Stories of America's Greatest Heroes
Ken Harbaugh tells the stories of service members who have distinguished themselves through an act of valor. These stories feature recipients from the Civil War to present day, including a few who were originally overlooked for the medal.
Running Over the Enemy: S/Sgt. Herbert H. Burr
| S:12 E:4Staff Sergeant Herbert H. Burr served in World War II as a tank gunner. His tank was approaching a town in Germany when they were hit by a bazooka, killing two crewmembers and seriously injuring the platoon sergeant. The surviving crew was forced to evacuate the vehicle, but Burr, delayed by his exit hatch that couldn’t open, feared being targeted upon leaving the vehicle. So, without any other crew, he commandeered the tank and drove it deeper into the town. He made a left turn where he was faced with an anti-tank gun that should have killed him, but Burr did something that was completely unexpected: he advanced. The enemy was thrown off by this decision, giving Burr just enough time to run over the gun with his tank, forcing the enemy to flee. Burr continued on, side swiping a German truck and knocking it over before heading back to his company. Upon his return, he exited the tank and braved sniper fire to reach medics and direct them towards his injured comrades.
Where to Listen
Find us in your favorite podcast app.
Welcome to the Medal of Honor podcast, brought to you in partnership with the National Medal of Honor Museum. I’m Ken Harbaugh. In each episode, we’ll learn about a different service member who has distinguished him or herself through an act of valor.
Herbert H. Burr was born on September 13th, 1920 in S.t Joseph, Missouri. Upon graduating high school he tried to join every branch of the military, but was rejected by all of them due to his bad teeth. Then, in 1942, just months after the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Burr was drafted into the Army at the age of 21.
Burr was trained as a tank gunner, first deploying to France. There he earned the Distinguished Service Cross with Company C of the 41st Tank Battalion, 11th Armored Division before making his way into Germany.
On March 19th, 1945, then Private First Class Burr was manning one of three tanks that were moving through an area near Dörrmoschel, Germany. On the outskirts of town, one of the other tanks was knocked out by German forces, leaving only two. Burr’s tank was ordered to explore the area while the other was to hold its position. As they advanced, Burr’s tank was suddenly hit by a bazooka, killing two men, severely wounding the platoon sergeant, and deafening Burr. The surviving crew was forced out of the vehicle, but Burr’s closest exit hatch was blocked by the barrel of the tank. Fearing the enemy would fire again if he left the safety of the tank, he climbed into the driver's seat. He later said “I couldn’t hear anything, but I could feel the vibrations and I knew the tank was running. I wasn’t about to jump out with that guy with the bazooka out there.” With no one else in the vehicle, Burr commandeered the tank and began driving it further into town. He then made a left turn, where he was met with an 88-mm German anti-tank gun. The gun was fully manned, and under normal circumstances, it should have fired and destroyed his tank in an instant- but Burr did something completely unexpected: He charged forward. This decision took the enemy completely by surprise, giving him just enough time to run over the gun, forcing the enemy to flee. He later said about this daring stunt “Well, it was too damn late to back up.”
Burr continued on, side swiping a German truck and knocking it over before heading back to his company. Upon his return, he exited the tank and braved sniper fire to reach medics and direct them towards his injured comrades.
On August 23rd, 1945, Staff Sergeant Herbert H. Burr was awarded the Medal of Honor for his determination & devotion, resulting in the completion of his mission in the face of seemingly impossible odds.
The Medal of Honor podcast is a production of Evergreen Podcasts.
Nathan Corson is our executive producer and mixing engineer, Declan Rohrs is our associate producer, scriptwriter, and recording engineer, and I’m Ken Harbaugh.
We are proud to support the National Medal of Honor Museum. To learn more, and to support their mission, go to mohmuseum.org. Thanks for listening.