Biography

 

Enlistment and initial training

 

Murphy had wanted to be a soldier all his youth and dreamed about combat. The death of his mother in May 1941 added even more impetus to his desire to achieve that goal. When he heard the news of Japan's December 7 attack on Pearl Harbor he tried to enlist in the Marines, the Navy and the Army, but was turned down for being underweight and underage. He added weight with a change in diet, and gave the Army a sworn affidavit from his sister Corrine that falsified his birth date by a year. Murphy enlisted on June 30, 1942 in Dallas. During his physical examination his height was registered as 5 feet 5.5 inches (1.66 m) and his weight as 112 pounds (50.8 kg).

 

Assigned to the infantry, during basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas, Murphy earned the Marksman Badge with Rifle Clasp and the Expert Badge with Bayonet Clasp. While participating in a close-order drill during that hot Texas summer, he passed out. His company commander thought his build was too slight for service in the infantry, and tried to have him transferred to a cook and bakers' school, but Murphy insisted on becoming a combat soldier. He completed the 13-week basic training course, and in October he was given leave to visit his family. At the end of his leave, he was sent to Fort Meade, Maryland, for advanced infantry training that lasted until January 1943.

 

Mediterranean Theater

 

North Africa

 

January 1943, Murphy was processed through Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, and he arrived at Casablanca, in French Morocco on February 20. On arrival, he was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.

 

As part of Operation Torch on November 8, 1942, the United States seized Port Lyautey in French Morocco. The 3rd Infantry Division was sent there on March 7, 1943, coming under the command of Major General Lucian Truscott, who took them through rigorous training at Arzew in Algeria, for an amphibious landing at Sicily. Private Murphy participated with his division in 30 mile (48 km) 8-hour marches, known as the "Truscott Trot". For the first hour, the men marched at a pace of 5 mph (8.0 km/h), and slowed to 4 mph (6.4 km/h) for the second hour, taking the final 21 miles (34 km) at a pace of 3.5 mph (5.6 km/h). They also performed bayonet and land mine drills, obstacle course training and other exercises. In Algeria, Murphy was promoted to private first class on May 7. After the May 13 surrender of the Axis forces in French Tunisia, the division was put in charge of the prisoners. They returned to Algeria on May 15 for "Operation Copycat", training exercises in preparation for the assault landing in Sicily.

 

Sicily

 

Truscott's 3rd Infantry Division, as part of the Seventh United States Army under the command of Lieutenant General George S. Patton, sailed from Tunisia on July 7, 1943, for the Allied invasion of Sicily, landing at Licata on July 10. Murphy was promoted to the rank of corporal on July 15. Company B later took part in fighting around Canicattì, during which Murphy killed two fleeing Italian officers.

 

They arrived in Palermo on July 20, and Murphy was sidelined by illness for a week. Allied capture of the transit port of Messina was crucial to taking Sicily from the Axis. En route there, Company B was assigned to a hillside location protecting a machine-gun emplacement, while the rest of the 3rd Infantry Division fought at San Fratello. Benito Mussolini was removed from power and arrested on July 25 by King Victor Emanuel III and exiled to the Gran Sasso d'Italia region. The Axis began their evacuation of Messina on July 27, completed when the 3rd Infantry Division's 7th Infantry Regiment secured the port on August 17. During the fighting in Sicily, Murphy became realistic about military duty: "I have seen war as it actually is, and I do not like it. But I will go on fighting."

 

Mainland invasion

 

With Mussolini removed from power and Sicily secured from Axis forces, Supreme Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower made the decision to invade Italy in early September 1943. The German Gran Sasso raid on September 12 rescued Mussolini and returned him to power. As part of the Salerno landings, the 3rd Infantry Division came ashore at Battipaglia. One of the early skirmishes recounted by author Don Graham involved Murphy, his best friend Lattie Tipton (referred to as "Brandon" in Murphy's book To Hell and Back) and an unnamed soldier in their unit as they traveled along the Volturno River. The trio were near a bridge when the third soldier was killed by German machine-gun fire. Tipton tossed hand grenades in the direction of the fire and Murphy responded with a Thompson submachine gun, killing five German soldiers.

