Harold O. Messerschmidt (1923–1944)

A Schuylkill County sergeant who, wounded and out of ammunition, fought on alone with his weapon as a club. Markers: ★ verified · ✔ confirmed · ✎ corrects a common error · ⚑ open/caution.

Harold O. Messerschmidt earned a posthumous Medal of Honor near Radden, France, on September 17, 1944. ★ Under machine-gun, machine-pistol, and rifle fire, he moved along his squad’s forty-yard front to steady his men against a furious German assault. Knocked down and gravely wounded, he rose and kept firing — killing five of the enemy and wounding others — until his ammunition ran out, then fought on alone, using his empty submachine gun as a club, until he was killed. ★

Messerschmidt was born on October 20, 1923, in Grier City, a village in Rush Township, Schuylkill County, and entered service from Chester, Pennsylvania. ✔ He served with Company L, 30th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division, and the medal was awarded on July 17, 1946. ✔

Honored on: Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial.

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Sources

• Congressional Medal of Honor Society — Harold O. Messerschmidt
  License: reference

  Authoritative Medal of Honor recipient roster; facts here are summarized from the listed sources, not reproduced.

• Hall of Valor Project — Harold Messerschmidt
  License: reference
• Wikipedia: Harold O. Messerschmidt
  License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

  Supplemental source for the biographical detail that he enlisted from Chester, Pennsylvania (May 1943).

• Wikidata: Harold O. Messerschmidt (Q5661909)
  License: CC0
• Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial, Pottsville (Historical Marker Database)
  License: reference

Frequently asked

What did Harold O. Messerschmidt do to earn the Medal of Honor?

Near Radden, France, on September 17, 1944, Sergeant Messerschmidt moved along his squad's front under heavy fire to rally his men against an overwhelming German assault. Knocked down and gravely wounded, he kept firing until his ammunition was spent, then fought on alone using his submachine gun as a club until he was killed. The Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously.

Where was Harold Messerschmidt from?

He was born October 20, 1923, in Grier City, a village in Rush Township, Schuylkill County, and entered service from Chester, Pennsylvania.