This Day in History: Max Thompson's Medal of Honor

On this day in 1922, a future Medal of Honor recipient is born. Surely no one expected Max Thompson to become a war hero? Instead, his hometown simply knew a “quiet, unassuming chap who liked mathematics,” according to one local newspaper.

Even after the war, Thompson declined many of the prestigious events he could have attended as a Medal of Honor recipient, opting to spend time with his family instead. 

“He was very humble and rarely ever talked about his days of war combat,” his grandson Austin told a reporter for The Mountaineer, in western North Carolina. “I guess trying his best to forget.”

Thompson’s heroism came on October 18, 1944, near Haaren, Germany. His company had been occupying a position on a hill when the Germans launched an artillery attack. That first attack was soon followed by another: This second round consisted of enemy infantry supported by tanks.

Unfortunately, the enemy soon broke through one of our platoon’s positions. Thompson had been helping move wounded men to cover, but now he turned his attention to the enemy pouring through the broken lines.

“[Sgt. Thompson] immediately attempted to stem the enemy’s advance singlehandedly,” his Medal citation describes. It must have been a sight to behold?!?  Yet Thompson later didn’t remember all of it.

“He used every weapon on the hill,” T.Sgt. Weldon D. Clinton marveled. 

His first choice of weapon was a machine gun, which was apparently quite effective. “In front of your machine gun,” Lt. Col. Sam Carter later wrote, “there were so many dead Germans, members of your squad said they could walk to the German tank without putting their feet on the ground.”

Unfortunately, Thompson’s machine gun was taken out by enemy tank fire.

“[Thompson] was badly shaken and dazed,” his company commander, Capt. William E. Russell, told the Asheville Citizen-Times, “but for some reason escaped being wounded. He regained his bearings and staggered to where an abandoned Browning automatic rifle was lying on the ground. He stood alone against the enemy force pouring through the gap.”

When that rifle jammed, Thompson turned to a rocket launcher, taking out a light tank. He continued to pick up weapons from the dead and the wounded, turning those weapons on the Germans, too, even “charg[ing] the German riflemen and dispers[ing] them with hand grenades,” according to Russell.

His grandson believes that Thompson was in “fight or flight” mode, acting on pure adrenaline.

By nightfall, the enemy had been largely driven away, but they were still hanging on to three pillboxes.  Thompson was to lead a squad, tasked with driving the enemy from these positions.

“The enemy was ready for our counterattack . . . the squad was unable to advance,” St. Sgt.  Herbert C. Spivey later recounted. “Going forward, alone, Sgt. Thompson crawled 20 yards so that he could get close enough to fire a rifle grenade through the apertures.”

Naturally, the daring move instantly made Thompson the object of enemy fire. He was wounded by then, but he simply refused to stop what he was doing. Finally, the enemy was forced to abandon their position.

Because of Thompson, Americans maintained their position on that hill.

“[Y]ou really saved the day and prevented a breakthrough of the 1st Division line,” Carter later wrote. He would ultimately recommend Thompson for a Medal. “So many times the tide of our battles were determined by the actions of one soldier,” he concluded. “In this case you were the one soldier.”

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Primary Sources:

• Julianne Kuykendall, The story behind Thompson’s Medal of Honor (Mountaineer; Nov. 11, 2015)

• Julian M. Pleasants, Home Front: North Carolina during World War II (2017)

• Max Thompson, Medal of Honor Winner, Prefers to Forget His Days of Combat (Danville Register & Bee; Feb. 7, 1960) (p. 8-C)

• Medal of Honor Award Made to Haywood Soldier (Asheville Citizen-Times; May 2, 1945) (p. 1)

• Medal of Honor citation (Max Thompson; WWII)