Michael J. Daly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Michael J. Daly | |
|---|---|
| Born September 15, 1924 | |
 Michael J. Daly, Medal of Honor recipient |
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| Place of birth | New York City, New York |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
Michael J. Daly (born September 15, 1924) is a former United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.
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[edit] Biography
Daly joined the Army from Southport, Connecticut, and by April 18, 1945 was serving as a lieutenant in Company A, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. On that day, Daly led his company in their advance through Nuremberg, Germany, and single-handedly engaged German forces several times. He was subsequently promoted to captain and, on September 10, 1945, issued the Medal of Honor.
[edit] Medal of Honor citation
Captain Daly's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
- Early in the morning of 18 April 1945, he led his company through the shell-battered, sniper-infested wreckage of Nuremberg, Germany. When blistering machinegun fire caught his unit in an exposed position, he ordered his men to take cover, dashed forward alone, and, as bullets whined about him, shot the 3-man guncrew with his carbine. Continuing the advance at the head of his company, he located an enemy patrol armed with rocket launchers which threatened friendly armor. He again went forward alone, secured a vantage point and opened fire on the Germans. Immediately he became the target for concentrated machine pistol and rocket fire, which blasted the rubble about him. Calmly, he continued to shoot at the patrol until he had killed all 6 enemy infantrymen. Continuing boldly far in front of his company, he entered a park, where as his men advanced, a German machinegun opened up on them without warning. With his carbine, he killed the gunner; and then, from a completely exposed position, he directed machinegun fire on the remainder of the crew until all were dead. In a final duel, he wiped out a third machinegun emplacement with rifle fire at a range of 10 yards. By fearlessly engaging in 4 single-handed fire fights with a desperate, powerfully armed enemy, Lt. Daly, voluntarily taking all major risks himself and protecting his men at every opportunity, killed 15 Germans, silenced 3 enemy machineguns and wiped out an entire enemy patrol. His heroism during the lone bitter struggle with fanatical enemy forces was an inspiration to the valiant Americans who took Nuremberg.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Medal of Honor Recipients - World War II (A-F). Medal of Honor Citations. U.S. Army Center of Military History (July 16, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
