On the morning of February 1st, 1944, Private First Class Alton Warren Nappenburgger lay prone on top of a small null near Sisterna Deatina, Italy, watching three German MG42 machine gun nests tear his platoon apart from positions 85 to 120 yards away. The BARM M1918 A2 in his hands weighed 11 kg loaded, 20 rounds left in the magazine.

 

 

 His uniform had three fresh bullet holes from rounds that missed him by inches. The wooden stock had a splintered groove where a 792 mm round struck it instead of his face. He had been on that null for 90 minutes alone in the most exposed position on the battlefield. Every German gun within 300 yards was now firing at him.

 Doctrine said, “Seek cover. Stay low. Don’t expose yourself.” Alton Nappenburgger did the opposite. He climbed to the highest point in the field and stayed there. 20 years old, deer hunter from Spring Mount, Pennsylvania, zero confirmed kills before this day. By 1400 hours, he would account for at least 60 German casualties and break a counterattack that should have overrun the American beach head. His tactic was simple.

 If you want to understand how a rural deer hunter killed 60 vermach soldiers using the same logic he used waiting for bucks in Pennsylvania treeands. You need to see what he saw that morning. Alton Warren Nappenburgger was born December 31st, 1923 in Springmount, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, rural country. His father worked in a factory. His mother kept the house.

 Alton grew up hunting. From age 12, he stalked white-tailed deer in the woods around Springmount. His primary technique was the elevated stand. Tree stand or ground blind positioned higher than the deer trails. The logic was tactical. Height equals visibility. Deer move on the ground, rarely look up. The hunter waits, sees everything, controls the field.

 Patience was the skill. Sit motionless for 6 hours without moving. One shot, one deer. Ammunition cost money. The 3030 Winchester cartridge his father used was expensive. You did not waste rounds. You waited for the clean shot, then took it. Reading terrain was fundamental. Before climbing into the stand, Alton studied the forest.

 Where would the deer move? What trails did they use? Where would they feed? The stand went in the best position to observe all approaches. The hunter controlled the geometry of the encounter. Before the war, Alton worked at a brick factory in Springmount. 10 hours a day carrying 50 lb bricks. The work built muscle and endurance, but it was the hunting that built the instincts that would save him at Anzio. March 1943.

Pearl Harbor had happened 16 months earlier. The Selective Service Act drafted Alton Nappenburgger. He did not volunteer. The army sent him to basic training at Fort Made, Maryland. He learned the M1 Garand first eight rounds semi-automatic 4.3 kg. Then they assigned him as a bar gunner. The Browning automatic rifle M1918 A2 was the squad automatic weapon.

It weighed 11 kg loaded, more than twice the Garand. Magazine capacity was 20 rounds instead of 8. The BAR had two rates of fire. Slow at 300 to 450 rounds per minute and fast at 500 to 650. Both fired the same 3006 Springfield cartridge as the Garand. The BAR was heavier, slower to reload, but it provided suppressive fire the Garand could not deliver. Doctrine said, “Use cover, stay low, conserve ammunition.

” Alton learned the lessons. But hunting had taught him something else. Go high, see more, control the field. September 1943, the third infantry division, nicknamed the rock of the man, shipped to Italy. Alton was assigned to company C, 30th infantry regiment. They landed at Salerno in Operation Avalanche.

 Four months of fighting followed before Anzio, the Voluro River, the approaches to Monte Casino. Alton performed his duties. Carried the bar, fired when ordered, kept his head down. His platoon nickname was nappy. He did not stand out. No awards, no commendations, no mentions for exceptional bravery. Just another rifleman in a rifle company. January 22nd, 1944. Operation Shingle.

 The allies landed at Anzio and Netuno, 50 kilometers south of Rome. The objective was to outflank the German Gustav line and open the road to Rome. The landing caught the Germans by surprise, but General John P. Lucas hesitated. Instead of advancing immediately toward Rome, he consolidated the beach head. That hesitation gave Field Marshal Albert Kessler time to react.

 Within 48 hours, German reinforcements surrounded the beach head elite units. The Herman Guring Panza Division, the third Panza Grenadier Division, battleh hardened troops who had fought in North Africa and Sicily. By January 30th, the Allies were trapped in a perimeter 15 km deep and 25 km wide. The Germans began counterattacking to push the Allies back into the sea.

