George J. Peters-Margarten, Lumburg, Netherlands
Posted by: 
Don.Morfe
N 50° 49.014 E 005° 48.402
31U E 697703 N 5633218
World War II Medal of Honor Recipient for action near Fluren, Germany on March 24, 1945. He was killed in action. He is buried in Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Eijsden-Margraten Municipality, Limburg, Netherlands in Section G, Row 17, Site 8.
Waymark Code: WMXCCC
Location: Limburg, Netherlands
Date Posted: 12/26/2017
Views: 8
He was born on March 19, 1923 in Cranston, RI and died on March 24, 1945 in Dusseldorf, Germany. His Medal of Honor information and citation is: *PETERS, GEORGE J.
• Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company G, 507th Parachute Infantry, 17th Airborne Division
• Place and date: Near Fluren, Germany, 24 March 1945
• Entered service at: Cranston, R.I.
• G.O. No.: 16, 8 February 1946
Citation: Pvt. Peters, a platoon radio operator with Company G, made a descent into Germany near Fluren, east of the Rhine. With 10 others, he landed in a field about 75 yards from a German machinegun supported by riflemen, and was immediately pinned down by heavy, direct fire. The position of the small unit seemed hopeless with men struggling to free themselves of their parachutes in a hail of bullets that cut them off from their nearby equipment bundles, when Pvt. Peters stood up without orders and began a l-man charge against the hostile emplacement armed only with a rifle and grenades. His single-handed assault immediately drew the enemy fire away from his comrades. He had run halfway to his objective, pitting rifle fire against that of the machinegun, when he was struck and knocked to the ground by a burst. Heroically, he regained his feet and struggled onward. Once more he was torn by bullets, and this time he was unable to rise. With gallant devotion to his self-imposed mission, he crawled directly into the fire that had mortally wounded him until close enough to hurl grenades which knocked out the machinegun, killed 2 of its operators, and drove protecting riflemen from their positions into the safety of a woods. By his intrepidity and supreme sacrifice, Pvt. Peters saved the lives of many of his fellow soldiers and made it possible for them to reach their equipment, organize, and seize their first objective.
Armed Service: Army
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