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Heidelberger, Perry, Jr. (376th Infantry Regiment)

Date of birth:
(New York City - USA)
Service number:
ASN: 0-1547962
Nationality:
American (1776 - present, Republic)

Biography

First Lieutenant Perry Heidelberger Jr. army serial number 32012380, from New York City enlisted in the US Army on the 13th of March, 1941. He became a combat medic in the 94th Infantry Division, 376th Medical Detachment and fought under Patton at the Siegfried Line. He was awarded the Silver Star Medal for valor for actions that were recorded in the fabulous book PATTON'S PAWNS the 94th US Infantry Division at the Siegfried Line by Tony Lee Tissier.

The actions which earned him his Silver Star Medal found in Patton's Pawns page 110 reads in part:

[During the Second Battle of Sinz] There were so many injured soldiers coming back that battalion medical officer, Lt. Perry Heidelberger, took a jeep forward to Sinz and went forward on foot to within three hundred yards of the German tanks southeast of the woods waving his red cross-marked helmet to attract attention. A German tank commander came forward, who allowed Heidelberger...

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Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
1st Lieutenant (Lieutenant)
Unit:
Medical Detachment, 2nd Battalion, 376th Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division "Neuf-Cats", U.S. Army
Awarded on:
April 19th, 1945
For action performed on 10 February 1945, near Sinz/Rhine Province, Germany.
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to First Lieutenant (Medical Administrative Corps) Perry Heidelberger, Jr. (ASN: 0-1547962), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with the Medical Detachment, 94th Infantry Division, in action against the enemy in Germany on 28 February 1945. When members of an assault team were wounded by raking mortar fire from a heavily fortified pillbox, Lieutenant Heidelberger attached a red cross arm band to a white flag, and disregarding the intense fire, walked boldly to the stricken men, dressing their wounds and evacuating them. Noticing some of the enemy standing outside the fortress, he motioned to them and approached their position. Convincing them of the futility of continued resistance he persuaded the entire German Garrison of two officers and 59 enlisted men to lay down their arms. Lieutenant Heidelberger's valiant courage and untiring devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.

Headquarters, 94th Infantry Division, General Orders No. 98 (April 19, 1945)
Silver Star Medal (SSM)
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Silver Star to First Lieutenant (Medical Administrative Corps) Perry Heidelberger, Jr. (ASN: 0-1547962), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with the Medical Detachment, 94th Infantry Division, in action against the enemy in Germany on 10 February 1945. During a fierce engagement with the enemy in which heavy casualties were sustained, Lieutenant Heidelberger, completely ignoring raking artillery, mortar, tank and small arms fire, approached an enemy tank and with the commander, arranged for the evacuation of five wounded soldiers. While negotiations were in progress, he was pinned down by intense fire. After removing the wounded to a position of comparative safety, he returned to the scene and evacuated another wounded man. Lieutenant Heidelberger's gallantry and courageous devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the Military Forces of the United States.

This award was obtained in the form of an Oak Leave to be attached on the ribbon of the first award.
Headquarters, 94th Infantry Division, General Orders No. 98 (April 19, 1945)
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
with 2 GS - Gold Stars
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal

Sources

  • - Le Tissier, T., Patton’s Pawns – The 94th US Infantry Division at the Siegfried Line, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, USA, 2007
    - Byrnes, L.G., History of the 94th Infantry Division in World War II, The Battery Press, Nashville, USA, 1982
    - Perry Heidelberger - Recipient -

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