1st Sergeant Leonard Funk, 82nd Airborne Division

Can anyone give me some info on this man-all I know is that he led the 82nd 'Red Devils' during Market Garden. He is portrayed in the James Dietz painting-'Wrath of the Red Devils'
If memory doesn't fail me, I think he was in the 505th PIR.

 

I have some info on him, Panzer. I will look when I am home. What I remember is that he got a MOH During Market Garden. If I remember correctly for covering his retreating buddies in a wooded area, but I am not sure.

More later.

Later:

I have got a pic of him in a Dutch book. Will scan it alter and post it, but I haven't found any info on him yet as what he might have done to win the MOH. He was with 508 PIR. After a short google-search:

http://www.homeofheroes.com/gravesites/arlington/funk_leonard.html

http://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/citations_1940_wwii/funk.html

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.com/lafunk.htm


BTW that got me thinking: What happened to MOH winners that lived...weren't wounded at all. They stayed with their units to fight on, but...how did their buddies respond to them after they got the MOH? Did they expect him to be brave all the time? Were they kind of expected to take the coals out of the fire, next time things went hot? Has anybody read anything about this?

[ 27. January 2003, 08:59 AM: Message edited by: Stevin Oudshoorn ]

 

As far as I know Stevin-the MOHers were sent home on war-bonds tours, or moved into places of relative safety, away from the line.

 

I was unaware that Funk had been awarded the MOH. Did you read that citation!!!!! Sounds like a Hollywood moment!!!!!
GREAT GUY.

 

Thanks for the great links Stevin!

 

You're welcome Panzer. You'll have to wait a wee bit for that pic, if you want it.

And thank you for your thought on what happened to MOH winners after they got the medal.

Well, Funk got his MOH in the Ardennes. The stroy I was thinking about happened during Market Garden and was a bit different. He and a few buddies had watch duty in a wooded area. Nothing happened and Funk got bored. Then he said he had the perfect way to get jerries. He took a big roll of white tape and ran in to the woods opposite their foxholes. A while back he came back en left the end of the tape right in front of their foxholes. This way a German combat patrol was sure to end up right in front of them. His buddies got angry and trew the thing with the tape on it as far away from their trench as they could....And then he got the MOH about two, three months later. Was he bored again???

 

Not that time Stevin...just very, very brave.
The action that earnt him the MOH basically (in shorthand) reads likes this:-

FUNK WAS PART OF A GROUP OF UNDERSTRENGTH 82ND AIRBORNE TROOPERS WHO WERE FACING A DETERMINED AND OVERWHELMING GERMAN FORCE. AFTER CAPTURING 80 GERMAN PRISONERS, THE GROUP WAS FROCED TO LEAVE THEM UNDER THE GUARD OF JUST 4 PARATROOPERS. A GERMAN COUNTERATTACK TOOK THE PRISONERS BACK, AND AFTER TRYING TO DELAY THE GERMAN ASSAULT ON THE REST OF THE GROUP, FUNK WAS ORDERED TO SURRENDER BY A GERMAN OFFICER. FUNK CAME UPTO THE OFFICER AND UNSWIVELLED HIS THOMPSON TO ACT LIKE HE WAS PUTTING IT ON THE GROUND. LIKE LIGHTNING, FUNK SWUNG HIS GUN AROUND, HOSED THE OFFICER AND SHOUTED TO HIS MEN TO TAKE THE GERMANS ARMS.
THIS ACTION LED TO THE RECAPTURE OF AN ENEMY FORCE, THAT HAD IT BEEN ALLOWED TO REFORM WOULD HAVE LED TO THE ENCIRCLEMENT AND CERTIAN DESTRUCTION OF A BELEAGUERED GROUP OF 82ND AIRBORNE TROOPERS.