, and, without hesitation, wheeled to the right and attacked the second emplacement. One of the enemy was wounded by his fire and the other 6 immediately surrendered. This heroic action by 1 man enabled the platoon to advance from behind its protecting ridge and continue successfully to reach its objective. A few minutes later, when both the platoon leader and the platoon sergeant were wounded, Pvt. Wiedorfer assumed command of the platoon, leading it forward with inspired energy until the mission was accomplished.

 

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! 

 

[Kathy in Alaska]

That’s not good that you can’t even walk around on your own property....maybe time for open season.

[21twelve]

“...allowing his unit to succesfully complete their mission...” (Or something to that effect.)

Two thoughts.

It is sometimes easy to think that the outcomes of wars already fought that the results would always end up that way.

The other, - ONE MAN can make the difference. I’m guessing that few wars are determined by a single act - but his Heroics (in spite of having to clean out his shorts!) may have meant one day less of fighting and 10 fewer casualties, or perhaps a month, or whatever. Obviously some final objectives are more important than others. But they all require the actions of each man.

P.S. For some reason I really like the idea of the “completing the objective” part. I wonder if the MOH takes into account the objective of the unit. Does taking out two machine guns so you can make it back to base count the same as making it to the bridge so you can blow it up as the German’s are moving a top secret weapon and 5,000 soldiers across.

[luvie]

I did sleep well till IT STARTED RAINING!!!!!

We got .6 of an inch which is great! Tripled our rain for the year. LOL!

Hope you had a good day and that it didn’t get too hot and/or muggy there.

[radu]

No, it sure isn’t good.
A couple of Hubby’s friends have been here in the past to shoot the d*** things but they haven’t been here in a while. They picked off several but it’s time to pick off more!

[radu]

You got rain????? YAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!! ‘Bout time, isn’t it?

We got .3 an inch this afternoon and it cooled things off. The temp is comfy right now but the air’s still soupy.

Gonna be a hot, muggy week ahead.

[luvie]

We did AND it was cooler here today! The high was only like 80 and right now it’s 67. If only there weren’t mosquitoes, that attack me even though I have on repellent, I’d go outside and sit for a while!

Hot AND muggy? What a horrible combination!

[radu]

Y’all did have a nice day down there today, didn’t you? Cooler than it was here and a couple of degrees cooler than it is here right now.

Wouldn’t it great if it would stay this way for a while, huh? LOL

It would be nice if we could back off to what’s normal for this time of year - - mid-to-high 70s instead of upper 80s and low 90s. We didn’t have much Spring this year. Went from winter into Aug. in a jump. Ugh!

[luvie]

It was wonderful. I think we went from last fall to summer. I only wore a coat this “winter” about 3 or 4 times! Well, maybe more, but it wasn’t a cold winter and I had been looking forward to one!

Y’all sure didn’t have any spring. I guess it’ll be a long hot summer. Maybe if you get enough rain, it’ll make things more bearable. Did your farmer get his planting done?

[radu]

LOL! I don’t know many people who WANT a cold winter.
Chilly would be enough to suit me. Can’t stand being cold because it takes forever to thaw out when I get chilled.

I’m afraid this will be one of those summers we get into triple digit temps and that’s not something to look forward to. Not with the humidity we have. We’re overdue for one of those summers.

Not sure what’s going on in the fields this year. The wheat was looking good, then he and his crew came here and smashed it all down and sprayed Round-Up. Now it’s all just laying there, yellow.

[radu]

Boom

[E.G.C.]

A very pleasant good Monday morning to everyone at the Canteen and to all our military at home and abroad. Thanks for your service to our country.

((HUGS))Good morning, Ladies. Thanks for this morning's thread, Star. How's it going?

[luvie]

BAM!

WOOHOO!!!

See ya tomorrow. The early morning has caught up with me. *yawn*

[radu]

I know the feeling. Those early mornings hurt, don’t they? LOL

Sleep well. I do hope Peaches is out again tonight. :-)

[luvie]

That looks about right!
If only they weren't so CHEERful! :)
Peaches did go out...
...so I actually got some good sleep!
Hope all of you did/are!
All y'all have a Mahv'lus Monday!
And bust that work out!
((((hugs))))

[luvie]

Howdy, EGC! (((hugs)))

All is well here this morning. It’s a lovely cool, clear morning, but feels like it’s going to get pretty warm. Hope not for a while...hubby is mowing. :)

Hope you and Gizmo had. good weekend and that you have a fun romp at the lake today! How did he like his new crate?

[E.G.C.]

He seems to be liking it really well. He's sleeping in it as I type this.

I'm going to try to get him out of it and come with me to Waurika Lake later today for our daily visit.

[luvie]

That’s great that he’s adopted it so quickly! Y’all have a good time at the lake!

[Kathy in Alaska]

wh!!

radu…..#50!!

[radu]

Trying to catch up a little, are ya? LOL!
Thanks. I’d forgotten I managed to slip in and snag that one. :-)