Audie Murphy and his Unbreakable Valor | The Most Decorated Soldier During WWII.

Welcome to this episode of Duty & Valor, where I’ll tell you the story of a man whose determination to serve his nation was undeterred, despite being turned down multiple times.  He was a man whose childhood hunting skills made him a deadly force on Europe's battlefields.  He was a man whose bravery continually overcame fear, leading to acts of exceptional courage numerous times during WWII.  He was a man who, single-handedly and against all odds, withstood a relentless German assault on his position.  This is the story of Medal of Honor recipient US Army 2LT Audie Murphy.

Born on June 20th, 1925, Audie Leon Murphy was born into a large sharecropping family in Kingston, Tx., and he dropped out of school after fifth grade to help support them.  In addition to picking cotton, he used his skill with a rifle to hunt game.  His father, Emit, repeatedly left and returned to the family over the years before he left for the final time in 1940.  His mother, Josie, tragically passed away a year later.  

Following her death and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Audie was motivated to do more with his life.  He initially wanted to join the Marine Corps but they turned him down for being underage and due to his slight stature and build.  He next tried the Navy and Army, but they turned him down as well.  Though he was too young to enlist, he did eventually have luck with the Army, but only after his sister submitted a false affidavit stating that he was eighteen years old.  

Audie entered Army service in June 1942, and after basic training he was assigned to the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.  February 1943 saw Audie and his unit depart for North Africa.  There they received additional training before seeing action during the Allied invasion of Sicily on July 10th.  Shortly after, Audie was on a scouting patrol when he saw two fleeing Italian officers.  He took aim and with his marksman skills on display, he killed both of them.  

In September, Audie and the men of the 15th were part of Operation Avalanche, which was the invasion of mainland Italy at Salerno.  He, along with two others, were on another scouting mission when they were ambushed by German soldiers.  The Germans were firing at them from machine gun emplacements, and killed one of the men.  Audie, along with the other man, engaged the Germans with grenades and their own machine gun, and the two of them killed five Germans.  

Audie saw steady action and proved himself time and time again.  He received numerous promotions and by January 1944, he was already a Staff Sergeant.  After recovering from malaria, he was back with the 15th on March 2nd.  He was sheltering in a farmhouse when he, and his platoon, engaged a German tank crew.  Audie crawled out alone and engaged the tank with rifle grenades, which disabled it.  For that he was awarded the Bronze Star with V device for valor and heroism.

By August 1944, the 15th was part of the first wave of the invasion of Southern France, called Operation Dragoon.  Audie was with his platoon passing through a vineyard when they were attacked by Germans.  Audie immediately jumped into action and engaged the enemy with a machine gun, killing two and wounding another.  From a house roughly 100 yards away, two German soldiers exited with their hands raised in surrender.  This was a trap and they shot and killed Audie’s best friend, Lattie Tipton, who moved forward to accept their surrender.  This enraged Audie and he killed the two men and attacked the house alone.  Though he was under heavy fire, he made it to the house and ended up killing six, injuring two and taking another 11 Germans prisoner.   For this he earned the Distinguished Service Cross.

On October 2nd Audie killed four and wounded another three Germans manning a machine gun emplacement.  And just days later, he crawled up a hill alone toward the German line.  Under direct enemy fire, he radioed directions to his men and after an hour they were able to take the hill.  In total, 15 Germans had been killed and another 35 wounded.  For his actions over these two days, he was awarded his first Silver Star and a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a second Silver Star.  

By this point in the war, there was no doubt about Audie’s leadership so it was no surprise that on October 14th, he received a battlefield commission to 2LT and was now a platoon leader.  Later that month, his platoon engaged a German sniper group where he captured two men by himself.  During this engagement a sniper hit him in his hip.  He returned fire and shot the sniper in between his eyes, killing him instantly.  His hip wound was his second of the war, and while recovering in a hospital, gangrene had set in and he lost some hip muscle in the efforts to remove the infection.  

After recovering, he rejoined his unit in January 1945.  On the 24th, his unit reached the Northeastern French town of Holtzwihr where they were tasked with securing a road until reinforcements arrived.  During a limited German counterattack, he sustained another two injuries, this time to both legs.  He remained in the fight and two days later on the 26th, he was given command of Company B.    

On that day the Germans commenced an infantry, tank, and artillery attack on their position.  Facing over 200 men and 6 Panzer tanks, their unit's position was being hit hard.  

A tank destroyer belonging to the Company sustained a direct hit, putting it out of action and sending its crew into the woods.  Audie ordered the remainder of his men to fall back to pre-planned positions in the woods behind him, while he stayed alone to cover their withdrawal, armed with just his M1 rifle and a field radio.  

