1st Lt. Rudolph B. Davila

                      (US Army)

 

On this day, 81 years ago, on May 28, 1944, Staff Sergeant Rudolph B. Davila,

28 years old, serving with Company H, 7th Infantry Regiment,

3rd Infantry Division, displayed decisive

and sustained combat leadership under intense enemy fire near Artena, Italy.

 

The 3rd Infantry Division was pushing through the Alban Hills

in an effort to break out of the Anzio beachhead.

German resistance was organized and deeply entrenched,

using prepared machine gun nests, mortars,

and fortified buildings to delay the Allied advance.

That day, a rifle company of about 130 men was ordered

to advance up a grassy hill outside Artena.

As they began to move forward,

they were immediately hit by grazing fire from German machine guns positioned

on the slope and along flanking ridges. The company became pinned down and unable to return effective fire.

 

Davila was in charge of a machine gun section assigned to support the rifle company’s advance.

When his men hesitated to set up their guns due to the accurate enemy fire sweeping the hillside,

he took action himself. He crawled 50 yards forward under direct fire to reach a downed machine gun.

He set it up alone, positioned the tripod, loaded the belt,

and began firing from a kneeling stance.

Bullets struck the weapon's tripod and passed through the grass around him.

He held steady and delivered accurate bursts t

hat destroyed two enemy machine gun positions

and suppressed the others enough to let his unit start moving again.

 

Seeing the effect of his fire, Davila called up two more machine gun crews

and directed them into position.

He controlled their fields of fire and forced the enemy to pull back about 200 yards.

During this exchange, Davila was struck in the leg by shrapnel.

He ignored the wound and continued to press the attack.

 

Spotting a second German position firing from behind a disabled tank further up the slope,

Davila sprinted to the wreck. Despite the fire,

he climbed into the turret and manned its machine gun,

firing from inside the burned-out shell at enemy targets hidden along a stone wall.

His fire broke up another attempt by the Germans to reinforce their positions.

 

After expending the tank’s ammo, Davila moved again.

He made a 130-yard advance across open terrain in short rushes under fire,

then crawled the final 20 yards toward a stone house being used as a German strongpoint.

He reached the building, lobbed a grenade through a window,

and stormed inside. He shot and killed two German soldiers in the main room,

then cleared the rest of the building.

Upstairs in the attic, he found an opening that overlooked the valley below.

From this position, he could see additional enemy troops moving.

He fired from the shell hole and destroyed two more machine gun positions.

 

His aggressive assault forced the enemy to retreat and abandon their prepared defenses.

The hill was secured by the American forces shortly after.

The entire engagement had lasted several hours,

with Davila’s actions directly enabling his company to advance,

survive the enemy ambush, and take the objective.

 

Davila was wounded again in later combat in France,

where he was evacuated from the front.

For his actions near Artena, he was initially awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

Decades later, following a congressionally mandated review of awards to minority veterans,

his citation was upgraded to the * Medal of Honor *.

He received the medal in person at a White House ceremony on June 21, 2000.

 

After the war, Davila became a teacher and earned advanced degrees in education.

He passed away in 2002 at age 85 and was buried with honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

 

루돌프 B. 다빌라 ​​중위
(미 육군)

81년 전 오늘, 1944년 5월 28일, 제3보병사단 제7보병연대 H중대 소속이었던 

28세의 루돌프 B. 다빌라 ​​하사는 이탈리아 아르테나 인근에서 

적의 집중 포화 속에서도 결단력 있고 지속적인 전투 지휘력을 발휘했습니다.

제3보병사단은 안치오 교두보를 돌파하기 위해 알반 언덕을 돌파하고 있었습니다.

 독일군의 저항은 조직적이고 깊숙이 자리 잡고 있었으며, 

준비된 기관총 진지, 박격포, 그리고 요새화된 건물들을 활용하여 연합군의 진격을 지연시키고 있었습니다. 

그날, 약 130명의 소총 중대가 아르테나 외곽의 풀이 무성한 언덕을 향해 진격하라는 명령을 받았습니다. 

