The President of the United States
in the name of The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the
Medal of Honor
to
*MILLER, ANDREW
Rank and Organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S.
Army, Company G, 377th Infantry, 95th Infantry Division. Place and Date From
Woippy, France, through Metz to Kerprich Hemmersdorf, Germany, 1629 November 1944. Entered
Service at: Two Rivers, Wis. Birth: Manitowoc, Wis. G.O. No.: 74, 1
September 1945.
Citation: For performing a
series of heroic deeds from 1629 November 1944, during his company's relentless drive from
Woippy, France, through Metz to Kerprich Hemmersdorf, Germany. As he led a rifle squad on
16 November at Woippy, a crossfire from enemy machineguns pinned down his unit. Ordering
his men to remain under cover, he went forward alone, entered a building housing 1 of the
guns and forced S Germans to surrender at bayonet point. He then took the second gun
single-handedly by hurling grenades into the enemy position, killing 2, wounding 3 more,
and taking 2 additional prisoners. At the outskirts of Metz the next day, when his
platoon, confused by heavy explosions and the withdrawal of friendly tanks, retired, he
fearlessly remained behind armed with an automatic rifle and exchanged bursts with a
German machinegun until he silenced the enemy weapon. His quick action in covering his
comrades gave the platoon time to regroup and carry on the fight. On 19 November S/Sgt.
Miller led an attack on large enemy barracks. Covered by his squad, he crawled to a
barracks window, climbed in and captured 6 riflemen occupying the room. His men, and then
the entire company, followed through the window, scoured the building, and took 75
prisoners. S/Sgt. Miller volunteered, with 3 comrades, to capture Gestapo officers who
were preventing the surrender of German troops in another building. He ran a gauntlet of
machinegun fire and was lifted through a window. Inside, he found himself covered by a
machine pistol, but he persuaded the 4 Gestapo agents confronting him to surrender. Early
the next morning, when strong hostile forces punished his company with heavy fire, S/Sgt.
Miller assumed the task of destroying a well-placed machinegun. He was knocked down by a
rifle grenade as he climbed an open stairway in a house, but pressed on with a bazooka to
find an advantageous spot from which to launch his rocket. He discovered that he could
fire only from the roof, a position where he would draw tremendous enemy fire. Facing the
risk, he moved into the open, coolly took aim and scored a direct hit on the hostile
emplacement, wreaking such havoc that the enemy troops became completely demoralized and
began surrendering by the score. The following day, in Metz, he captured 12 more prisoners
and silenced an enemy machinegun after volunteering for a hazardous mission in advance of
his company's position. On 29 November, as Company G climbed a hill overlooking Kerprich
Hemmersdorf, enemy fire pinned the unit to the ground. S/Sgt. Miller, on his own
initiative, pressed ahead with his squad past the company's leading element to meet the
surprise resistance. His men stood up and advanced deliberately, firing as they went.
Inspired by S/Sgt. Miller's leadership, the platoon followed, and then another platoon
arose and grimly closed with the Germans. The enemy action was smothered, but at the cost
of S/Sgt. Miller's life. His tenacious devotion to the attack, his gallant choice to
expose himself to enemy action rather than endanger his men, his limitless bravery,
assured the success of Company G. |
