As the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes Forest drew to a close, Beyer’s tank destroyer unit faced determined German resistance along a cold, snowy road. Beaten back after an initial success that cost America some 80,000 casualties, Hitler’s troops stubbornly defended the approach to their homeland.

Facing a dangerous position, Beyer described his acts of valor:

The “country was honeycombed with German foxholes and machine gun nests. I took a load of hand grenades and a carbine, got out of the tank and cleaned them out.”

He accomplished this by crawling across the frozen ground on his belly and attacking the surprised Germans from behind.

A history of Beyer’s division dryly records the activities for that day:

“The 6th Army gained momentum in its drive eastward, smashing OURBOURCY and ARLONCOURT and thrusting as far as the high ground southwest of LONGVILLY. The number of prisoners being taken increased, but deep snow and continuing cold weather made operations extremely difficult.”