The War Vault

The Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Inflexible standing by to pick up survivors from the German cruiser SMS Gneisenau after the Battle of the Falkland Islands, December 1914.

The Harley-Davidson Motor Co. built more than 90,000 motorcycles during World War II for the armed forces—a row of Army Armored Division contingency of mounted soldiers made an impressive sight.

On this day, 75 years ago, on July 16, 1950, Sergeant Charles F. Pendleton, age 21, was serving with Company D, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, near Chipo-ri, Korea, during the early stages of the Korean War. His platoon had established a defensive position on a hilltop overlooking a key approach to the town, which was being threatened by North Korean forces moving south. Pendleton’s platoon came under attack during the night and early morning hours of July 16. North Korean infantry launched a strong assault supported by mortars and automatic weapons fire. The enemy was attempting to dislodge the American position and secure the hill. Pendleton, manning a machine gun position, immediately opened fire, holding off the first wave. Despite being under continuous fire, he maintained his position and delivered accurate bursts, breaking up multiple enemy charges. During the engagement, a mortar round exploded near his position, wounding him and rendering his weapon inoperable. Refusing evacuation, Pendleton moved to another nearby position under fire and manned another machine gun that had been abandoned. He continued firing as enemy troops closed in. Despite another wound and mounting pressure, he stayed at the gun until it too jammed or was destroyed. With no automatic weapons left and the enemy within gr***de range, Pendleton retrieved a rifle and continued engaging the enemy at close range. When ammunition ran low, he crawled through the fire-swept area to retrieve more from fallen comrades. After resupplying, he returned to his position and resumed firing. Another wave of North Korean soldiers attempted to overrun the hill. Pendleton was wounded a third time but stayed in place. As the position became untenable and the platoon began to withdraw, Pendleton volunteered to stay behind and cover their movement. He provided suppressive fire as his fellow soldiers pulled back. During this final act, he was killed by enemy fire. His actions delayed the enemy long enough for others to escape and reorganize. Charles F. Pendleton was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day.

Remains of the USS Utah (BB-31/AG-16) at the USS Utah Memorial at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

In 1944, the USS Buckley engaged an enemy U-Boat in the Atlantic. The destroyer es**rt rammed the submarine and got stuck, and their respective crews engaged in hand-to-hand combat involving shell casings and coffee mugs as weapons. U-66 sank after hand gr***des were dropped down her hatch. Buckley picked up 36 German survivors..

Lieut. Col. George S. Patton, Jr., 1st Tank Battalion, and a French Renault tank, summer 1918

On this day, 81 years ago, July 31, 1944, 35-year-old Commander Lawson Paterson Ramage stood on the bridge of his submarine, USS Parche, off the coast of Formosa in the predawn dark. A Japanese convoy, heavily es**rted with destroyers and armed transports, steamed through the night, unaware of the hunter closing in on their formation. Ramage drove the Parche straight through the enemy’s defensive screen, surfacing to attack at point-blank range and maximizing the destructive power of his torpedoes. He fired a crippling shot into a freighter, then quickly launched bow and stern torpedoes, sending explosions through the leading tanker and damaging a second ship. With enemy searchlights and bursting flares illuminating the ocean, Parche became a clear target, and hostile shells thundered overhead and crashed into the water all around. Ramage stayed exposed on the bridge, issuing orders, and keeping his crew focused as the battle raged. He directed more reloads into the forward tubes, then fired again, sinking a transport ship with two more torpedoes. As gunfire poured in from all sides and the Parche was bracketed by destroyers, Ramage ordered his men below. He stayed outside, alone, maneuvering the boat, tracking targets, and returning fire with everything the crew could muster. A fast Japanese transport charged to ram the submarine. Ramage swung the stern of the Parche past its bow, slipping by with less than 50 feet to spare and throwing the submarine in the middle of a deadly crossfire, destroyers on all sides, flares bursting overhead, water erupting with shrapnel and gunfire. Unshaken, Ramage aimed the bow at the closing enemy ship and fired three torpedoes straight down its throat, scoring a direct hit and stopping the approach. In 46 minutes of furious, direct combat, Parche and her Commander crippled and sank several enemy ships, evaded annihilation, and broke the back of the Japanese convoy. Ramage guided his vessel and crew out of the chaos, victorious and unscathed. He survived the war, rising to the rank of Vice Admiral in the U.S. Navy, and retired after a career spanning decades, honored as one of the most decorated submariners in American history. Lawson P. Ramage died of cancer on April 15, 1990, at Bethesda, Maryland, at age 81, and was buried with honor at Arlington National Cemetery. For his leadership and heroism that night, Ramage received the Medal of Honor from President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