 

Allied forces entered Naples on October 1. The 3rd Division became part of the Allied assault on the Volturno Line. Near Mignano Monte Lungo Hill 193, Company B repelled an attack by seven German soldiers, taking four prisoners. Platoon soldier Swope wounded the other three who took days to die under the watch of the platoon.

 

The wounded must be got under cover. The peculiar ethics of war condone our riddling the bodies with lead. But then they were soldiers. Swope's gun transformed them into human beings again; and the rules say that we cannot leave them unprotected against a barrage of their own artillery.

 

—Audie Murphy, To Hell and Back

 

Murphy was promoted to sergeant on December 13. By this time, the 3rd Infantry Division had suffered heavy casualties: 683 deaths with 170 missing, and 2,412 wounded.

 

Anzio

 

The 3rd Infantry Division was notified in December 1943 of the January 1944 storming of Anzio beachhead, the beginning of the liberation of Rome. The division began training near Naples and practiced an amphibious landing at Salerno. Murphy was promoted to staff sergeant in January. He was hospitalized in Naples with malaria on January 21, and was unable to participate in the initial landing commanded by Major General John P. Lucas. One of the eighty-four 3rd Infantry Division casualties suffered during the landing was Private Joe Sieja, given the alias "Little Mike Novak" in To Hell and Back. Sieja was a Polish-born American soldier in Murphy's unit he had grown to admire and one of the two people to whom Murphy dedicated his book.

 

Lucas delayed sending the troops inland from the beachhead, allowing the Axis to reinforce their strength. Murphy returned to his unit from his hospital stay and took part in the unsuccessful First Battle of Cisterna, which was fought between January 30 and February 1. It was the most fierce and sustained fighting Murphy had experienced to date.

 

If the suffering of men could do the job, the German lines would be split wide open. Replacements cannot begin to keep pace with the slaughter. Some of the companies have been reduced to twenty men. Not a yard of ground has been gained by the murderous three days of assault. A doomlike quality hangs over the beachhead.

 

—Audie Murphy, To Hell and Back

 

When Lieutenant Colonel Michael Paulick took command of Company B, the battle had cost the lives of all but 30 of the men. Murphy was the only non-commissioned officer (NCO) remaining, and as such became Company B platoon sergeant. Lucas was replaced in February by Truscott. The men were forced back to Anzio and remained there for months.

 

 

Taking shelter in an abandoned farmhouse on March 2, the platoon killed the crew of a passing German tank. Murphy then crawled out alone close enough to destroy the tank with rifle grenades. For this action, he received the Bronze Star with "V" Device. Murphy continued to make scouting patrols to take German prisoners. He was hospitalized for a week on March 13 with a second bout of malaria. In April, the 3rd Infantry Division was sent for more training. Sixty-one infantry officers and enlisted men of Company B, 15th Infantry, including Murphy, were awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge on May 8. Murphy was also awarded a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his Bronze Star. The Second Battle of Cisterna began on May 23, resulting in an Allied victory on May 25. The 3rd Infantry Division marched towards Valmontone. American forces liberated Rome on June 4. Murphy remained bivouacked in Rome with his platoon through July.

 

European Theater

 

Southern and southeastern France

 

The U.S. Seventh Army under the command of Lieutenant General Alexander Patch was the initial amphibious landing force for the August 15, 1944, Allied invasion of southern France, known as Operation Dragoon. The 3rd Infantry Division was now under the command of Major General John W. O'Daniel. At 0800 military time, they came ashore on Yellow Beach near Ramatuelle with the first wave of the assault. They began to move inland through a vineyard. As the 3rd Platoon progressed toward an incline, one of their own light machine-gun squads got detached. German soldiers began firing at them, initially killing one and wounding another. Murphy ran out alone to locate the lost squad and led them back to the unit. He then used the retrieved machine gun to return fire at the German soldiers, killing two and wounding one. When he relinquished the machine gun back to his own men and took up a new position, he was joined by his best friend Lattie Tipton. At that moment, two Germans exited a house about 100 yards (91 m) away, and feigned surrender by waving a white flag. Tipton believed it to be a real surrender gesture, and made himself visible, beckoning to the German soldiers to come towards him. He was immediately killed by machine-gun fire coming from within the house.

