As the dismounted infantry draw near to Lieutenant Murphy's position in
the Comar Pocket, Lieutenant Murphy is forced to mount an abandoned M10 tank
destroyer which is stuck in a ditch. He begins firing from a .50 caliber
machine gun at the dismounted infantry.
The enemy continues to advance on his position but Lieutenant Murphy begins
to cut them down. Lieutenant Murphy's tank sustains several direct hits from
enemy tanks or artillery and begins to burn. Despite the fact that the M10
is loaded with gasoline and ammunition, Lieutenant Murphy continues to fire
from on top of the burning tank destroyer.
Finallly, both enemy tanks and infantry give up and flee. As Lieutenant
Murphy crawls off the tank and moves to his men, the M10 tank destroyer
blows up. He then begins to organize a counter attack against the
retreating German forces. At this point, Lieutenant Murphy collapses from a gun shot wound to his hip which until now, he has not had
time to notice.
(Historical Note: although Lieutenant Murphy was severely wounded in the
hip during World War II, the wound actually occurred prior to the Colmar
Pocket incident. During the actual battle, Lieutenant Murphy continued to
lead his men through the counter attack.)
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