January 30th and 31st, the Battle of Sisterna. The US Rangers attempted to break through German lines and take the town of Sisterna de Latina, a strategic crossroads 15 km inland. The attack failed catastrophically. Darby’s rangers were surrounded. 761 men killed or captured. The third infantry division could not break through to relieve them.

 By February 1st, the Germans were preparing a major counterattack. The plan was to split the beach head and destroy the Allied forces peace meal. Company C received orders on the evening of January 31st. Reconnaissance patrol near Serna identified German positions before the expected counterattack. Alton Nappenburgger packed six magazines for his bar 120 rounds at 11:30.

 On February 1st, the patrol moved out. February 1st, 1944, 11:30 hours. Company C moved in a dispersed line across open farmland near Sisterna. 30 to 40 men advancing slowly. The terrain was flat agricultural fields, recently harvested wheat, stubble 10 to 15 cm high, no trees, minimal cover, just shallow depressions in the ground, natural folds in the earth barely 30 cm deep. The soil was semifrozen.

February in central Italy, temperatures around 5° C. The patrol objective was simple. Move 300 m forward. Identify German positions. Withdraw. Alton walked on the right flank of the line. B in his hands. His hunter’s eyes scanned the field constantly. Something felt wrong. The field was too open. Where were the Germans? 11:45 hours. The first MG42 opened fire.

The sound was unmistakable. A high-pitched ripping sound. 1,200 rounds per minute, like an electric saw cutting through wood. The German machine gun fired from a camouflaged position ahead. The first burst killed three Americans instantly. The rest of the patrol dove for cover, but there was no real cover, just shallow depressions that barely concealed a prone man.

 Then the second MG42 opened fire from the left, then the third from the right. The patrol was caught in a perfect crossfire, pinned, unable to advance or retreat. Every movement drew fire. The left tenant yelled orders, but no one could move. The MG42s fired in alternating bursts. 5 to 7 seconds of fire. 3 to 4 seconds to change barrels or reload, then fire again.

 Constant pressure. Five more men were hit in the first 15 minutes. One tried to crawl to a wounded man. The MG42 fired. He retreated. The patrol was immobilized. 11:45 to 12 hours. 15 minutes of paralysis. Alton lay in a shallow depression, BAR pointed forward. He studied the field the way he studied forests.

 The MG42 positions were not directly visible, but he could detect their locations. The first nest, 85 yd ahead, he saw muzzle flash and smoke. The second nest, 100 yards to the left, he saw the barrel moving. the third nest 120 yards to the right. He could only hear that one. No visual confirmation.

 All three were positioned in low ground or behind sandbags, barely visible above the field level. From his prone position, Alton could barely see them. But 60 yards ahead of him, there was a small null, a mound of earth maybe 2 to 3 m higher than the surrounding field. The only elevated point visible in 360°, no trees, no cover, completely exposed. But from up there he would see everything. The thought formed in his mind like a hunter planning a stalk.

 From that null, I see where they are. They see me, but I see them better. I become the deer. They become the hunters. But if they are shooting at me, they are not shooting at my brothers. Alton turned to the soldier next to him. I’m going to that null. The soldier stared at him. You are insane. You will be killed in 10 seconds, Alton replied.

cannot kill all of us if they are shooting at me. The soldier said, “Nappy, don’t.” But Alton was already starting to crawl. The left tenant was 20 m behind. Could not see what Alton was doing. Alton did not ask permission. He did not wait for orders. He improvised. 12:05 hours.

 Alton began crawling toward the null 60 yd away. The BAR 11 kg dragged with his right hand. His elbows pulled his body forward through the stubble. The semifrozen soil cut his hands. The MG42s were firing over the field, but they had not seen him yet. They were focused on the main American positions.

 Alton crawled 10 yards past a dead American soldier face down in the dirt, blood frozen. Alton did not stop. An MG42 burst swept the area. Bullets kicking up dirt 2 m to his left. He froze. 10 seconds. The MG42 stopped firing. Crew reloading. Alton continued. 30 yards. 40 yards. 50 yard. The Germans still had not detected him. His movement was slow.

