Max Thompson

Max Thompson helped stop a German infantry and tank attack near Aachen in October 1944, fighting alone with a succession of weapons before advancing under fire against a fortified enemy position. His courage during the defence of Company K's hilltop position earned him the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration of the United States.

Born on 21 July 1922 in Bethel, Haywood County, North Carolina, Thompson enlisted in the United States Army at Prescott, Arizona, on 18 November 1942. He served with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, reaching the rank of sergeant during the European campaign.

On 18 October 1944, near Haaren, Germany, his company came under attack from a German infantry battalion supported by tanks. An artillery bombardment had caused heavy casualties when Thompson, while helping move wounded soldiers to safety, observed that the enemy had penetrated the position of the 3rd Platoon. He immediately operated an abandoned machine gun until enemy tank fire destroyed it. Taking up an automatic rifle, he continued firing against the advancing infantry. When that weapon jammed, he seized a rocket launcher and set an enemy light tank on fire.

Later that evening, German troops still occupied several pillboxes. When his squad's fire failed to dislodge the defenders, Thompson advanced alone to within approximately twenty yards of one fortified position. Although wounded and under concentrated enemy fire, he continued firing grenades until the Germans abandoned the emplacement. His actions helped restore the American position and contributed to the defeat of the enemy counterattack.

Thompson received the Medal of Honor for this action under War Department General Orders No. 47, dated 18 June 1945. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society records its presentation on 24 May 1945 near Cheb, Czechoslovakia, by Lieutenant General Clarence R. Huebner. His other recognised honours included the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart and the Soviet Order of Glory, Third Class, an uncommon foreign distinction for an American enlisted soldier.

Thompson ultimately reached the rank of Technical Sergeant and received an honourable discharge in September 1945. After returning to North Carolina, he worked in the inspection department of the Champion paper company in Canton. Remembered as a modest and quiet man, he died on 30 November 1996 and was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Asheville area. His service remains closely associated with the 1st Infantry Division's fighting at Aachen and with one of the outstanding acts of American infantry heroism during World War II.