Maurice Lee Britt entered active duty in December 1941 as a 2nd Lt and was assigned to Company L, 3rd BN, 30th IR, 3rd ID
By 1942, Britt was a platoon leader, surviving the invasion of North Africa, then Sicily and Salerno in 1943.
On September 22 of that year, he led an assault on Acerno, Italy and single handedly destroyed an enemy machine gun position; earning him the Silver Star and his first of four Purple Hearts. A month later, Britt led his men in the river crossing on the Volturno River. For his actions, he received the Bronze Star with "V" device.
On November 10, Lt. Britt led his men in repelling a counterattack by approximately 100 Germans against his company positions north of Mignano, Italy. During the intense fight, a bullet pierced his side; his chest, face, and hands were covered with grenade wounds. Despite his wounds, he personally killed 5 and wounded an unknown number of Germans, wiped out one enemy machinegun crew and threw 32 grenades. For his actions on that day, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, the British Military Cross, the Italian Military Medal for Valor, and a battlefield promotion to captain.
If that wasn't enough, Capt. Britt led his men during the beach assault at Anzio in 1944. On January 23, in one instance, he did calisthenics in order to get a hidden German machine gun position to expose itself so it could be destroyed. Thereafter American units in the area referred to the intersection there as "Britt's Junction". His actions on January 22 and 23, also resulting in loosing part of his right arm at Anzio, earned him the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism. Maurice Britt became the first recipient of the top four combat decorations for valor awarded to an infantryman by the US Army during World War II and during the Sicily campaign, his battalion executed one of the longest foot marches in modern military history, from near Gela northward to Palermo; marching a total of 54 miles in only 33 days. #stayzero #ww2 #hero