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Bianchi, Willibald C.

Date of birth:
March 12th, 1915 (New Ulm/Minnesota, United States)
Date of death:
February 3rd, 1942 (Bagac/Bataan, Philippines)
Buried on:
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
Nationality:
American

Biography

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Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
1st Lieutenant
Unit:
45th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Scouts, U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), U.S. Army
Awarded on:
March 5th, 1942
"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy on 3 February 1942, near Bagac, Province of Bataan, Philippine Islands. When the rifle platoon of another company was ordered to wipe out 2 strong enemy machinegun nests, 1st Lt. Bianchi voluntarily and of his own initiative, advanced with the platoon leading part of the men. When wounded early in the action by 2 bullets through the left hand, he did not stop for first aid but discarded his rifle and began firing a pistol. He located a machinegun nest and personally silenced it with grenades. When wounded the second time by 2 machinegun bullets through the chest muscles, 1st Lt. Bianchi climbed to the top of an American tank, manned its antiaircraft machinegun, and fired into strongly held enemy position until knocked completely off the tank by a third severe wound."

Awarded posthumously.
Medal of Honor - Army (MoH)
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)

with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Purple Heart

Sources

  • Photo: Wikipedia
  • - Jordan, Kenneth N., Yesterday’s Heroes – 433 men of World War II awarded the Medal of Honor 1941-1945, Schiffer Publishing Ltd., USA, 1996
    - Salecker, G.E., Rolling Thunder against the Rising Sun – The Combat History of U.S. Army Tank Battalions in the Pacific in World War II, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, U.S.A., 2008

Photo