Intrepid Heroes of the D-Day Invasion Catherine Salgado
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2025/06/06/intrepid-heroes-of-the-d-day-invasion-n4940498
June 6 is the 81st anniversary of the historic D-Day invasion of Normandy, when the Allies shifted the balance of World War II against the Nazis.
From Pointe du Hoc to Omaha Beach, and from Colleville Sur Mer to Sainte-Mère-Église, the heroism of American troops was on full display on June 6, 1944. Many of the Allied leaders were incompetent (Patton aside), but our men more than made up for that with their determination and courage. Nor did the fighting and dying end on the Normandy beaches, as troops fought their difficult way into the French countryside, pushing the Nazis back.
There are countless stories of bravery from D-Day and the following campaign — including that of my own great-uncle Jack Corley — but today I would like to share the stories of two Americans who won the Medal of Honor for their exceptional actions during the larger Normandy campaign. The first, as described by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society (CMOHS), was Army staff sergeant Arthur Frederick DeFranzo, who earned his medal on June 10 near Vaubadon, France. Scouts were moving across an open field when an abrupt hail of enemy fire wounded one scout.
SSgt. DeFranzo courageously moved out in the open to the aid of the wounded scout and was himself wounded but brought the man to safety. Refusing aid, SSgt. DeFranzo reentered the open field and led the advance upon the enemy. There were always at least two machine-guns bringing unrelenting fire upon him, but SSgt. DeFranzo kept going forward, firing into the enemy and one by one the enemy emplacements became silent. While advancing he was again wounded, but continued on until he was within 100 yards of the enemy position and even as he fell, he kept firing his rifle and waving his men forward.
When his company had come up, however, SSgt. DeFranzo — seriously injured as he was — managed to raise himself up and take his place at the head of his men.
But DeFranzo was now too great a target, and once more the relentless enemy fire hit him. The dying hero got his revenge, though:
In a final gesture of indomitable courage, he threw several grenades at the enemy machine-gun position and completely destroyed the gun. In this action SSgt. DeFranzo lost his life, but by bearing the brunt of the enemy fire in leading the attack, he prevented a delay in the assault which would have been of considerable benefit to the foe, and he made possible his company’s advance with a minimum of casualties. The extraordinary heroism and magnificent devotion to duty displayed by SSgt. DeFranzo was a great inspiration to all about him and is in keeping with the highest traditions of the Armed Forces.
Fellow Army soldier Charles N. DeGlopper was equally extraordinary. A member of Company C, 325th Glider Infantry, he was with the forward platoon on June 9 as they moved to secure a bridgehead across the Merderet River.
As dawn broke, it found the platoon having penetrated an outer line of machine guns and riflemen. Unfortunately, that meant they were also now cut off from the other soldiers in their company. CMOHS vividly describes the scene:
Vastly superior forces began a decimation of the stricken unit and put in motion a flanking maneuver which would have completely exposed the American platoon in a shallow roadside ditch where it had taken cover. Detecting this danger, Pfc. DeGlopper volunteered to support his comrades by fire from his automatic rifle while they attempted a withdrawal through a break in a hedgerow 40 yards to the rear. Scorning a concentration of enemy automatic-weapons and rifle fire, he walked from the ditch onto the road in full view of the Germans and sprayed the hostile positions with assault fire.
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DeGlopper was wounded, but undeterred, he continued to fire on the enemy. Once again he was injured, but even as he fell his “valiant fighting spirit” was as keen as ever. As he knelt in the roadway, severely wounded as he was, DeGlopper once more fired his weapon, over and over and over until the enemy finally managed to kill him.
He was successful in drawing the enemy action away from his fellow soldiers, who continued the fight from a more advantageous position and established the first bridgehead over the Merderet. In the area where he made his intrepid stand his comrades later found the ground strewn with dead Germans and many machine guns and automatic weapons which he had knocked out of action. Pfc. DeGlopper’s gallant sacrifice and unflinching heroism while facing unsurmountable odds were in great measure responsible for a highly important tactical victory in the Normandy Campaign.
One man can truly influence the course of the war. We salute all the Americans who fought and bled to drive the Nazis out of Normandy.
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