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From across the valley German Tiger tanks started to shell the Shermans, three of which were soon ablaze. The remaining tank carried on into Mongiorgio. Able Company were already in the town, and having knocked out four MG42 positions were in the process of taking the dwellings surrounding the Church. Beyond the Church was an open area in front of more houses. As the Americans moved across this patch of open ground they began to receive heavy weapons fire from the front. True to form the Germans were launching a counter attack.
This was met and foiled, but not without losses. The MG section had begun the day with twelve men. It ended with only one! All through this attack on Mongiorgio the air had been filled with bursting artillery shells and Jack Goldberg, like his comrades had to contend with this, as well as the German Infantry. Dennis Erickson recounted to me that during this time Goldberg as wounded by shrapnel;
"Shrapnel had pierced one cheek and cut his tongue half off," Erickson said.
"He went by us on his way back to the medics, he was walking."
At the top of this page is a sketch of Jack Goldberg. He was one of the men who featured in "Life" magazine in October 1944, as one of "Truscotts men". Even in this sketch Goldberg looks as though he has seen more than lesser men could stand. His moment of fame was short lived. Despite walking to the rear Jack Goldberg succumbed to his wounds on the 20th April 1945. Less than three weeks from the end of the war in Europe.
General Order #111 Silver Star Citation:
During a fierce barrage of artillery fire and mortar fire, all wired communications between a heavy weapons company and other units were destroyed by exploding shells. At a time when exposure meant almost certain injury, Private Goldberg left cover to repair wire that had been broken. Returning to the command post, he found that the wires had again been broken. For a second time he risked his life to effect repairs, in order that the supporting heavy weapons and artillery fire could be brought to bear on the enemy to repulse an expected counterattack. In another battle when the advance of an Armoured Division was being held up by fiercely resisting enemy forces using rockets and demolition charges, again Jack Goldberg distinguished himself by crawling to an exposed position to direct mortar fire on the hostile defenders, as he gallantly accomplished his dangerous mission, he was mortally wounded by an enemy shell.
We acknowledge the grateful support of: Olan D. Parr Col. (ret), George F. Earle, Dennis Erickson, Bob Dakin and other veterans of the 10th Mountain Division.
As Erickson recalls, "They were an exceptional group of men".
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