Sgt. Aurio Pierro: Under Attack From All Sides

Sergeant Aurio Pierro served as a Tank Commander in WWII. He fought amongst the notoriously difficult hedgerows during the Invasion of Normandy, and in the Battle of the Bulge. 

During the Battle of the Bulge, Pierro and his platoon were under heavy fire in an extended battle with the Germans. After their tank was heavily damaged and they ran out of ammo, they left their tank and took cover in a bakery, but Pierro was injured in the process. The bakery was shelled relentlessly from all sides, and soon caught on fire, so they were forced to move down to the cellar. The Germans told Pierro and his platoon to surrender, but they refused. They spent the night in the cellar, and in the morning, fought their way back to their tank, suffering heavy casualties.

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