Wingfoot

 

 

On 19 April 1945, in Germany, Cpl. Louis Peele and two other men were suddenly confronted by an attacking force of approximately 30 SS troops, who were able to approach undetected to within arm’s length because of darkness and the noises of a burning town. Cpl. Peele refused repeated demands to surrender, fought hand-to-hand in the darkness with the enemy, mounted his self-propelled howitzer and fought from it, employing carbine, grenade and 50-caliber machine gun fire, until it was struck for the second time by panzerfausts and destroyed. Thereafter, Cpl. Peele, though wounded in the right shoulder and leg, held his post under repeated attacks and heavy small-arms, machine gun and panzerfaust fire until reinforced by the remainder of his platoon. They then together succeeded in forcing the enemy to withdraw and abandon his attack. Cpl. Peele entered military service from Chicago, Illinois.