This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SSgt Robert Bruce McClelland, Jr.
to remember
Feuerriegel, Karl Theodore, Col USAF(Ret).
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Contact Info
Home Town Phoenix, Arizona
Last Address Prescott, Arizona
Date of Passing Mar 04, 2008
Location of Interment Prescott National Cemetery (VA) - Prescott, Arizona
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Cross to Lieutenant Colonel Karl T. Feuerriegel (AFSN: 0-762299), United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force as a Forward Air Controller of the 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron, Nha Trang Air Base, Vietnam, in action at Nha Trang, Republic of Vietnam, on 30 January 1968. On that date, in conjunction with the Tet Offensive, a large, well-equipped hostile force entered the city, intent on overrunning military installations and releasing a large contingent of hostile captives from the local prison. The hostiles' entrenched positions prevented reinforcements from reaching the battle areas where friendly forces were in dire need of support. Lieutenant Colonel Feuerriegel, despite great personal risk from heavy automatic weapons fire, repeatedly attacked hostile positions in an O-2 aircraft armed with high explosive rockets. He systematically silenced three machine gun positions and neutralized two fortified hostile companies, thereby preventing the annihilation of beleaguered friendly units. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness, Lieutenant Colonel Feuerriegel reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
WWII - European Theater of Operations/Central Europe Campaign (1945)
From Month/Year
March / 1945
To Month/Year
May / 1945
Description On March 22, 1945, the U.S. Third Army established a second salient, in addition to the one at Remagen, across the Rhine River at Oppenheim, 288 miles southwest of Berlin. The next day its troops also crossed the river at Boppard, 40 miles northwest of Oppenheim. Farther north, British and Canadian forces went across near Wesel, 65 miles northwest of Bonn. Ninth Air Force and Royal Air Force troop carriers and gliders dropped an American and a British airborne division north of Wesel on March 24, while the U.S. Ninth Army crossed the river 10 miles southeast of Wesel. The next day the U.S. First Army began an advance into Germany from Remagen, just south of Bonn, and on March 26 the Seventh Army crossed the Rhine River north of Mannheim, about 25 miles south of Oppenheim. Five days later, on March 31, French troops crossed the Rhine 10 miles south of Mannheim.
Before the Allied armies began crossing the Rhine in force, Allied air forces bombed and strafed German positions in the contested areas along the river. Heavy bombers also flew battlefield interdiction missions between March 21 and 24, before returning to strategic bombardment missions against targets in Germany. Although little of strategic value remained because of the destruction wrought by the
combined bomber offensive, oil refineries and fuel depots remained primary targets.
The Luftwaffe could no longer effectively oppose the heavy bombers nor could it provide close air support for retreating German troops.
When fuel was available, the enemy continued to intercept Allied bomber formations with a few fighter aircraft. On the battle front, AAF fighter-bombers flew close air support and tactical reconnaissance missions for Allied forces, while medium bombers attacked bridges, trucks, troop concentrations, railroads, and airfields. Troop carrier and transport aircraft flew critically needed supplies to forward airfields that had been rebuilt by aviation engineers behind the advancing Allied armies. After delivering supplies, the pilots loaded wounded soldiers and liberated prisoners of war and returned them to the rear areas. The last mission of the AAF's heavy bombers in Europe involved flying supplies to the starving population in The Netherlands.