 

I remember the experience as I do a nightmare. A demon seems to have entered my body. My brain is coldly alert and logical. I do not think of the danger to myself. My whole being is concentrated on killing.

 

—Audie Murphy, To Hell and Back

 

Murphy advanced alone on the house, impervious to the German fire being directed at him. He wounded two, killed six, and took the others as prisoners. His actions that day took approximately one hour, during which he had killed eight German soldiers, wounded three and taken eleven prisoners. Murphy received the Distinguished Service Cross.

 

During August 27–28, at Montélimar, Murphy and the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, along with the 36th Infantry Division, engaged in an offensive battle to secure the area from the Germans. The 3rd and 36th divisions took 500 prisoners in the city on August 29. The actions of the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment during the offense earned them the Presidential Unit Citation. Murphy, for his part in the event, was included as one of the soldiers who received the citation.

 

Northeastern France

 

The 3rd Infantry Division was part of an offensive plan to break through German resistance in northeastern France, as far as Saint-Dié-des-Vosges. In the area of Genevreuille on September 15, 1944, Murphy narrowly escaped death from a mortar shell hit that killed two others and wounded three. His resulting heel wound from the blast was not serious but earned him his first Purple Heart. By this point, all but Murphy and two others of Company B's original group had either been killed or taken off the lines with wounds. General "Iron Mike" O'Daniel moved the 15th Infantry, 3rd Division to the Moselle and the Cleurie river valley in late September. Stone quarries dotted the hills and provided good defensive positions for the Germans. The 15th was met with fierce resistance north of St. Ame at the heavily fortified multi-tunneled L'Omet quarry. On October 2 at L'Omet, Murphy crawled alone to the location of a machine gun manned by a unit of German officers. Within 15 yards (14 m) of the machine gun nest, he rose to his feet. "The Germans spot me instantly", he recalled. "The gunner spins the tip of his weapon toward me. But the barrel catches in a limb, and the burst whizzes to my right". Murphy lobbed two hand grenades at the men, killing four and wounding three. He was awarded the Silver Star for this action. The 15th achieved success in its continued attack when Germans began evacuating the quarry on October 5. On that date, Murphy crawled alone carrying a SCR436 radio for 50 yards (46 m) towards the Germans while they continually fired directly at him. Around 200 yards (180 m) from the German location, he relayed firing orders by radio to the artillery, and remained at his position alone for an hour directing his men. When Murphy's men finally took the hill, 15 German combatants were killed and 35 wounded. Murphy's actions earned him a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his Silver Star.

 

Murphy was awarded a battlefield commission to second lieutenant on October 14, which elevated him to platoon leader. Operation Dogface was the 3rd Infantry Division's support role for the VI Corps in securing Bruyères and Brouvelieures, with the goal of getting the Sixth United States Army Group through the Belfort Gap by November. While en route to Brouvelieures on October 26, the 3rd Platoon of Company B was attacked by a German sniper group. Murphy captured two before being shot in the hip by a sniper whom he in return shot between the eyes.

 

Because of the rain and the mud, we cannot be evacuated for three days. We lie on cots, six to a pyramidal tent, while the fever spreads through our flesh. Delirious men moan and curse.

 

—Audie Murphy, To Hell and Back

 

He was taken to 3rd General Hospital at Aix-en-Provence. The removal of gangrene from the wound caused partial loss of his hip muscle, and kept him out of combat until January. The injury earned Murphy the first Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his Purple Heart.

