One of the most famous soldiers of WWII was born on Sept. 23, 1920. Charles Kelly grew up in Pittsburgh, Pa. in abject poverty. He was one of nine kids who lived in a decrepit house that had no running water, electricity, or toilet. He and his siblings slept in the attic. He dropped out of school at a young age and joined a street gang. He was arrested several times for brawling, but he was never convicted. He would have ended up in prison if not for WWII. He enlisted in the Army in 1942. He was a discipline problem who was often in trouble. He refused to spit and polish, but he was an expert on the rifle range where he sighted with his left eye even though he was right-handed. However, war was made for men like him. He once told a reporter “I am fond of guns.” His 36th Infantry Division went ashore at Salerno in Italy on Sept. 9, 1943. He survived the torrent of fire as he crossed the beach. What happened in the next week made him a celebrity.
When the Germans recaptured the town of Altavilla, Corporal Kelly volunteered to crawl two miles under enemy fire to scout the German position. It was Sept. 13, 1943. He returned and then led a three-man patrol to take out a machine gun nest that was holding up the counterattack. He killed the German machine gunners with his BAR (Browning automatic rifle) and then used it to hold off 70 attacking Germans, killing around 40. When his unit arrived, they were tasked with holding an ammunition warehouse (in some versions of the story it was the mayor’s house). Positioning himself at a window where other GIs had been killed or wounded, Kelly continued his one man war. He used his BAR until it stopped working due to being overheated. He grabbed another and killed some more before it seized up as well. He then grabbed whatever he could find – a Thompson machine gun, a Springfield rifle, an M-1 rifle, grenades. At one point he pulled the pins on mortar shells, armed them by banging them on the windowsill, and threw them from the window. He took a break to swallow four raw eggs and some champagne. When his comrades were ordered to withdraw, he stayed as a one-man rear guard. He used a bazooka to slow down the Germans. He then left the building and hiding in the dark of an alley, he opened fire on a group of Germans coming out of the building to pursue. Out of ammo, he then safely rejoined his unit.
After his incredible exploits, he was sent back to the US for a war bonds tour. By now he was known as “Commando” Kelly, a nickname given him by Stars and Stripes newspaper. He was also called the “One Man Army.” He was awarded the Medal of Honor, becoming the first infantryman to receive the award for actions in Europe. He also got a two Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars for other acts of bravery.
Sadly, after the war he became an example of the problems veterans faced in readjusting to civilian life. Kelly was not the type to hold down a job. Although he started his postwar with a large amount of cash from a grateful nation, he squandered the money. His marriage ended in the tragic death of his wife from cancer. He remarried, but still could not hold a job. He eventually left her and his children. He became an alcoholic and spiraled downward. He died in 1984 in a veterans hospital, all alone. He had told the staff that he had no family when he had five brothers who lived near the hospital.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_E._Kelly_(soldier)
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/the-one-man-army-at-salerno/
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