A member of the only Black infantry division in the U.S. Army to see combat during World War II, 29-year-old Fox had never before been on the front lines.



On December 23, 1944, First Lieutenant John Robert Fox volunteered to set up an observational post in the small Italian town of Sommocolonia, which was being overrun with Nazi soldiers.

A member of the only Black infantry division in the U.S. Army to see combat during World War II, 29-year-old Fox had never before been on the front lines. But for three days, he stayed at his post and directed artillery fire toward German positions to help countless Americans retreat.

Then, on the day after Christmas, the Germans launched an all-out assault, and Fox quickly became vastly outnumbered while running out of ammunition. Surrounded and facing certain death, Fox called in one last artillery strike — on his own position.

He knew that he'd die, but that he'd also take dozens of Nazis with him and allow the rest of his comrades to escape. 

According to the soldier who received his order, his last words were, "Fire it! There's more of them than there are of us. Give them hell!" When his body was discovered a week later, he was surrounded by the corpses of approximately 100 German soldiers.

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