Isadore Siegfried Jachman (December 14, 1922 – January 4, 1945) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

staff sergeant who was killed in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

after defending the town of Flamierge in Belgium from a German attack on January 4, 1945, for which he received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

Background

Isadore Jachman was born in Berlin,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, on December 14, 1922, the first son of Leo and Lotte Jachman. The family moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

when Isadore was two years old. He was raised in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and attended high school at the Baltimore City College, graduating in 1939. Jachman, who was Jewish, had relatives who were murdered in the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

, including six aunts and uncles. He joined the Army in November 1942.

Medal of Honor action

Sergeant Jachman, Company B, 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment and his company were pinned down by enemy artillery, mortar, small arms fire and two hostile tanks that attacked the unit, inflicting heavy casualties. Sergeant Jachman left his place of cover, dashed across open ground, through a hail of fire and grabbed a

bazooka Bazooka () is the common name for a man-portable recoilless anti-tank rocket launcher weapon, widely deployed by the United States Army, especially during World War II. Also referred to as the "stovepipe", the innovative bazooka was among the ...

from a fallen comrade. He then advanced on the tanks, which concentrated their fire on him. Firing his weapon, he damaged one and forced both of them to retire. Some years later the village of Flamierge erected a statue where an unknown American soldier had stood fighting to save the village. Later, a search of Army records established that this indeed was Staff Sgt. Jachman, and his name was added to the statue. Today, the Staff Sgt. Isadore Jachman Armory is located at 12100 Greenspring Avenue, Owings Mills, Maryland.Commentary: A pair of Baltimore boys who became World War II heroes , Daily Record, The (Baltimore) , Find Articles at BNET
at findarticles.com His Medal of Honor was awarded to his family in June 1950.

Medal of Honor citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty at Flamierge, Belgium, on 4 January 1945, when his company was pinned down by enemy artillery, mortar, and small arms fire, 2 hostile tanks attacked the unit, inflicting heavy. casualties. S/Sergeant. Jachman, seeing the desperate plight of his comrades, left his place of cover and with total disregard for his own safety dashed across open ground through a hail of fire and seizing a bazooka from a fallen comrade advanced on the tanks, which concentrated their fire on him. Firing the weapon alone, he damaged one and forced both to retire. S/Sergeant. Jachman's heroic action, in which he suffered fatal wounds, disrupted the entire enemy attack, reflecting the highest credit upon himself and the parachute infantry.

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jachman, Isadore S. 1945 deaths 1922 births United States Army personnel killed in World War II Baltimore City College alumni Foreign-born Medal of Honor recipients German-born Medal of Honor recipients German emigrants to the United States Jewish Medal of Honor recipients Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Army non-commissioned officers World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor 20th-century German Jews Military personnel from Berlin People from Baltimore 20th-century American Jews

Background

Medal of Honor action

Medal of Honor citation

See also

Notes

External links