From Medal of Honor Citations from World War II:
BURT, JAMES M.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, Company B,
66th Armored Regiment, 2d Armored Division. Place and date: Near Wurselen,
Germany, 13 October 1944. Entered service at: Lee, Mass. Birth: Hinsdale, Mass.
G.O. No.: 95, 30 October 1945. Citation: Capt. James M. Burt was in command of
Company B, 66th Armored Regiment on the western outskirts of Wurselen, Germany,
on 13 October 1944, when his organization participated in a coordinated
infantry-tank attack destined to isolate the large German garrison which was
tenaciously defending the city of Aachen. In the first day's action, when
infantrymen ran into murderous small-arms and mortar fire, Capt. Burt dismounted
from his tank about 200 yards to the rear and moved forward on foot beyond the
infantry positions, where, as the enemy concentrated a tremendous volume of fire
upon him, he calmly motioned his tanks into good firing positions. As our attack
gained momentum, he climbed aboard his tank and directed the action from the
rear deck, exposed to hostile volleys which finally wounded him painfully in the
face and neck. He maintained his dangerous post despite pointblank
self-propelled gunfire until friendly artillery knocked out these enemy weapons,
and then proceeded to the advanced infantry scouts' positions to deploy his
tanks for the defense of the gains which had been made. The next day, when the
enemy counterattacked, he left cover and went 75 yards through heavy fire to
assist the infantry battalion commander who was seriously wounded. For the next
8 days, through rainy, miserable weather and under constant, heavy shelling,
Capt. Burt held the combined forces together, dominating and controlling the
critical situation through the sheer force of his heroic example. To direct
artillery fire, on 15 October, he took his tank 300 yards into the enemy lines,
where he dismounted and remained for 1 hour giving accurate data to friendly
gunners. Twice more that day he went into enemy territory under deadly fire on
reconnaissance. In succeeding days he never faltered in his determination to
defeat the strong German forces opposing him. Twice the tank in which he was
riding was knocked out by enemy action, and each time he climbed aboard another
vehicle and continued the fight. He took great risks to rescue wounded comrades
and inflicted prodigious destruction on enemy personnel and materiel even though
suffering from the wounds he received in the battle's opening phase. Capt.
Burt's intrepidity and disregard of personal safety were so complete that his
own men and the infantry who attached themselves to him were inspired to
overcome the wretched and extremely hazardous conditions which accompanied one
of the most bitter local actions of the war. The victory achieved closed the
Aachen gap.
Today, the 3rd Battalion of the 66th Armored Regiment is nicknamed "Burt's Knights". 3-66 Armor deployed to Iraq in 2008-2009. James Burt returned to civilian life after the war and passed away at age 88 on February 15, 2006.
The motto of the 66th Armor Regiment is "Sempre in Hostes" - "Always into the Enemy". We salute all the brave men and women of our armed forces - on this day, the tankers in particular. So long as our forces are "always into the enemy", liberty will be victorious.
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