On this day, 82 years ago, July 31, 1943, 24-year-old Sergeant Gerry Herman Kisters advanced near Gagliano, Sicily, with a detachment of one officer and nine enlisted men from Company B, 91st Reconnaissance Squadron, 2nd Armored Division. The group moved ahead of the main American force to fill a large crater in the only vehicle route through the town. Suddenly, two German machine gun emplacements opened fire, cutting the advance apart with intense small arms and automatic fire. Kisters and the officer broke from cover and charged the nearest machine gun, facing a direct hail of bullets. They captured the first gun and its crew of four, silencing the initial threat in close combat. No pause came from the enemy. The remaining German fire switched target, hammering the captured position. Ignoring his wounds and the orders of safety, Kisters moved alone, leaving the relative cover and crawling forward toward the second machine gun nest. Bullets hit him five times, shattering both legs and his right arm, ripping through flesh and bone, but he kept pushing forward. Within reach of the emplacement, Kisters fired and killed three Germans, forcing the last man to flee, then took control of the second machine gun, ending the resistance at the chokepoint. His wounds severe, Kisters’ assault broke the enemy’s line and opened the route for the rest of the battalion. He was evacuated from the battlefield, promoted to second lieutenant, and became the first American soldier to receive both the Distinguished Service Cross and the Medal of Honor in World War II. Gerry H. Kisters survived his wounds. He returned to the United States, recovered, and went on to teach reconnaissance and later reopened his fur shop as a civilian in Bloomington, Indiana. He died on May 11, 1986, at age 67 from natural causes, and is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Bloomington, Indiana

Workers involved in mass production of Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun mounts and carriages, at a Firestone plant in the United States, during World War II. A Barrage Balloon is in the background.

On this day, 82 years ago, July 28, 1943, 28-year-old Second Lieutenant John C. Morgan climbed into the right seat as co-pilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress named Ruthie II, part of the 326th Bomb Squadron, 92nd Bomb Group, heading for Hanover, Germany. Over the enemy coast, the formation came under fierce attack by German fighters. Enemy shells shattered the windshield, ripped through the cockpit, and split open the pilot’s skull, leaving him alive but frenzied and out of control. Morgan’s oxygen system to the rear of the aircraft was destroyed, knocking out the waist, tail, and radio gunners. With the interphone system smashed, Morgan could not call for help. The wounded pilot collapsed over his controls, locking the aircraft into a dive. Morgan, face smashed by fists and struggling with the crazed pilot, seized the controls with one hand and forced the B-17 back into formation. Every instant, the pilot tried to wrest the controls back, blackening Morgan’s eyes and loosening his teeth. In the chaos behind them, the top turret gunner fell, his arm blown off and his life draining away. The gunners lay silent, either unconscious or worse, and Morgan, unable to check, assumed many of the crew had bailed out or died. Morgan held the bomber steady, one hand on the controls and the other keeping the pilot away, for the two agonizing hours it took to fly to the target, drop the bombs, and limp back to friendly territory. Only when the navigator forced his way to the cockpit could he help secure the dying pilot and assist Morgan in bringing the crippled aircraft home. The battered B-17 landed safely. The pilot died of his wounds; several gunners survived with frostbite and shock. The aircraft itself never flew again, wrecked beyond repair from damage sustained during that mission. John C. Morgan survived the war, though he spent months as a prisoner after being shot down on a later mission in 1944. He continued to serve with distinction. Morgan died of natural causes on January 17, 1991, at the age of 76, in Fresno, California. For his actions on July 28, 1943, holding his shattered bomber in formation and completing the mission while singlehandedly fighting off both the enemy and his injured companion, Morgan was awarded the Medal of Honor.