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First Name: Sherwood

Last Name: Hallman

Birthplace: Spring City, PA, USA

Gender: Male

Branch: Army (1784 - present)



Home of Record: Spring City, PA
Middle Name: Henry



Date of Birth: 29 October 1913

Date of Death: 14 September 1944

Rank: Staff Sergeant

Years Served: 1943 - 1944
Sherwood Henry Hallman

   
Engagements:
•  World War II (1941 - 1945)

Biography:

Sherwood Henry Hallman
Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army
Medal of Honor Recipient
World War II

Staff Sergeant Sherwood Henry Hallman (29 October 1913 - 14 September 1944) was a U.S. Army soldier who was posthumously awarded the U.S. military's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his heroic actions during World War II.

Sherwood H. Hallman was born on 29 October 1913 in Spring City, PA; he also joined the Army from Spring City. On 13 September 1944, he was serving as a Staff Sergeant in the 175th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division when, in Brest, France, he single-handedly attacked and captured a German position, prompting the surrender of other German forces in the area. He was killed in action the next day and, for his heroic actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, 175th Infantry, 29th Infantry Division.

Place and date: Brest, Brittany, France, 13 September 1944.

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. On 13 September 1944, in Brittany, France, the 2d Battalion in its attack on the fortified city of Brest was held up by a strongly defended enemy position which had prevented its advance despite repeated attacks extending over a 3-day period. Finally, Company F advanced to within several hundred yards of the enemy position but was again halted by intense fire. Realizing that the position must be neutralized without delay, S/Sgt. Hallman ordered his squad to cover his movements with fire while he advanced alone to a point from which he could make the assault. Without hesitating, S/Sgt. Hallman leaped over a hedgerow into a sunken road, the central point of the German defenses which was known to contain an enemy machinegun position and at least 30 enemy riflemen. Firing his carbine and hurling grenades, S/Sgt. Hallman, unassisted, killed or wounded 4 of the enemy, then ordered the remainder to surrender. Immediately, 12 of the enemy surrendered and the position was shortly secured by the remainder of his company. Seeing the surrender of this position, about 75 of the enemy in the vicinity surrendered, yielding a defensive organization which the battalion with heavy supporting fires had been unable to take. This single heroic act on the part of S/Sgt. Hallman resulted in the immediate advance of the entire battalion for a distance of 2,000 yards to a position from which Fort Keranroux was captured later the same day. S/Sgt. Hallman's fighting determination and intrepidity in battle exemplify the highest tradition of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Death and Burial

Staff Sergeant Sherwood H. Hallman was killed in action on 14 September 1944. He is buried at the Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial in Normandy, France.



Honoree ID: 1422   Created by: MHOH

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