He Walked Alone Into the Street — And Stopped a German Assault

January 3, 1945. Philippsbourg, France.
The street was already lost.

German tanks were rolling forward, infantry spilling out behind them like a dark tide. American troops were falling back under crushing fire. Buildings shook. Windows shattered. The defense line was seconds from collapsing.

And in the middle of it all, one man stepped forward alone.

His name was Private First Class George B. Turner.
He was 45 years old.
He was not an officer.
He was not leading a unit.

He was simply a soldier who refused to step aside.

What followed over the next two days would become one of the most extraordinary acts of battlefield courage in World War II — a story so improbable it sounds written for the screen. But every detail is real.

Cut Off Behind Enemy Pressure

Turner served as a cannoneer with Battery C, 499th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, part of the 14th Armored Division. His job was to support the fight with artillery — not to hunt tanks in city streets.

But war does not ask permission.

That morning, a sudden German armored infantry attack smashed into Philippsbourg. Enemy forces pushed between elements of Turner’s battalion, severing contact. Amid the chaos, Turner was cut off from his guns, isolated inside the town.

Smoke hung low. The sound of engines echoed between stone buildings. Rifle fire snapped from every direction.

Moving cautiously through the streets, Turner encountered a U.S. infantry company in retreat, pressed hard by advancing German forces. The men were pulling back street by street, trying desperately not to break.

Then Turner saw what they were facing.

Two Tanks, Seventy-Five Infantrymen

Down the main street, two German tanks advanced in formation. Behind them came roughly seventy-five infantrymen, using the armor as moving cover. They fired into doorways, windows, rooftops — sweeping the street clean as they advanced.

If those tanks broke through, the American line would collapse. Philippsbourg would fall.

Turner understood something instantly:
There was no time to wait. No one else was positioned to stop them.

So he made a decision that would define his life.

The Man Who Stepped Into the Open

Turner seized a bazooka, gathered every rocket he could find, and moved forward alone.

No squad.
No covering fire.
No protection.

He walked directly into the open street, standing fully exposed as machine-gun rounds cracked past him and tank cannons tracked his movement.

Witnesses later said he appeared almost calm — a solitary figure framed by smoke and fire, advancing toward death without hesitation.

He raised the bazooka.

Aimed.

Fired.

The First Tank

The rocket slammed into the lead German tank, detonating with a violent flash. The vehicle lurched, smoke pouring from its hull, tracks grinding uselessly as it came to a dead stop in the middle of the street.

The German advance faltered — but only for a heartbeat.

Turner reloaded.

The second tank adjusted its turret, preparing to fire.

Turner fired again.

The rocket struck home, disabling the second tank, freezing the armored spearhead in place.

In less than a minute, the German assault lost its armor.

But Turner was not finished.

Turning the Street Into a Killing Ground

With the tanks immobilized, the German infantry suddenly found themselves exposed — caught in the open street and between buildings, with no armored shield.

Turner sprinted to a nearby American half-track, tore loose a machine gun, dragged it into the street, and set it up without cover.

Then he opened fire.

From the center of the road, Turner raked the advancing infantry with long, punishing bursts. Soldiers dropped. Others dove for cover. The attack collapsed into confusion.

What had been a coordinated German push dissolved under the fire of one man.

The withdrawing American infantry stopped retreating. Officers shouted orders. Defensive positions were reestablished.

Philippsbourg held.

When the Counterattack Began

Later, American forces counterattacked to drive the enemy out of the town. But the fight was far from over.

Two supporting U.S. tanks were hit by a hidden German anti-tank gun. Both vehicles were disabled, their crews trapped inside under heavy fire.

Turner did not wait to be ordered.

He grabbed a light machine gun and advanced again — this time firing from the hip, walking forward through incoming fire, drawing enemy attention to himself.

His fire suppressed the German position long enough for the trapped tank crews to escape alive.

One of the damaged tanks caught fire.

Inside, a man was still trapped.

Running Toward the Flames

With bullets striking around him, Turner ran straight to the burning vehicle. Flames licked from the hatches. Ammunition cooked off inside.

He reached in, trying to pull the trapped crewman free.

Then the tank exploded.

The blast hurled Turner backward, tearing fragments into his body. He was badly wounded — burned, shaken, bleeding.

Medics tried to evacuate him.

Turner refused.

He Stayed in the Fight

Despite his injuries, Turner remained with the infantry through the night and into the next day.

When a German patrol probed the American lines, Turner helped drive it off, inflicting heavy casualties.

When a fortified enemy strongpoint stalled the advance, Turner joined the assault, fighting shoulder to shoulder with the attacking troops until the position fell.

And when wounded Americans needed evacuation, Turner volunteered yet again — climbing behind the wheel of a truck and driving it down a road swept by enemy fire to haul injured soldiers to safety.

Over two days of continuous combat, Turner destroyed tanks, broke infantry assaults, rescued trapped crews, and saved countless wounded men.

All while wounded himself.

“Above and Beyond the Call of Duty”

For his actions at Philippsbourg on January 3–4, 1945, Private First Class George Benton Turner was awarded the Medal of Honor — the United States’ highest military decoration.

The citation spoke of:

Conspicuous gallantry
Intrepidity at the risk of his life
Actions above and beyond the call of duty

On August 23, 1945, at the White House, President Harry S. Truman personally placed the Medal of Honor around Turner’s neck, honoring him alongside twenty-seven other World War II heroes.

Turner stood there not as a general or commander — but as an enlisted man who had refused to step back when everything depended on it.

After the War

George B. Turner survived the war.

He left the Army and returned to California, settling in Encino with his wife. Like many Medal of Honor recipients, he lived quietly, rarely speaking of what he had done.

He died on June 29, 1963, at the age of 64.

Today, he rests at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 41, Site 589 — among the nation’s honored dead.