One-Man Rampage on Castle Aghinolfi - Vernon Baker Medal of Honor

It was the spring of 1945, and World War 2 was almost over. The Allies had secured a new front in France and were mere weeks away from marching into Berlin. However, the Allied front in Italy was heavily struggling as most men and equipment had been sent to France.

Among those who remained were the ‘Black Devils’ from the 370th Regiment, a segregated all-black unit tasked with dissolving what was left of the German fortifications in Northern Italy.

In early April, the regiment received orders to seize Castle Aghinolfi, a virtually impenetrable German stronghold, but as the days passed, battalion after battalion was pummeled.

Then, on the morning of the 5th, it was Second Lieutenant Vernon Baker’s turn to lead his platoon and take the castle. As the future Medal of Honor recipient put it: “When they got down or were driven back down, we knew it was our turn.”