The Wildest Medal of Honor Story You’ve Never Heard — Commando Kelly!

#usa #military #ww2 Charles E. “Commando” Kelly wasn’t supposed to be a hero. In fact, just months before the Salerno landings he was sitting in a stockade, facing discipline. But when the 36th Infantry Division was thrown into the brutal fight for Altavilla, Italy in September 1943, Kelly rewrote his story in blood and fire. Pinned down by waves of German counterattacks, Kelly refused to abandon his post. Alone, with only his Browning Automatic Rifle, he cut down squad after squad of enemy troops. When his magazines ran dry, he picked up enemy weapons and kept firing. For hours, he fought on, single-handedly stopping the German advance through the town. By the time Kelly slipped out of Altavilla, the German offensive was broken. His one-man stand earned him the Medal of Honor—the very first American infantryman to receive it in the European Theater. This is the unbelievable true story of Charles “Commando” Kelly—the delinquent turned legend, who rose from stockade to Medal of Honor. 🔗 SOURCES & FURTHER READING: 📖 Medal of Honor Citation – Charles E. Kelly https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/charles-commando-e-kelly 📰 Warfare History Network – Charles “Commando” Kelly’s One-Man Stand https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/commando-charles-kelly-the-first-european-theater-medal-of-honor/ 📰 The National WWII Museum – The First Medal of Honor in Europe https://www.ww2online.org/image/sgt-charles-e-kelly-outside-his-room-fort-benning-georgia-12-july-1944 📰 U.S. Army Center of Military History – Medal of Honor Recipients: WWII https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/people_details.php?PeopleID=22746 📚 RECOMMENDED READS: Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty – Peter Collier & Nick Del Calzo Medal of Honor: Profiles of America’s Military Heroes from the Civil War to the Present – Allen Mikaelian 📺 CHAPTERS 00:00 – 01:37 The Steel City Mauler 01:38 – 03:11 Hitlers Murderous Shock Troopers 03:12 – 05:46 From Screw-up to Soldier 05:47 – 07:46 The Invasion of Italy 07:47 – 09:18 Singleton Recon Mission 09:19 – 11:50 The One Man Army of Altavilla 11:51 – 14:38 Coming Home a Hero @AmericanMilitaryNetwork