그들이 진격을 시작하자마자 경사면과 측면 능선을 따라

 배치된 독일군 기관총의 스치듯 사격을 받았습니다. 

중대는 고립되어 효과적인 대응 사격을 할 수 없었습니다.

다빌라는 소총 중대의 진격을 지원하기 위해 배정된 기관총 분대를 지휘하고 있었습니다.

 적의 정확한 사격이 언덕을 휩쓸고 지나가는 바람에 부하들이 사격 준비를 망설이자, 

다빌라는 직접 행동에 나섰습니다. 

적의 직격탄을 맞으며 50야드(약 15미터) 전진하여 쓰러진 기관총에 접근했습니다. 

그는 혼자 기관총을 설치하고 삼각대를 설치한 후, 

허리띠에 탄약을 장전한 후 무릎을 꿇은 자세에서 사격을 시작했습니다. 

총알은 기관총 삼각대에 명중하여 주변 풀밭을 지나갔습니다. 

그는 자세를 유지하며 정확한 사격을 퍼부어 적 기관총 진지 두 곳을 파괴하고, 

나머지 진지들을 제압하여 부대가 다시 기동할 수 있도록 했습니다.

자신의 사격 효과를 확인한 다빌라는 기관총 분대 두 곳을 더 불러들여 진지를 구축하도록 지시했습니다. 

그는 적의 사격 범위를 통제하고 적군이 약 200야드(약 180미터) 후퇴하도록 만들었습니다. 

이 교전 중 다빌라는 다리에 파편을 맞았지만, 

부상을 무시하고 계속 공격을 이어갔습니다.

경사면 위쪽에서 고장 난 전차 뒤편에서 사격하는 

두 번째 독일군 진지를 발견한 다빌라는 잔해로 달려갔습니다. 

불길에도 불구하고 그는 포탑에 올라 기관총을 조작하여 불타버린 포탄 안쪽에서 돌담을 따라 

숨겨진 적군 표적을 향해 사격했습니다. 

그의 사격은 독일군의 진지 강화 시도를 저지했습니다.

전차의 탄약을 모두 소진한 후, 다빌라는 다시 움직였습니다. 

그는 사격을 받으며 개활지를 가로질러 130야드(약 130m)를 단거리로 전진한 후,

 독일군의 거점으로 사용되는 석조 건물을 향해 마지막 20야드(약 20m)를 기어갔습니다. 

건물에 도착한 그는 창문을 통해 수류탄을 던진 후 안으로 돌격했습니다. 

그는 본관에서 독일군 병사 두 명을 사살하고 건물 나머지를 정리했습니다.

 위층 다락방에서는 아래 계곡이 내려다보이는 구멍을 발견했습니다.

 이 위치에서 그는 추가 적군의 이동을 볼 수 있었습니다. 

그는 포탄 구멍에서 사격하여 기관총 진지 두 곳을 추가로 파괴했습니다.

그의 공격적인 공격으로 적군은 후퇴하고 준비된 방어선을 포기해야 했습니다. 

고지는 곧 미군에 의해 확보되었습니다. 

교전은 몇 시간 동안 지속되었고, 

다빌라의 활약 덕분에 그의 중대는 진격하여 적의 매복 공격을 견뎌내고 

목표를 점령할 수 있었습니다.

다빌라는 이후 프랑스에서 벌어진 전투에서 다시 부상을 입었고, 

전선에서 후송되었습니다. 

아르테나 근처에서의 활약으로 그는 처음에는 수훈 십자훈장을 받았습니다. 

수십 년 후, 소수 민족 참전 용사들에 대한 수여에 대한 의회의 의무적인 검토를 거쳐 

그의 표창은 *명예 훈장*으로 승격되었습니다. 

그는 2000년 6월 21일 백악관에서 열린 수여식에서

 직접 훈장을 받았습니다.

전쟁 후 다빌라는 교사가 되어 교육학 석사 학위를 취득했습니다. 

그는 2002년 85세의 나이로 세상을 떠났으며, 

알링턴 국립묘지에 영예롭게 안장되었습니다.

 

 

2025년 6월 6일 금요일