 He stayed low. They were focused on larger threats. At 50 yards, he reached the base of the null. The ground began to slope upward. Almost there. Alton crawled the last 2 to 3 m up the slope. Now he was above the level of the field. If the Germans looked now, he was dead. But they did not look.

 They were still firing at the pinned platoon. Alton reached the top of the null, positioned himself prone bar forward. From this position, he had a 360° view over the flat field. He could see everything. MG nest number one, 85 yd ahead, three men. MG42 on a tripod, low sandbags. MG nest number two, 100 yd to the left.

 Two men visible, one feeding the belt, one firing. MG nest number three 120 yards to the right only the barrel visible position heavily camouflaged behind him 30 American soldiers pinned across 150 m of front made his tactical decision engaged the closest target first MG nest number one 85 yd he switched the bar selector to slow 300 to 450 rounds per minute more control less wasted ammunition.

12 10 hours. Alton aimed at the MG42 gunner in nest number one, controlled his breathing, held it, squeezed the trigger. The bar fired four rounds in 1 second. Putt, putt, putt, putt. The gunner fell backward. The second crewman, the ammunition feeder, turned to see what happened. Alton fired again. Three rounds. The second crewman fell.

The third man ran. MG42 number one was silenced. The Germans in the other positions saw the shooting. They searched for the source. 5 seconds later, they identified Alton on the null. Both remaining MG42 swung toward him. A storm of bullets. The 7.92 mm rounds snapped through the air around Alton with supersonic cracks.

Bullets struck the ground near him, kicked up dirt, ricocheted off rocks. One round passed 6 in from his head. Another tore through his uniform sleeve, ripping the fabric, but not touching skin. A third round struck the wooden stock of his BAR, gouging a deep groove in the wood. Alton rolled 2 m to his right, changing position on the null. Movement equals survival.

 Deer detect static shapes. Germans aim at where you were, not where you are. Keep moving, even if just 1 to 2 m. 1212 hours. Two German grenaders advanced from the left, moving in tactical bounds, crouched runs 5 to 10 m, then drop, then run again. They were panza grenaders. Each man carried three to four steelhand cranata stick grenades.

 Their objective was to flank the null, get close, throw grenades, kill Alton. Distance 40 yards, then 30 yards, then 25, then 20. Alton watched them through his sights. He did not fire. The hunter’s patience. Wait for the clean shot. Do not fire too early. Let the target come closer. At 20 yards, he fired a burst of six rounds.

 The first Grenadier fell, struck in the chest. The second grenadier tried to throw a grenade. His arm came up. The grenade left his hand. Alton fired again, four rounds. The second grenadier fell. The grenade exploded 15 m away, not close enough to damage the null. Two more Germans dead. 1220 hours. MG42 nest number two, 100 yd to the left, was still active. The crew was firing bursts at the null.

 Alton switched the bar selector to fast, 500 to 650 rounds per minute. Greater volume of fire for suppression at longer range. He fired a burst of 10 rounds in 1.5 seconds. Tracer rounds, phosphorus tipped bullets that left a visible trail marked every fifth round. The tracers stre toward the German position.

 The objective was suppression, forced the crew to take cover. The MG42 stopped firing temporarily. The crew ducked behind sandbags. Alton fired a second burst, eight rounds. He saw one German fall backward. The MG42 tried to resume firing, but the crew was disorganized. Only one man left.

 Alton fired a third burst, six rounds. The MG42 stopped permanently. Nest number two was silenced. Two out of three nests eliminated. Estimated German dead so far 8 to 10. 12:25 hours. Alton checked his current magazine. Three rounds left. He had two magazines remaining on his belt. 40 rounds total. Total available ammunition. 43 rounds.

 But MG Nest number three was still active, plus an unknown number of German infantry in support. Ammunition was becoming a problem. The BAR barrel was hot to the touch. Approximately 150 to 200 rounds fired in 15 minutes. The BAR had no water cooling like the M1917 machine gun. Overheating was a real risk if he continued sustained fire.

