Audie Murphy – Most Decorated Combat Soldier of World War II
Like many residents of rural Texas (Murphy was born in Celeste Texas in 1924) growing up in the 1930’s, Audie Murphy was not a rich man. His parents were poor sharecroppers working the land to eke out a living. But when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese on the 7th of December, 1941, Audie Murphy knew that it was his duty to sign up for the Armed Forces and fight for the United States of America and the Allied Forces.
However at age 17 Audie Murphy was ineligible, so he was forced to wait until 1942 when he turned 18. After being rejected by the Marines and the paratroopers for being too small, he was finally accepted into the United States Army. But it was in the United States Army that Audie Murphy would show his bravery and win 33 medals including the Medal of Honor: the most decorated combat soldier of World War II.
Service in World War II
Audie Murphy served three years of combat duty during World War II, from his entrance in June of 1942 until the end of the war in September of 1945 after the Allies had achieved victory in both Europe and Japan.
During that time Murphy fought in 9 major campaigns across the European theater. He began his military career as private, but quickly passed through the ranks and was finally given a battlefield commission as a 2nd Lieutenant due to his bravery while fighting in Italy.
Second Lieutenant Murphy commanded Company B in the 15th Infantry of the 3rd Infantry Division in 1944. While sitting near Holtzwihr in France, the company found themselves under attack by 6 tanks and massive waves of infantry. Lieutenant Murphy ordered his men to retreat into the woods while he remained at his post directing artillery fire against the enemy which was advancing from three sides, and eventually took control of a .50 caliber machine gun to mow down the enemy. Almost singlehandedly Murphy halted the German advance, then rejoined his company and moved back in for a counter attack forcing the Germans to retreat. This was perhaps his most famous action during the war, and for it he earned the Medal of Honor.
This was far from the only moment of bravery in the military career of Audie Murphy. All in all Murphy was credited with killing 250 German soldiers, destroying 6 German Panzers and wounding and capturing untold others. By the time of the end of the war, Audie Murphy had become a living legend in the United States.
Audie Murphy’s Hollywood Career
After the war Murphy came home to a much deserved hero’s welcome in his home state of Texas. James Cagney invited him out to Hollywood, seeing potential in him as an actor. However it took many years for Murphy to train to become a proper actor, and his first movie was not released until 1949. His autobiography, “To Hell and Back,” was also released in 1949 and became an immediate bestseller.
His first starring role did not come until 1950 and his third film: “Bad Boy.” He signed a contract with Universal-International, better known now as just Universal. He made a total of 26 movies for Universal over a period of 15 years, most of them westerns.
Audie Murphy’s most successful film with Universal was not a western, however, but the movie version of his own autobiography, “To Hell and Back.” The movie, released in 1955, was Universal’s highest grossing film of all time until 1975 when it was finally defeated by Stephen Spielberg’s blockbuster “Jaws.” He also starred in such major films as “Gunsmoke,” “The Red Badge of Courage” and “No Name on the Bullet.”
Murphy’s last movie was released in 1969: “A Time for Dying,” where he played the outlaw Jesse James. Unfortunately the movie came out only 2 years before Murphy’s untimely death in 1971. While on a business trip his private plane crashed, killing him. He was buried on June 7th, 1971 in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
