Melvin E. Biddle

He scouted alone and silenced enemy guns to free trapped men

Melvin E. Biddle was born at Daleville, Indiana, on 28 November 1923. He graduated from Anderson High School and worked in a factory before entering the Army in February 1943. After parachute training, he joined the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment and served in Italy. His recorded oral history describes personally jumping into southern France on 15 August 1944 and fighting towards the Alps.

During the Battle of the Bulge, near Soy, Belgium, on 23–24 December 1944, Biddle served as lead scout in an attack to relieve Hotton. He advanced ahead of his company, killed enemy snipers, destroyed machine-gun positions and gathered information that helped the Americans overcome German tanks. The following morning he again led the advance and silenced another gun position. His actions helped his battalion break the encirclement with few casualties.

He was subsequently wounded by shell fragments and treated in hospital before returning to the United States. President Harry Truman presented his Medal of Honor on 12 October 1945; the later general-order date is not the presentation date. After the war Biddle married and returned to civilian life in Indiana. He remained associated with veterans and Medal of Honor reunions. He died in Anderson on 16 December 2010.

Official citation

He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy near Soy, Belgium, on 23 and 24 December 1944. Serving as lead scout during an attack to relieve the enemy-encircled town of Hotton, he aggressively penetrated a densely wooded area, advanced 400 yards until he came within range of intense enemy rifle fire, and within 20 yards of enemy positions killed 3 snipers with unerring marksmanship. Courageously continuing his advance an additional 200 yards, he discovered a hostile machinegun position and dispatched its 2 occupants. He then located the approximate position of a well-concealed enemy machinegun nest, and crawling forward threw hand grenades which killed two Germans and fatally wounded a third. After signaling his company to advance, he entered a determined line of enemy defense, coolly and deliberately shifted his position, and shot 3 more enemy soldiers. Undaunted by enemy fire, he crawled within 20 yards of a machinegun nest, tossed his last hand grenade into the position, and after the explosion charged the emplacement firing his rifle. When night fell, he scouted enemy positions alone for several hours and returned with valuable information which enabled our attacking infantry and armor to knock out 2 enemy tanks. At daybreak he again led the advance and, when flanking elements were pinned down by enemy fire, without hesitation made his way toward a hostile machinegun position and from a distance of 50 yards killed the crew and 2 supporting riflemen. The remainder of the enemy, finding themselves without automatic weapon support, fled panic stricken. Private First Class Biddle's intrepid courage and superb daring during his 20-hour action enabled his battalion to break the enemy grasp on Hotton with a minimum of casualties.