On the night of Sept. 4, 1944, near Sars-la-Bruyère in Belgium, more than 100 German attacked his company's position. Pfc. Merli watched as much of his company was killed or captured in the ensuing firefight, and the remainder retreated to safety under his cover fire, leaving him alone. As the Germans overran his position, he lay on the ground next to the body of his dead assistant gunner, pretending to be dead. As the German soldiers prodded the American bodies with their bayonets, they reached Merli, bayoneting him 4 times..and still, he remained motionless.
As the Germans began to leave the area, Pfc. Merli arose and began slaying Germans with his machinegun. Twice he fooled German soldiers into believing he was no longer a threat, only to attack them again when they left him for dead. In the morning, a counterattack forced the Germans to ask for a truce. The negotiating party found Merli still at his gun...with 52 dead Germans near his position.
For his actions, Pfc. Merli was awarded the Medal of Honor, on top of his 2 Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star. #zerofucks #nofucks #stayzero #military #awesome #bamf #legit #kill #legendary #greatestgeneration #ww2 #hero #hardfuck #instagood #dailyig #igers #photooftheday