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Charles E. “Commando” Kelly wasn’t supposed to be a hero. In fact, just months before the Salerno landings he was sitting in a stockade, facing discipline. But when the 36th Infantry Division was thrown into the brutal fight for Altavilla, Italy in September 1943, Kelly rewrote his story in blood and fire.

Pinned down by waves of German counterattacks, Kelly refused to abandon his post. Alone, with only his Browning Automatic Rifle, he cut down squad after squad of enemy troops. When his magazines ran dry, he picked up enemy weapons and kept firing. For hours, he fought on, single-handedly stopping the German advance through the town.

By the time Kelly slipped out of Altavilla, the German offensive was broken. His one-man stand earned him the Medal of Honor—the very first American infantryman to receive it in the European Theater.

This is the unbelievable true story of Charles “Commando” Kelly—the delinquent turned legend, who rose from stockade to Medal of Honor.

🔗 SOURCES & FURTHER READING:

📖 Medal of Honor Citation – Charles E. Kelly
https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/char...

📰 Warfare History Network – Charles “Commando” Kelly’s One-Man Stand
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/art...

📰 The National WWII Museum – The First Medal of Honor in Europe
https://www.ww2online.org/image/sgt-c...

📰 U.S. Army Center of Military History – Medal of Honor Recipients: WWII
https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/p...

📚 RECOMMENDED READS:

Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty – Peter Collier & Nick Del Calzo

Medal of Honor: Profiles of America’s Military Heroes from the Civil War to the Present – Allen Mikaelian

📺 CHAPTERS
00:00 – 01:37 The Steel City Mauler
01:38 – 03:11 Hitlers Murderous Shock Troopers
03:12 – 05:46 From Screw-up to Soldier
05:47 – 07:46 The Invasion of Italy
07:47 – 09:18 Singleton Recon Mission
09:19 – 11:50 The One Man Army of Altavilla
11:51 – 14:38 Coming Home a Hero

‪@AmericanMilitaryNetwork‬