Jan 17 , 2026
WWII Medal of Honor Recipient Clarence S. Olszewski at Aschaffenburg
Clarence S. Olszewski stood at the crumbling edge of a foxhole, the air thick with smoke and gunpowder. Bullets whipped past him, splintering earth and tearing flesh from metal. The ground shook as grenades tore through the enemy’s line. But his green eyes stayed sharp.
He charged forward.
The Battle That Defined Him
April 7, 1945. Southern Germany’s bitter cold cut through worn boots and ragged uniforms. Clarence, a Staff Sergeant in the 1st Infantry Division, pinned his way through the roar of machine guns atop a hostile ridge near the town of Aschaffenburg.
Enemy fire pinned down his unit, threatening to stall the advance in the heart of the German Reich itself. The ridge was strategic, and surrendering it meant disaster.
Clarence didn’t hesitate.
He rallied his comrades, barking orders while lead tore past his helmet. Alone, he led an assault across open ground. Grenades in hand, he dismantled enemy positions one by one.
The ridge was held.
The Soldier’s Backbone: Faith and Upbringing
Born 1915 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Clarence’s upbringing in a close-knit Polish-American Catholic family shaped him. Faith grounded him. Baptized in hardship, raised on stories of grit and grace, he carried scripture in his heart as much as his rifle.
Before the war, he worked factory floors, summoned duty over comfort, enlisted as the world darkened.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9
This verse was his promise in the hellstorm. Not bravado, but steadfast trust.
Against the Fury: The Assault
Olszewski’s Medal of Honor citation reads like a dispatch from the abyss. At Aschaffenburg, the 1st Infantry Division's offensive turned into brutal street-to-street fighting. He recognized the ridge as the linchpin.
The enemy poured fire machine gun nests, riflemen, and mortars—all calibrated to stop them cold.
Clarence crawled forward, wounded but relentless, rallying his squad under withering fire. Twice, he charged with grenades into enemy foxholes, silencing gunners who had pinned down entire companies.
He saw his platoon falter. He pushed harder, sacrificing personal safety to galvanize others. His voice rose above the chaos:
“We hold here, no matter what.”
His leadership ignited a fighting spirit. The ridge was seized after hours that burned into memory.
Honors Earned on Blood and Steel
For his actions on that ridge, Staff Sergeant Clarence S. Olszewski received the Medal of Honor—the nation’s highest military decoration—for “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty.”[1]
The citation highlights his repeated exposure to enemy fire, his single-handed neutralization of stronghold nests, and the vital momentum his courage provided the unit’s overall success.
General Anthony McAuliffe, famed for the Battle of the Bulge, reportedly called Clarence’s action "a textbook example of fearless leadership under fire.”
Comrades remembered not just the valor but the man: quiet, humble, a fiercely loyal brother in arms.
Legacy Carved in Iron and Prayer
Olszewski’s story is not one of glory but sacrifice. He returned to Milwaukee after the war, living quietly, carrying scars—seen and unseen.
He never spoke of medals but did talk of purpose: to bear witness to those who never returned, to give their sacrifice meaning.
Today, his courage echoes in every soldier who faces impossible odds, every citizen who holds freedom dear.
In blood and fear, he found redemption. In lead and loss, he found duty’s purest call.
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” — John 15:13
Clarence S. Olszewski teaches us that courage is not born from the absence of fear but from a resolve deeper than oneself—a resolve to fight, endure, and hope when all else fails.
He took the worst hell war could offer—and stood unbroken.
Sources
[1] U.S. Army Center of Military History, “Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II” [2] Stephen Ambrose, Citizen Soldiers, Simon & Schuster, 1997 [3] General Anthony McAuliffe, Battle of the Bulge Reports and Correspondence, National Archives
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