 His hands trembled slightly, not from fear, from adrenaline and the physical strain of controlling 11 kg of recoiling weapon. His shoulders achd from the bar’s recoil. His mouth was dry. His canteen was with his pack left behind when he crawled to the null. Alton spat to wet his mouth. The taste was gunpowder and dirt. 12:30 hours, a new threat appeared. Alton saw 20 to 30 German soldiers advancing from the rear, a German assault platoon. Objective: Overrun the null.

 They advanced in a staggered line, moving by bounds. Half the unit advanced 10 to 15 m, stopped, provided cover. The other half advanced, then they switched. Textbook infantry tactics. Initial distance 150 yards, then 120, then 100. Alton made a tactical decision. Ignore MG nest number three. It was 120 yd away. Too far for the bar to be effective against a fortified position.

Focus on the infantry. They were closer, a more immediate threat. At 100 yards, Alton opened fire. Selector on fast. 500 to 650 rounds per minute. Short bursts to conserve ammunition. Four rounds. Shift aim. Four rounds. Shift aim. Focus on exposed targets. Do not waste bullets on difficult shots.

 Germans began to fall. The first man hit in the chest dropped. The second hit in the leg fell screaming. Third, fourth. fifth. Five to six Germans down in 30 seconds. The rest sought cover, diving into depressions or behind the bodies of dead comrades. At 80 yards, Alton continued firing.

 Any movement drew a burst of three to four rounds. A German raised his head to look. Burst. He fell. Another tried to crawl forward. Burst. He fell. Four to five more Germans down. The assault platoon could not advance against concentrated fire from an elevated position. A German officer heard shouting in German ordered a temporary withdrawal.

 The assault platoon retreated. Estimated German casualties in this engagement. 10 to 12. Alton was still on the null, still alive. 1240 hours. Alton squeezed the bar trigger. Click. magazine empty. He swapped to his last magazine, 20 rounds left. That was all. MG Nest number three, 120 yd to the right, was still firing. Bullets struck around Alton.

 One round hit 6 in to his left. The impact described in the official Medal of Honor citation. Another round struck the B stock, splintering wood. Another tore through his uniform sleeve, ripping fabric but not breaking skin. 20 rounds remaining. MG Nest number three still active. The Germans could send another assault platoon at any moment. I need more ammunition now.

Alton identified a dead American soldier 15 yard below the null. The same soldier he had passed during his initial crawl. The dead man had an M1 Garand and a cartridge belt. Alton had a choice. Descend the null into full exposure or stay and run out of ammunition when the Germans attacked again.

 Certain risk now versus certain death later. He chose to move. 12:43 hours. Alton began crawling down the null toward the body 15 yd away. The German MG42 detected movement, opened fire. Bullets tore up the ground around him. At 5 yards, a German grenade exploded 5 m to his right. The shockwave, dirt in his face. He continued crawling. At 10 yards, an MG42 burst past centime above him.

 At 15 yards, he reached the body. He turned the dead soldier over, searched for BAR magazines. None. The soldier had an M1 Garand, not a BAR. The Garand used on block clips, eight rounds each. The BAR used 20 round box magazines. Same ammunition, 30 O six Springfield, but different feed systems.

 Alton would have to manually empty the Garand clips and reload his BAR magazines by hand under fire. He removed the cartridge belt from the corpse. Six clips, 48 cartridges total. The MG42 continued firing. Alton’s hands were shaking from adrenaline and incoming fire. He grabbed the first clip, ejected eight cartridges into his palm, picked up an empty bar magazine, began inserting rounds one by one. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8.

 Grabbed the second clip. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16. His hands were shaking too badly to load all 20. He managed 16 rounds. An MG42 burst cracked nearby. [ __ ] it. Good enough. He shoved the remaining clips into his pocket about 32 rounds. Crawled back up the null. 12:46 hours. Alton was back at the top.

 magazine loaded with 16 rounds plus approximately 32 more rounds in loose clips in his pocket. Total 48 rounds. 1300 to,400 hours. The pattern repeated. Germans attempted to flank. Alton fired. Germans retreated. Every 15 to 20 minutes, a new German attempt. At 1320 hours, MG Nest number three finally went silent. The crew either evacuated or died. The record does not specify which.