 

Colmar Pocket

 

The Colmar Pocket was 850 square miles (2,200 km2) in the Vosges Mountains and had been held by German troops since November 1944. Murphy was still in the hospital on December 15 when General "Iron Mike" O'Daniel moved the 3rd Infantry Division into the area. Murphy described it as "..a huge and dangerous bridgehead thrusting west of the Rhine like an iron fist. Fed with men and materiel from across the river, it is a constant threat to our right flank; and potentially it is a perfect springboard from which the enemy could start a powerful counterattack." He rejoined his platoon on January 14, 1945, the date Lieutenant General Jacob Devers ordered the 3rd Division reinforced by the 28th Infantry Division. The 3rd Division was responsible for securing bridgeheads at the Colmar Canal, and Devers added support with a Third Army bridge company. After crossing the Ill river through the Riedwihr Woods on January 24, the 3rd Division was ordered to the town of Holtzwihr, where they were met with a strong German counterattack. Two officers in the division were killed by mortar shells in a January 25 attack. Murphy was wounded in both legs, earning him a Second Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his Purple Heart.

 

From its peak of 235 men, disease, injuries and casualties had reduced Company B's fighting strength to 18 men. Murphy being the only officer remaining on January 26 was made the company commander. The company awaited reinforcements as Murphy watched the approaching Germans, "I see the Germans lining up for an attack. Six tanks rumble to the outskirts of Holtzwihr, split into groups of threes, and fan out toward either side of the clearing. Then wave after wave of white dots, barely discernible against the background of snow, start across the field. They are enemy infantrymen ..." Other eyewitness accounts also attest to the counterattack consisting of artillery fire, six Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf.E tanks pulling 88 mm anti-tank artillery guns and hundreds of foot soldiers. The Germans made a direct hit into a M10 tank destroyer, setting it on fire and causing its crew to abandon it. Murphy ordered his men to retreat to positions in the woods. He remained at his post alone shooting his M1 carbine and relaying orders with his telephone, all the while the Germans aimed fire directly at his position. Murphy mounted the abandoned, burning tank destroyer and began firing its .50 caliber machine gun at the advancing Germans, killing a squad crawling through a ditch towards him.

 

It was like standing on top of a time bomb ... he was standing on the TD chassis, exposed to enemy fire from his ankles to his head and silhouetted against the trees and the snow behind him.

 

—Eyewitness account of Pvt. Anthony V. Abramski

 

For an hour, Murphy stood on the tank returning German fire from foot soldiers and advancing tanks, during which he sustained a leg wound. He stopped only after he ran out of ammunition.

 

As if under the influence of some drug, I slide off the tank destroyer and, without once looking back, walk down the road through the forest. If the Germans want to shoot me, let them. I am too weak from fear and exhaustion to care.

 

—Audie Murphy, To Hell and Back

 

He rejoined his men with complete disregard for his own wound, leading them back to successfully repel the Germans. Only afterwards would he allow treatment of his leg wound, and still insisted on remaining with his men

 

.... during his indomitable one-man struggle, Lieutenant Murphy broke the entire attack of the Germans and held hard-won ground that it would have been disastrous to lose.

 

—Eyewitness account of Sergeant Elmer C. Brawley

 

Murphy killed or wounded 50 Germans while standing on the burning tank. For his actions that day he was awarded the Medal of Honor. O'Daniel positioned the 7th and 15th regiments to take Neuf Brisach on January 29. Devers reinforced the depleted and exhausted 3rd Infantry Division, already supported by the 28th Infantry Division, with the 75th Infantry Division and the French 5th Armored Division, for the final assault on Neuf-Brisach. The 3rd Division crossed over the Colmar Canal on January 30 for the February 6 capture of Neuf-Brisach, completing its participation in the liberation of the Colmar Pocket, which was completely under Allied control by February 9. The 3rd Infantry Division was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions at the Colmar Pocket, giving Murphy a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for the emblem.

