An officially government engraved Purple Heart to 1st Sgt. Louis D. Spagna, 8th Tank Battn, 4th Armored Div. Spagna was killed in action on August 8, 1944 during the liberation of Pont Scorff, France which was a part of Operation Cobra to cut off the Cotentin Peninsula. The battle started on the 7th of August when elements of 4th Division armored infantry were ambushed by German artillery with loss of 30+ men. The next day tanks were brought up from the 8th tank battalion where 3 were lost and I assume one of them was Spagna’s. The following day the town was liberated. There are markers commemorating the battle and a marker with the names of the men who lost their lives at Pont Scorff.
Sgt. Spagna was from Queens, NY and was reinterred on Long Island in 1949
The medal is slot brooch pattern with ribbon bar and presentation case. A small amount of research accompanies the medal.
