Master Sergeant Vito Bertoldo | The One Man Army For Two Straight Days

Vito Bertoldo was born on December 1, 1916, in Decatur, Illinois. He was ineligible for the World War 2 draft because of poor eyesight. But decided to enlist despite his draft exemption and joined the Army in 1942, at the age of 23. Approved for limited duty as a military policeman, Vito was able to make his way into training as an infantryman, and was assigned as a cook with Company A 1st Battalion 242nd Infantry Regiment 42nd Infantry Division. Bertoldo's regiment took part in combat in France, and he had attained the rank of private first class by January 1945. Allegedly, Vito did not get along with the company mess sergeant and was assigned to guard a command post during the German Operation Nordwind. On January 9, 1945, with the approach of enemy soldiers, he left the protection of the building he was guarding, and set up his gun in the street. He remained there for almost 12 hours, driving back attacks while in full view of his adversaries and completely exposed to heavy enemy fire. He then moved back inside the command post, strapped his machinegun to a table, and covered the main approach to the building by firing through a window, remaining steadfast even in the face of 88 M-M fire from tanks only 75 yards away. One shell blasted him across the room, but he returned to his weapon. When two enemy personnel carriers led by a tank moved toward his position, he calmly waited for the troops to dismount and then, with the tank firing directly at him, leaned out of the window and mowed down the entire group of more than 20 Germans. Sometime later, removal of the command post to another building was ordered. Bertoldo voluntarily remained behind, covering the withdrawal of his comrades, and maintaining his stand all night. The next morning on January 10, 1945, he moved his machine gun to an adjacent building, being used as a command post for another of the regiment's battalions. Here, he staged another day-long defense. He broke up a heavy attack, launched by a self-propelled 88 M-M gun covered by a tank and about 15 infantrymen. Soon afterward another 88 M-M gun moved up to within a few feet of his position, and placed the muzzle of its gun almost inside the building, then fired into the room knocking Vito down, and seriously wounding others. An American bazooka team set the German weapon afire, and Vito went back to his weapon and killed several of the hostile troops as they attempted to withdraw. It was decided to evacuate the command post under the cover of darkness, but before the plan could be put into operation, the enemy began an intensive assault supported by fire from their tanks, and heavy guns. Disregarding the devastating barrage, he remained at his post and hurled white phosphorous grenades into the advancing enemy troops until they broke and retreated. A tank less than 50 yards away fired at his stronghold, destroying his weapon and blowing him across the room again. But he returned to the bitter fight and with a rifle, singlehandedly covered the withdrawal of his fellow soldiers when the post was finally abandoned. Vito Bertoldo was a one man army for two days straight and his actions gave his fellow soldiers the time and opportunity to withdraw and reorganize as he held the position. Four months after the standoff in Hatten, the 42nd Infantry Division liberated the camps in Dachau and its 30,000 prisoners. On December 18th, 1945, Vito received the Medal of Honor, from President Harry S. Truman, in a ceremony at the White House. Vito was discharged from the Army in February of 1946. On July 23, 1966, Master Sergeant Vito Bertoldo passed away, at the age of 49. He was laid to rest in the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California. In addition to the Medal of Honor, Vito was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, Purple Heart, and french Croix de Guerre.