Charles DeGlopper's Last Stand on the Laison River Bridge

Dec 13 , 2025

Charles DeGlopper's Last Stand on the Laison River Bridge

Bullets tore the air around Charles DeGlopper like hailstorm shards. His unit was falling back, retreat turned chaotic under relentless German fire across the Wotan Line near the Laison River. He stood alone on that narrow bridge, a human shield for his brothers, firing until his last breath spilled onto the blood-soaked ground. No orders. No hesitation. Just sacrifice.

The Roots of a Warrior

Born in Malone, New York, in 1921, Charles N. DeGlopper carried the quiet dignity of a small-town boy forged by hard work and simple faith. Raised in a modest family, he found strength in the steady truths of Scripture and the unspoken code of duty. The soldier’s path, as he saw it, was paved not by glory but by service—a calling deeper than any fear.

He enlisted in February 1942, joining the 82nd Airborne Division, the "All American" division, becoming part of a breed bred for hell and hellfire. DeGlopper was no stranger to sacrifice. He trusted God’s plan and the bonds of brotherhood over all else.

The Battle That Defined Him

June 9, 1944. Just three days after D-Day, the 82nd Airborne moved to expand the beachhead, pushing deeper into Normandy. German forces tightened their grip, cutting off American units and forcing chaotic withdrawals.

On the banks of the Laison River near the village of La Fière, DeGlopper’s unit faced a crucial task: to hold a small bridge long enough for retreating troops to cross safely.

It was a sliver of steel and concrete, exposed and lethal under enemy machine guns and mortars. The Wehrmacht poured fire down on them. The squad fell back—but DeGlopper stayed, full tilt in the storm.

Witnesses recall him moving from position to position, firing his M1 Garand rifle, drawing enemy fire onto himself to give his men a fighting chance. “He was alone for a time, but never stopped firing,” his Medal of Honor citation states.

At one point, German soldiers closed in with grenades. He reportedly stood fast, throwing back grenades and delivering point-blank rifle fire. His actions delayed an enemy advance, saved dozens of lives, and allowed his squad to escape.

DeGlopper fell in that fight, the bridge stained with his blood. His final stand wasn’t about hesitation or fear—it was about the ultimate price to save others.

Honoring the Fallen

Posthumous Medal of Honor. A nation mourned, but the legend of Private First Class DeGlopper endured. His citation reads:

"On 9 June 1944, at La Fière, France, while covering the withdrawal of the American forces across the Laison River, Private First Class DeGlopper stood alone on a bridge under a withering fire... his courage and sacrifice inspired his comrades to regroup and continue their attack."

General Matthew Ridgway, Commander of the 82nd Airborne, later testified:

“His sacrifice exemplifies the very highest traditions of American infantrymen... To the 82nd and the nation, he lives as the ideal paratrooper—fearless, relentless, and selfless.”

Memorials in Malone and the American Battle Monuments Commission honor his name. The Charles N. DeGlopper Memorial Bridge spans the Laison River near the battlefield where he died. His story lives in paratrooper lore—an eternal call to courage.

Lessons From a Bloodied Bridge

DeGlopper’s stand was a brutal calculus of war: hold or die. He chose both. His story is a raw testament to the weight carried by those in combat—where second chances are rare, and brotherhood is blood-bound.

The battlefield strips a man down to essentials. His faith, his grit, his willingness to stand alone because the lives of those around him matter more.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." — John 15:13

Amid the deafening roar of WWII’s deadliest days, DeGlopper chose love. Not the soft kind that whispers in peace, but the hardened steel of sacrifice poured out under fire.

For veterans today, his legacy is a mirror: Courage isn’t the absence of fear but the refusal to let it dictate your actions. The fight is never just for you—it’s for every soul depending on the man beside you.

And for civilians, the blood-stained bridge Charles DeGlopper died on reminds us that freedom is never free. It is bought by men and women who refuse to look away when darkness collapses in.