Though he was a marksman, and deadly with his rifle, the radio was the most dangerous weapon he was wielding at the moment.  He called in artillery strikes which slowed the enemy attack, but it didn’t stop it.  The Germans continued their advance and were getting closer.  At one point, the artillery commander radioed Audie to ask how close the Germans were to his position, he responded with “just hold the phone and I’ll let you talk to one of the bastards”.  With his position under heavy fire from three sides, he had to move.    

He took cover behind the smoldering tank destroyer when he noticed its 50 caliber machine was still intact and looked functional.  He decided to mount it and give hell to the Germans.  He was still in great danger, but the turret and smoke billowing from the vehicle gave him some protection.  With deadly accuracy, he took aim at the advancing Germans, killing many.  

Soon after, he noticed a German squad crawling in a ditch toward him on his right flank.  He swung the machine gun around and cut them all down before they could reach him.  But they had gotten close to him, within 10 yards of his position.  

From the tree line, his men were in disbelief at what they were seeing.  The amount of small arms and tank fire were sure to kill him, unless the exploding vehicle got him first.  

One tank round almost knocked him off the vehicle and it sent shrapnel into his leg.  He remained on that tank destroyer for an hour, firing at men and tanks alike.  Even though he was in great pain from the shrapnel wound, he fought on until he ran out of ammunition.  

Fighting through his pain, he fell back and rejoined his men.  He refused to have his wounds tended to, instead he led them back to repel the German advance, sending them back into the woods where they came.  During his solo defense of the American line, he killed or wounded 50 German soldiers, and inflicted an unknown number of casualties with the artillery strikes he directed.   

On February 16th, he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and was assigned to Regimental Headquarters, which took him off the front line.

On April 23rd, 1945, Audie was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on that January day.

During the war, Audie suffered many wounds, dealt with two bouts of malaria, and witnessed the death of many close friends.  He inflicted at least 240 enemy casualties and received 33 military decorations.

He was discharged from the Army on Sept. 21st, 1945, when he returned home to a hero's welcome.  He was featured on the cover of Life magazine as the Most Decorated Soldier.  One person who read the feature was actor and producer James Cagney, and he invited Audie to Hollywood which kicked off his acting career. 

Audie married actress Wanda Hendrix in 1949, but their marriage only lasted a few months and they were soon divorced.  The following year, he met and married Pamela Archer, another actress, but this marriage lasted the remainder of his life.  

Audie wrote a best selling memoir of his war story titled To Hell and Back, and in 1955 he played himself in the lead role in the film adaptation.  The film was so successful that it was Universal Pictures most profitable film until Jaws was released 20 years later. 

In addition to acting, Audie had some success as a singer-songwriter in the 60’s, and he was also a rancher and bred thoroughbred horses.     

Other than his time in combat, the biggest impact Audie had on the military community was to speak of the taboo subject of mental health problems that faced returning veterans.  He spoke openly and honestly about the struggles he faced, in what we now call PTSD, or post traumatic stress disorder.  Even decades after he returned home from combat, he was still suffering nightmares, anxiety, insomnia, and he also suffered from a prescription pill addiction for some time. 

On May 28th, 1971 Audie Murphy was aboard a private plane that was flying through heavy fog that was so dense that it flew into a mountainside near Roanoke, VA.  Audie, along with five others, were killed in the crash.

He is buried at the Arlington National Cemetery, where his grave site is visited by many people each year, second only to John F. Kennedy’s grave.  

Despite his untimely death, Audie Murphy's legacy lives on. His heroic service during World War II set a high standard of valor and courage for all soldiers. His post-war life, including his successful careers in film and music, highlighted his versatility and talent. Yet, it was his bravery in addressing his own mental health struggles that truly underscored his exceptional character. 

At a time when discussions about mental health, particularly among veterans, were largely stigmatized, Murphy dared to publicly share his battles with PTSD, drawing attention to an issue affecting millions.  His incredible journey from a poor Texas boy to a national icon proves that he was not just a war hero, but also a role model who demonstrated the power of determination, bravery, and resilience.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Duty & Valor.  Your ongoing support is greatly appreciated, and I couldn't be more grateful.  If you have not done so already, I kindly ask you to leave a review and follow us wherever you're listening.  This small act helps us reach a wider audience.

For those interested in learning more about Audie Murphy, I've provided links to all sources used in today's episode in the show notes and on our website, dutyandvalor.com.  Don't forget to join us for next week's episode where I’ll tell the story of another incredible American hero.