 

Murphy was promoted to first lieutenant on February 16. Murphy was awarded the Legion of Merit for his service January 22, 1944 – February 18, 1945. He was removed from the front lines to Regimental Headquarters and made a liaison officer, and was on authorized leave in France when he was informed of the surrender of Germany on May 7. The United States additionally honored Murphy's war contributions with the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with arrowhead device and campaign stars, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp. France recognized Murphy's service with the French Legion of Honor – Grade of Chevalier, the French Croix de guerre with Silver Star, the French Croix de guerre with Palm, the French Liberation Medal and the French Fourragère in Colors of the Croix de guerre which was authorized for all members of the 3rd Infantry Division who fought in France during World War II. Belgium awarded Murphy the Belgian Croix de guerre with 1940 Palm.

 

Post-war military service

 

Murphy was one of several other military personnel who received orders on June 8, 1945, to report to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, for temporary duty and reassignment. Upon arrival on June 13, he was one of four who were assigned to Fort Sam Houston Army Ground & Services Redistribution Station. All four were sent home for 30 days of recuperation, with permission to travel anywhere within the United States during that period. They were to report back for duty at the post on July 17. While on leave, he was feted with parades, banquets, and speeches.

 

He received a belated Good Conduct Medal on August 21. Murphy was discharged from active duty with the U.S. Army with the rank of first lieutenant, at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio on August 17. He was given 50% disability classification on September 21.

 

After the June 25, 1950, commencement of the Korean War Murphy wanted to fight in the conflict and enlisted in July in the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas National Guard with the rank of captain. During his service he granted the Guard permission to use his name and image in recruiting materials. Although he actively participated in training activities in between continuing with his film career, Murphy was never sent to Korea. He requested to transfer to inactive status on October 1, 1951, due to his film commitments with MGM Studios. Murphy was promoted to the rank of major by the Texas National Guard. He received his service separation from the Texas National Guard effective 1966, and transferred to Standby Reserve. Murphy retired from the U.S. Army Reserve in 1969.

 

Post-war trauma

 

Murphy was plagued by insomnia and bouts of depression, related to his military service and slept with a loaded pistol under his pillow. A post-service medical examination on June 17, 1947, revealed symptoms of headaches, vomiting, and nightmares about war. His medical records indicated that he took sleeping pills to help prevent nightmares. During the mid-1960s, he recognized his dependence on Placidyl, and locked himself alone in a hotel room for a week to successfully break the addiction. Post-traumatic stress levels exacerbated his innate moodiness,[6] and surfaced in episodes that friends and professional colleagues found alarming. His first wife, Wanda Hendrix, stated that he once held her at gunpoint. She witnessed her husband being moved to tears by newsreel footage of German war orphans, guilt-ridden that his war actions might have been the cause of their having no parents. Murphy briefly found a creative stress outlet in writing poetry after his Army discharge. His poem "The Crosses Grow on Anzio" appeared in his book To Hell and Back, but was attributed to the fictitiously named Kerrigan.

 

In an effort to draw attention to the problems of returning Korean War and Vietnam War veterans, Murphy spoke out candidly about his own problems with post-traumatic stress disorder. It was known during Murphy's lifetime as "battle fatigue" and "shell shock", terminology that dated back to World War I. He called on the government to give increased consideration and study to the emotional impact of combat experiences, and to extend health care benefits to war veterans. As a result of legislation introduced by U.S. Congressman Olin Teague five months after Murphy's 1971 death, the Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital in San Antonio was dedicated in 1973 and is now a part of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System.

 

After the war, they took Army dogs and rehabilitated them for civilian life. But they turned soldiers into civilians immediately, and let 'em sink or swim.

 

—Audie Murphy, Associated Press Bob Thomas column, 1960

 

Civilian life

 

Murphy's film career path started in 1945 after actor and producer James Cagney saw the July 16 issue of Life magazine depicting him as the "most decorated soldier". The veteran actor invited Murphy to live at a guest house on his Beverly Hills estate while training as a contract player with the production company Cagney and his brother William operated. He remained under the tutelage of the Cagneys until 1947 when he had a falling out with William. At that point, Murphy moved into Terry Hunt's Athletic Club in Hollywood where he became a boxing partner of director Budd Boetticher. The club allowed veterans to sleep inside on cots, and it was Murphy's home until 1948.

