Medal of Honor Tuesday: Lt. Jimmie W. Monteith Jr

Two weeks ago, in its “Medal of Honor Monday” feature, DoD highlighted the actions that earned Army Tech. 5th Grade John J. Pinder Jr. the Congressional Medal of Honor. Pinder was one of twelve service members who would be awarded the nation’s highest military honor for bravery in battle during what would become “the longest […]

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Two weeks ago, in its “Medal of Honor Monday” feature, DoD highlighted the actions that earned Army Tech. 5th Grade John J. Pinder Jr. the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Pinder was one of twelve service members who would be awarded the nation’s highest military honor for bravery in battle during what would become “the longest day,” June 6, 1944, D-Day on the beaches of Normandy.

Nine of these men were to receive the Medal of Honor posthumously.

They were nine of 2,501 American troops who gave their lives during “the greatest amphibious operation ever undertaken.”

This week at DoD News, Katie Lange honors Army Lt. Jimmie W. Monteith Jr., another D-Day hero to receive the Medal of Honor posthumously “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty on 6 June 1944, near Colleville-sur-Mer, France.”

Lange’s preface:

“Of all the men who fought and died on D-Day, Army 1st Lt. Jimmie W. Monteith Jr.’s actions might have been the most crucial toward the Allies gaining a foothold in Europe. Through the chaos that ensued on Omaha Beach, Monteith led his soldiers through minefields and heavy fire, fighting their way up steep bluffs to cut past German defenses until they reached vital inland positions. Monteith didn’t survive the day, but his efforts earned him the Medal of Honor.”

In her tribute, we learn that Monteith, born on July 1, 1917, in rural Low Moor, Virginia, attended Virginia Tech University where he was a member of the Corps of Cadets.

However, he dropped out of the Corps and – after working for two years at a coal company – Monteith was drafted into the Army in October 1941 where he earned a commission as an infantry officer.

After a short stint in Algeria with the 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, and a somewhat longer tour in Sicily, where he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant, his Division was on its way to England in December 1943 “to prepare for the Invasion of Normandy — an effort that would include more than 160,000 Allied forces to become the largest air, land and sea assault ever executed.”

Katie Lange:

On June 6, 1944 — D-Day — Monteith landed in the initial wave of troops near Colleville-Sur-Mer, France, known as Omaha Beach. But a lot of problems hampered their arrival.

Omaha Beach was the most heavily defended of the five beaches attacked by Allies that day. Its cliffs and high bluffs were expected to be difficult for troops to traverse, but it turned out to be even worse than expected. Soldiers encountered pillboxes surrounded by barbed wire and were hammered by artillery, machine guns and flamethrowers as they tried to gain a foothold on the beach.

According to the Medal of Honor Museum, of the 36 amphibious tanks sent to support the 16th Infantry Regiment’s assault, only five made it to the beach. Heavy seas and various underwater obstacles threw off the landings, and many men were killed by the barrage of gunfire before they made it to shore. A lot of the supporting equipment, including tanks, were swamped in waist-deep water.

Monteith and his fellow soldiers in L Company were on one of the boats that didn’t hit their mark, instead landing 500 yards to the left of its targeted landing zone.

However, according to the museum, the company was still one of only eight in that initial wave to remain operational as a unit. And under Monteith’s leadership, they excelled despite the odds.

As soon as they landed, Monteith disregarded his own safety to move up and down the beach, reorganizing men before leading an assault through heavy fire over a ledge and across exposed terrain before reaching the comparative safety of a cliff. A letter from a soldier in Monteith’s platoon later said that the first lieutenant led them through heavy barbed wire and two minefields to get there.

As those men regrouped, Monteith retraced his steps across the field to the beach, where he saw two operational Sherman tanks being bombarded by enemy artillery and machine gun fire. Monteith made his way to them and banged on their sides, telling the men inside to follow him. Despite intense fire, he led them on foot through a minefield and into firing positions, where they were able to destroy an enemy pillbox and two machine gun nests.

From there, Monteith rejoined his company and led them on an assault on a German strongpoint leading off the beach. After heavy fighting, his men captured an important position on a hill.

According to his Medal of Honor citation, Monteith supervised the defense of the position against repeated counterattacks, and continuing to ignore his own personal safety, he repeatedly crossed several hundred yards of embattled open terrain to strengthen links in his company’s defensive chain and fight off new threats.

Eventually, enemy troops completely surrounded the unit. While leading the fight out of the situation, Monteith was struck by machine gun bullets and killed.

Monteith’s intense valor and will to lead in a dire situation helped the Allies find an important pathway to push further into Normandy and seize inland objectives. His Medal of Honor citation said his gallantry and courage were “worthy of emulation.”

Initially, Monteith was slated to receive the Distinguished Service Cross. However, Lange writes, “when Army Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower — the Allied supreme commander during World War II who led the Normandy invasion — was given Monteith’s recommendation, the honor was adjusted.”

“Monteith is buried in the Normandy American Cemetery in France, which overlooks Omaha Beach and the English Channel,” she adds.

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