DUNHAM, RUSSELL E. - Medal of Honor Recipient
Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company I, 30th
Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Kayserberg, France,
8 January 1945. Entered service at: Brighton Ill. Birth: 23 February 1920,
East Carondelet, Ill. G.O. No.: 37, 11 May 1945. Citation: For conspicuous
gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of
duty. At about 1430 hours on 8 January 1945, during an attack on Hill 616,
near Kayserberg, France, T/Sgt. Dunham single-handedly assaulted 3 enemy
machineguns. Wearing a white robe made of a mattress cover, carrying 12
carbine magazines and with a dozen hand grenades snagged in his belt, suspenders,
and buttonholes, T/Sgt. Dunham advanced in the attack up a snow-covered
hill under fire from 2 machineguns and supporting riflemen. His platoon
35 yards behind him, T/Sgt. Dunham crawled 75 yards under heavy direct
fire toward the timbered emplacement shielding the left machinegun. As
he jumped to his feet 10 yards from the gun and charged forward, machinegun
fire tore through his camouflage robe and a rifle bullet seared a 10-inch
gash across his back sending him spinning 15 yards down hill into the snow.
When the indomitable sergeant sprang to his feet to renew his 1-man assault,
a German egg grenade landed beside him. He kicked it aside, and as it exploded
5 yards away, shot and killed the German machinegunner and assistant gunner.
His carbine empty, he jumped into the emplacement and hauled out the third
member of the gun crew by the collar. Although his back wound was causing
him excruciating pain and blood was seeping through his white coat, T/Sgt.
Dunham proceeded 50 yards through a storm of automatic and rifle fire to
attack the second machinegun. Twenty-five yards from the emplacement he
hurled 2 grenades, destroying the gun and its crew; then fired down into
the supporting foxholes with his carbine dispatching and dispersing the
enemy riflemen. Although his coat was so thoroughly blood-soaked that he
was a conspicuous target against the white landscape, T/Sgt. Dunham again
advanced ahead of his platoon in an assault on enemy positions farther
up the hill. Coming under machinegun fire from 65 yards to his front, while
rifle grenades exploded 10 yards from his position, he hit the ground and
crawled forward. At 15 yards range, he jumped to his feet, staggered a
few paces toward the timbered machinegun emplacement and killed the crew
with hand grenades. An enemy rifleman fired at pointblank range, but missed
him. After killing the rifleman, T/Sgt. Dunham drove others from their
foxholes with grenades and carbine fire. Killing 9 Germans--wounding 7
and capturing 2--firing about 175 rounds of carbine ammunition, and expending
11 grenades, T/Sgt. Dunham, despite a painful wound, spearheaded a spectacular
and successful diversionary attack.
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