John M Rutledge

Pfc John Rutledge was killed in action on 09 June 1944, serving with Company M, 3rd Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment. On this day, the 3rd Battalion reached its objective at St Anne in the early morning hours, only to face a determined German counter-attack before dawn, with enemy tanks and infantry pressing in from the north and rear. Massed artillery and naval gunfire from a supporting battleship helped break the assault by mid-morning, though the battalion absorbed fairly heavy losses, felt hardest in one of its rifle companies. Later that day the battalion resumed the advance as part of the wider division attack, pushing forward on the regiment's left flank and reaching its next objective at Agy by evening. Because company-level records for this date are not available, these details reflect the battalion's broader reported movements and actions rather than a specific account of any one company within it. Pfc Rutledge was killed in action that day; the report does not specify the individual circumstances.