US Army Air Forces 2LT Walter Truemper & SSG Archibald Mathies: Medal of Honor Recipients WWII

On February 20, 1944, after a brutal air battle over Nazi-occupied Europe, 2nd Lt. Walter Truemper and Staff Sgt. Archibald Mathies flew their heavily damaged B-17 back to base. The co-pilot was dead. The pilot was unconscious. Told to bail out, they refused, choosing to stay and try to land the plane to save their wounded comrade.

Their heroic decision cost them their lives, but their loyalty and sacrifice earned them both the Medal of Honor.

*I couldn't find a photo of SGT Joseph Rex for the video and no sources identified him in the crew photo at the beginning of the video.

Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more true stories of American military heroes.

Photos Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Video/Photo Courtesy https://www.dvidshub.net/ *The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Join this channel to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZMN1lzlPAu16EUXJlHOj2w/join

Copyright © 2025 Duty & Valor. All rights reserved.