- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Sergeant
- Unit:
- Company B, 100th Infantry Battalion, 34th Infantry Division "Red Bull", U.S. Army
- Awarded on:
- January 25th, 1944
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Silver Star Medal (Posthumously) to Masaharu Takeba (30101509), Sergeant, U.S. Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving with Company B, 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), attached to the 34th Infantry Division, on the night of ** November 1943, in Italy. Sergeant Takeba was one of three men acting as Scouts for a combat patrol having the mission of clearing an area known to contain enemy machine-gun positions. When the Scouts, advancing ahead of the patrol, discovered a German ammunition carrying party, Sergeant Takeba immediately fired his rifle at the enemy, allowing another Scout to throw a hand grenade which dispersed the enemy, and the three Scouts took two prisoners. Advancing forward again, they were fired on by a German machine pistol. Again, Sergeant Takeba returned the fire, deliberately drawing the enemy fire so that his comrades could work their way close to the enemy and dispose of them with grenades. The enemy abandoned the position. Using the same tactics, Sergeant Takeba and his comrades quickly silenced two more enemy machine-gun positions, captured five more prisoners, and assisted the patrol in silencing a third gun position. Sergeant Takeba's courage and resourcefulness was highly meritorious and a credit to the Armed Forces of the United States.
Headquarters, 34th Infantry Division, General Orders No. 6 (25 January
1944).
Awarded posthumously.