Ellis R. Weicht

Led an assault squad through St. Hippolyte

Ellis R. Weicht was born in Clearville, Pennsylvania, on 17 April 1916. He served as a sergeant in Company F, 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division during World War II.

On 3 December 1944, Weicht led an assault squad into St. Hippolyte, France. When machine-gun fire stopped the advance, he moved forward, entered a house opposite the enemy position and killed the two gunners from a window.

Two 20-millimeter guns then halted the company. While friendly troops withdrew for an artillery strike, Weicht remained in the shelled area and continued firing. After the barrage, he prevented the enemy from removing a gun and resumed his squad's advance.

At a roadblock, he fired from an upstairs window despite heavy return fire. A direct hit from an antitank gun killed him. He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for his leadership and repeated attacks on defended positions.

Weicht is buried in Épinal American Cemetery in France. His citation records the squad leader's actions during the fighting in Alsace.

Medal of Honor citation

For commanding an assault squad in Company F's attack against the strategically important Alsatian town of St. Hippolyte on 3 December 1944. He aggressively led his men down a winding street, clearing the houses of opposition as he advanced. Upon rounding a bend, the group was suddenly brought under the fire of two machine guns emplaced in the door and window of a house 100 yards distant. While his squad members took cover, Sgt. Weicht moved rapidly forward to a high rock wall and, fearlessly exposing himself to the enemy action, fired two clips of ammunition from his rifle. His fire proving ineffective, he entered a house opposite the enemy gun position, and, firing from a window, killed the two hostile gunners. Continuing the attack, the advance was again halted when two 20-mm guns opened fire on the company. An artillery observer ordered friendly troops to evacuate the area and then directed artillery fire upon the gun positions. Sgt. Weicht remained in the shelled area and continued to fire on the hostile weapons. When the barrage lifted and the enemy soldiers attempted to remove their gun, he killed two crewmembers and forced the others to flee. Sgt. Weicht continued to lead his squad forward until he spotted a road block approximately 125 yards away. Moving to the second floor of a nearby house and firing from a window, he killed three and wounded several of the enemy. Instantly becoming a target for heavy and direct fire, he disregarded personal safety to continue his fire, with unusual effectiveness, until he was killed by a direct hit from an antitank gun.