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Sgt Lynn Rutt
to remember
Marine LtGen Leo D Hermle.
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Contact Info
Last Address San Diego, CA
Date of Passing Jan 01, 1976
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Other Comments:
HERMLE, LEO D. First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps 6th Regiment (Marines), 2d Division, A.E.F. Date of Action: November 1, 1918 Citation: The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Leo D. Hermle, First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving with the 6th Regiment (Marines), 2d Division, A.E.F. in action near the Meuse River, France, November 1, 1918. When the company on his left was checked by heavy machine-gun fire, Lieutenant Hermle led a platoon forward and surrounded a large number of the enemy, capturing 155 prisoners and 17 machine guns. Pushing on, he took the town of St. Georges and many machine-gun positions. Although he was painfully wounded he refused to be evacuated, and remained with his men for two days until he was ordered to the rear. General Orders No. 35, W.D., 1919 Born: at Hastings, Nebraska Home Town: Oakland, California Other Award: Navy Cross (WWII)
World War I/Champagne-Marne Campaign/Battle of Chateau-Thierry
From Month/Year
July / 1918
To Month/Year
July / 1918
Description The Battle of Château-Thierry was fought on July 18, 1918 and was one of the first actions of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) under General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing. It was a battle in World War I as part of the Second Battle of the Marne, initially prompted by a German offensive launched on 15 July against the AEF, an expeditionary force consisting of troops from both the Army and Marine Corps, and the newest troops on the front.
On the morning of 18 July 1918, the French (some of them colonial) and American forces between Fontenoy and Château-Thierry launched a counter-assault under the overall direction of Allied généralissime Ferdinand Foch against the German positions. This assault on a 40 km (25 mi) wide front was the first in over a year. The American army played a role fighting for the regions around Soissons and Château-Thierry, in collaboration with predominantly French forces. The allied forces had managed to keep their plans a secret, and their attack at 04:45 took the Germans by surprise when the troops went "Over the Top" without a preparatory artillery bombardment, but instead followed closely behind a rolling barrage which began with great synchronized precision. Eventually, the two opposing assaults (lines) inter-penetrated and individual American units exercised initiative and continued fighting despite being nominally behind enemy lines.