War Stories with Preston and Sayre
Society & Culture
2LT Raymond Zussman (756th Tank Battalion) Noroy-le-Bourg, France 12SEPT1944
12SEPT1944: Leading two tanks in support of an infantry attack in Noroy le Bourg, France, 2LT Raymond Zussman's command tank broke down. Zussman, without hesitation, ran ahead of all US forces to identify enemy locations and designate targets for his two tanks. Despite enemy fire focusing on his position from close range, Zussman continued to advance alongside the tanks on foot to help identify targets.
Time and again, Zussman took off to recon the area ahead of their advance. This incredibly risky gambit allowed him to relay the positions of enemy strongpoints and roadblocks that could be destroyed before inflicting maximum harm to his men.
Under Zussman's heroic leadership, 18 enemy soldiers were killed and 92 captured, many of those taken in by Zussman himself. Nine days later, 2LT Raymond Zussman would be killed in a German mortar attack at the age of 27. For his actions at Noroy le Bourg, Zussman would be awarded, posthumously, the Medal of Honor.
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