Displayed an indomitable fighting spirit against the Nazis in Birgel

It is Dec. 14, 1944, and an Iowa farm boy is crouched near a building in Birgel, Germany. The 21-year-old Army sergeant swept his machinegun squad into position that afternoon to defend against a Nazi counterattack. At dusk the enemy tank appears, supported by 20 infantrymen.

Neppel holds his fire until the Germans are within 100 yards, then rakes the foot soldiers beside the tank, killing several of them. The enemy armor presses forward, and, at the pointblank range of 30 yards, blasts a high-velocity shell into the Americans, wounding the entire squad.

“There was a tremendous roar … A blinding flash,” he later recalls. “The next thing I know I was laying 10 yards behind my gun. My crew was sprawled all over the road.”

His life changes forever in that instant. One of Neppel’s legs is shredded and the other is severed below the knee. Yet he continues to advance, dragging himself back to position on his elbows, remounting his gun and killing the remaining enemy riflemen. Stripped of its infantry protection, the tank is forced to withdraw. Before retreating, the enraged tank commander approaches Neppel and shoots him in the head, which is protected by a helmet. When medics arrive, Neppel insists they help his mates. The doctors have to remove his remaining leg.

Citation
“He was leader of a machinegun squad defending an approach to the village of Birgel, Germany, on 14 December 1944, when an enemy tank, supported by 20 infantrymen, counterattacked. He held his fire until the Germans were within 100 yards and then raked the foot soldiers beside the tank, killing several of them. The enemy armor continued to press forward, and, at the pointblank range of 30 yards, fired a high-velocity shell into the American emplacement, wounding the entire squad. Sgt. Neppel, blown 10 yards from his gun, had 1 leg severed below the knee and suffered other wounds. Despite his injuries and the danger from the onrushing tank and infantry, he dragged himself back to his position on his elbows, remounted his gun and killed the remaining enemy riflemen. Stripped of its infantry protection, the tank was forced to withdraw. By his superb courage and indomitable fighting spirit, Sgt. Neppel inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy and broke a determined counterattack.” Date and place: Dec. 14, 1944, Birgel, Germany. Issued: Sept. 10, 1945. Neppel attended the ceremony with his family in the White House, where President Harry Truman told the honorees that the Medal of Honor would be a better possession than the U.S. presidency.

Biography
Ralph Neppel (1923-1987) returned to Iowa after an agonizing rehabilitation. He received a hero’s welcome and was active in bond drives, civic recognitions, parades and other honors. Most significantly, he was reunited with his fiancé, and they married and farmed in Carroll using equipment specially built for him. Neppel had grown up on a tenant farm nearby and his attempt at farming was successful initially—so much so that he received a letter from the president praising his achievements.

In 1949, he was “notified” by the war department that he should participate in a veterans program in California. This was a ploy to get him on the popular radio (and later television) show “This is Your Life.” Host Ralph Edwards told the story of Neppel’s heroism and subsequent achievements, and Neppel won an Allis-Chalmers tractor, a fishing vacation in Idaho, and other gifts.

Des Moines Register war correspondent Gordon Gammack heard about and met Neppel and they became friends. Gammack started the Ralph Neppel Fund, which helped establish him with a car and a house in Carroll.

Finding farm life difficult, Neppel decided to complete his education. He graduated from Buena Vista College in Storm Lake in 1952, and pursued graduate work at Drake University. He moved to Iowa City in 1964 and worked for 19 years as a Veterans Administration contact representative. He became a strong advocate for handicapped access and rights, and displayed a sense of humor about his own disability. He had several sets of artificial legs with varying lengths and used them to play practical jokes.

Almost everyone considered Neppel a hero. The exception was Neppel himself. “The heroes don’t live,” he said. Neppel died in 1987 after a battle with cancer, and a wing of the VA hospital in Iowa City was named in his honor in 1989.