Dieter WULF Rampendahl

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Dieter Wulf Rampendahl (0-2262063), Second Lieutenant (Infantry), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving with Company I, 3d Battalion, 23d Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division. Second Lieutenant Rampendahl distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces during the fight for Hill 333 in the vicinity of Chipyong-ni, Korea, on 1 February 1951. On that date, an enemy force estimated at regimental strength launched an attack against the 3d Battalion with the brunt of the assault directed at the left flank platoon of Company I. Early in the attack, the platoon leader was wounded and Lieutenant Rampendahl assumed command of the platoon. Under heavy enemy pressure, the platoon was forced to withdraw from its positions on Hill 335. Realizing the tactical importance of recapturing the high ground, Lieutenant Rampendahl reorganized his men, issued a resupply of ammunition, and led a bayonet charge up the hill, forcing the enemy to withdraw. When the enemy regrouped and launched a counterattack, the platoon was again forced to temporarily withdraw from the hill. In the fierce fighting which followed, the hill changed hands five times. As Lieutenant Rampendahl led his decimated platoon in the last charge against the hill, the hostile troops, completely demoralized by their inability to hold the high ground, abandoned their positions and fled in disorder.
Headquarters, Eighth U.S. Army, Korea: General Orders No. 561 (July 19, 1951)