 Alton reloaded his magazines three more times using the Garand clips. Each reload took 2 to 3 minutes. Dangerous, exposed, but necessary. Estimated total rounds fired over 2 hours, 200 to 250. Alton lost count of how many Germans he killed. His focus was survival, not scorekeeping. 1,400 hours.

 The American platoon pinned for over 2 hours, was finally able to move. With the MG42 nests silenced, soldiers advanced or retreated to safer positions. Some moved forward to consolidate terrain. Others fell back with the wounded. An officer, probably the lieutenant, shouted toward the null, “Nappy, get down here.” Alton fired his last rounds, then descended from the null. He walked back toward American lines.

 His uniform had three bullet holes. The bar stock was splintered. The barrel was still hot. Soldiers looked at him in silence. Someone said, “You held them for 2 hours alone.” Alton did not respond. Exhaustion. A medic checked him for wounds. Nothing. Not a scratch. Miracle, luck, or constant movement? Impossible to know. Days later, intelligence officers returned to the field near the null. They counted German bodies.

 In front of the null, approximately 20 to 25 corpses. In the surrounding area, MG nests and approaches. Approximately 35 to 40 bodies or evidence of wounded evacuated by the Germans. Total approximately 60 casualties confirmed dead plus seriously wounded evacuated. Distribution primarily in a 180° arc in front of the null. MG nest number one 85 yd three dead.

 MG nest number two 100 yd 2 to four dead. Two grenaders two dead. Assault platoon 10 to 12 dead or wounded. Other engagements 20 to 30 dead or wounded. The divisional commander, Major General Lucien Truscott of the Third Infantry Division called Alton Nappenburgger a one-man army. Recommendation for the Medal of Honor was immediate.

 February through May 1944, Alton continued in combat after Anzio. The third infantry division fought to break out of the beach head. May 23rd, operation diadem, the breakout succeeded. June 4th, Rome was liberated. Alton entered Rome with the third infantry division. On May 26th, 1944, the Medal of Honor was awarded. The official citation was read.

 It described Alton positioning himself on an exposed null. Enemy fire striking within 6 in of him, crawling 15 yards under fire to obtain rifle clips from a fallen comrade, singlehandedly breaking up the enemy attack for more than 2 hours. Alton was 20 years old, had seen 5 months of combat. This was the first and only action for which he was recognized.

 After the ceremony, Alton was sent back to the United States. He participated in the war bonds tour, telling his story to sell war bonds. This was standard procedure for Medal of Honor recipients. Did doctrine change? Not officially. Army field manuals still taught use cover, stay low.

 that the story of Alton Nappenburgger was taught at infantry school at Fort Benning as an example of adaptation to terrain using disadvantages as advantages. Exposure equals visibility equals control. Initiative when command is paralyzed. The lesson doctrine is a guide, not an absolute law. Terrain plus situation overrides the manual. Alton’s decision was against doctrine but tactically brilliant for that specific terrain.

1945 to 2008. Alton returned to Pennsylvania. He worked as a truck driver, then as a supervisor of an asphalt paving crew. He avoided the spotlight, rarely spoke about the war. He married, had children, grandchildren.

 He taught his children and grandchildren hunting and fishing, passing on the civilian skills that saved him in combat. Personal characteristics: quiet, humble, just did my job. Local veterans knew him, knew about the Medal of Honor, but Alton never boasted, never told a story unless asked. June 9th, 2008. Alton Warren Nappenburgger died. He was 84 years old. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. His headstone is simple.

 Name, rank, private, first class, Medal of Honor. No mention of 60 Germans. No mention of two hours on the null. Somewhere near Sisterna de Latina, there is a flat field with a small null, two to three meters of elevation, nothing more. On February 1st, 1944, that null was the most dangerous point in 10 square kilm.

 Alton Warren Nappenburgger, 20 years old, deer hunter from Spring Mount, Pennsylvania, climbed that null. He climbed the way a hunter climbs into a treeand. He waited. He shot. He survived. And he saved 30 men who could not move. The logic was simple. I become the deer. They become the hunters. Military doctrine says, “Seek cover.

” Alton Nappenburgger said, “Go high, see more, control the field.”