 

While he was living at the club, he met writer David "Spec" McClure, who had arranged to meet him and eventually collaborated as a writer on Murphy's 1949 autobiographical book To Hell and Back. McClure began to act as his unpaid agent, and got the war hero a $500 bit part in Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven.[136] By the time Murphy got a contract for the book, he had his own apartment in Hollywood, which served as the workplace for the manuscript. As Murphy related his experiences, McClure took notes and wrote most of the prose. They worked with reference materials to trigger Murphy's memories. When shown a map of a given area, he would recall the battles in detail. Murphy did write a small portion himself, including some of the material on the Colmar Pocket. He directed that the book be written from the perspective of the men who fought the battles. To Hell and Back has had multiple printings and been translated into Dutch, Italian, French, and Slovene.

 

He married actress Wanda Hendrix on January 8, 1949, and their divorce became final on April 19, 1951. Four days later he married former airline stewardess Pamela Archer on April 23, 1951. Son Terrance Michael "Terry" Murphy was born in 1952. Son James Shannon "Skipper" Murphy was born in 1954.

 

Murphy in 1961

 

Murphy bred quarter horses at the Audie Murphy Ranch in Perris, California, and the Murphy Ranch in Pima County, Arizona.[c] His horses raced at the Del Mar Racetrack and he invested large sums of money in the hobby. Murphy had a gambling habit that left his finances in a poor state. In 1968, he stated that he lost $260,000 in an Algerian oil deal and was dealing with the Internal Revenue Service over unpaid taxes. In spite of his financial difficulties, Murphy refused to appear in commercials for alcohol and cigarettes, mindful of the influence he would have on the youth market.

 

 

Film career

 

Murphy's film career path started in 1945 after actor and producer James Cagney saw the July 16 issue of Life magazine depicting him as the "most decorated soldier". The veteran actor invited Murphy to live at a guest house on his Beverly Hills estate while training as a contract player with the production company Cagney and his brother William operated.

 

During the 1950s and '60s, Murphy was cast primarily in Westerns. He helped publicize his 1949 World War II memoir To Hell and Back with a radio appearance on This Is Your Life. In 1955, he played himself in the film To Hell and Back, which became the biggest hit in the history of Universal Studios at the time. He performed in a handful of television productions and was the star of the Whispering Smith series.

 

Death and commemorations

 

On May 28, 1971 Murphy was killed when the private plane in which he was a passenger crashed into Brush Mountain, near Catawba, Virginia, 20 miles (32 km) west of Roanoke in conditions of rain, clouds, fog and zero visibility. The pilot and four other passengers were also killed. The aircraft was a twin-engine Aero Commander 680 flown by a pilot who had a private-pilot license and a reported 8,000 hours of flying time, but who held no instrument rating. The aircraft was recovered on May 31.[158] After her husband died, Pamela Murphy moved into a small apartment and got a clerk position at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Los Angeles, where she remained employed for 35 year. In 1975, a court awarded Murphy's widow and two children $2.5 million in damages due to the accident.

 

On June 7, 1971, Murphy was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. In attendance were George H.W. Bush, William Westmoreland and many of the 3rd Infantry Division. Murphy's grave site is in Section 46, headstone number 46-366-11, located across Memorial Drive from the Amphitheater. A special flagstone walkway was later constructed to accommodate the large number of people who visit to pay their respects. It is the second most-visited grave site, after that of President John F. Kennedy.

 

The headstones of Medal of Honor recipients buried at Arlington National Cemetery are normally decorated in gold leaf. Murphy previously requested that his stone remain plain and inconspicuous, like that of an ordinary soldier. The 100th United States Congress, as part of Public Law 100-456, The National Defense Authorization Act 1989, enacted on September 29, 1988, authorized erecting a monument at Arlington National Cemetery to honor members of the 3rd Infantry Division who served in World War I, World War II and the Korean Conflict. The 9-ton obelisk sits to the north of Audie Murphy's grave. In 1974, a large granite marker was erected just off the Appalachian Trail at 37.364554°N 80.225748°W at 3,100′ elevation, near the crash site.