First Lieutenant Orville Emil Bloch, Medal of Honour, the Hero of Piancaldoli

Before the WW2

On February 10, 1915, in Big Falls, Wisconsin, Orville was born in a family of German immigrants, to Emil and Ottilie (Konopatzke) Bloch. Soon after his birth, the family moved to Steele, ND, where Emil found work as an auto mechanic. For the next 20 years, Bloch's family lives between Streeter and Jamestown. Emil worked primarily as a meat merchant. When Orville became old enough, he helped his father slaughter animals and cut meat. They then moved to Streeter, North Dakota, to a German neighborhood.

Orville Bloch was small for his age, reaching his greatest height at 5 feet 3 inches (160 cm). His nickname was “Weeny”. However, he had a solid physique and a sporting attitude. He played on his high school basketball and football teams.

During the Depression he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps. At camp, a counselor encouraged Bloch to go to college. He only had $55, but a lot of faith. North Dakota Agricultural College (now North Dakota State University) accepted and helped him get a loan. His college efforts were interrupted several times when he ran out of money.

In 1940 he dropped out of college and worked at a Piggly Wiggly store in Rochester, Minnesota. In January 1942 he was only two credits away from graduating in agricultural economics, but he did not have the funds to complete it. Orville Bloch graduated in May 1942, earning a Bachelor of Science, major: Agricultural Economy.

Recruitment and training

• With World War II underway, after Pearl Harbor, he sought a commission in the army. All services rejected it because it was too low. He was an inch under the minimum height requirement.

• After several rejections by the Navy and Marine Corps, Orville Bloch enlisted in the Army as a private on February 20, 1942.

• His ambition paid off. He moved up the ranks to become an officer. After basic and advanced training, he entered Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, with a waiver for his height. He completed the course on October 22, 1942, and was commissioned Second Lieutenant.

• Second Lieutenant Bloch was assigned to the 85th^th Infantry Division, which trained for 11 months at Camp Shelby, Mississippi.
• The division departed on Christmas Eve 1943 for North Africa, completing training for amphibious landings.
• In March 1944, elements of the division landed in Naples, Italy. First Lieutenant Bloch was assigned to Company E, 338th Infantry Regiment, 85^th Infantry Division, 5^th  Army.

The retreating enemy is still fighting, beyond Firenzuola

Once the conquest of the Giogo Pass was concluded on September 18, in the following days the column of men and vehicles of the 5th^th American Army proceeded in the direction of Firenzuola and beyond. The retreating Germans organized a series of effective defensive positions on the heights between the Raticosa Pass and Piancaldoli, giving rise to a strong resistance. The German Divisions were routed but not disorganized. Kesselring having masterfully prepared, as usual, the retreat to defensive positions in line. The next day, exactly the September 19, at 4 pm, the first American infantry units were in Firenzuola. Upon entering, the soldiers moved with caution among the gutted and mined buildings, where the streets could barely be made out under the rubble that covered the soil.

The German interdiction was organized quickly. While the bulk of the forces climbed northwards on the ridge between Firenzuola and La Raticosa, in the line from Covigliaio to Brento Sànico and Piancaldoli, a series of fire centers tried to slow down the rapid advance of the Americans from west towards east and the Santerno Valley. It was in one of these fierce battles that Orville Emil Bloch stood out for his courage. On September 22, 1944, First Lieutenant Bloch led three soldiers in an attack against a German defense on top of a hill, in the "Il Poggio" area, near Piancaldoli, which had blocked the American attack.

Before reporting on this action, let's retrace the various phases of the American advance after the conquest of the Giogo Pass. The Firenzuola basin was conquered on September 21, after a furious aerial bombardment, which combined with the already heavy bombardment of September 12, which anticipated the offensive against the Gothic Line.

The town, fortunately already evacuated on 10 September, is almost completely destroyed, including the beautiful 14th Century town hall in "pietra serena". Three American Divisions, the 34th, 91st and 85th, are thrown beyond the hills of Firenzuola, on the border between Tuscany and Emilia. The German counterattack with artillery fire is countered by a smoke screen created by the chemical company, while the engineers begin to lay the first Bailey bridges over the Santerno. The 88th “Blue Devils” Division is in charge of Gen. Keyes to advance towards Imola. On the night of September 21, in the rain, the vanguards of the 88th division advanced towards Castel del Rio, encountering little resistance. To the north of Firenzuola there was fighting, with the Germans retreating, who however resisted until September 29, when the Raticosa pass was taken. The fastest advancement of 5^th Armata will be along the Santerno valley, northeast of Firenzuola. Castel del Rio is the first municipality in the Province of Bologna to be liberated, on 27 September 1944. Those days between 21st and 29th September 1944 were hectic. The Americans seek the definitive breakthrough towards Bologna, while the Germans prepare for a fierce resistance. The climate will reward the German army.

On October 2, after a massive artillery bombardment on the German defenses and a tough house-to-house battle, the town of Monghidoro will be liberated, which will be symbolically annexed by General Clark to the district of Los Angeles. The main routes seem open to the Allies for a rapid conquest of Bologna and the Po Valley. But the Germans retreated northwards in an orderly manner, according to long-prepared plans, entrenching themselves in every place of the lower Apennines which was advantageous for defence, in particular along the transverse chain of the Pliocene buttress. The rainy climate of autumn 1944 and the winter that arrived early in the Apennines - together with the Allied successes in France and Holland - blocked operations until the spring of 1945. The winter passed in waiting, transforming the advance into a war of position.

The action of Orville Bloch

On 22 September 1944 the 85^th Division continues its rapid advance north, beyond Firenzuola. First Lieutenant Bloch's Platoon is part of the attack Battalion tasked with conquering three hills overlooking Piancaldoli. Intense enemy fire blocked any movement, which would have caused heavy casualties to the advancing allies. The German strongholds and MG positions on the connecting road had to be dismantled.

Lieutenant Bloch thought up a tactic to neutralize the German defenses on the hill ahead of his platoon. Accompanied by only three volunteers, Lieutenant Bloch ascended approximately 160 meters of rocky terrain, until he reached a sheltered position on the hill. From here he and his men could see a group of stone buildings on the top of the hill (in the Il Poggio area), 20 meters ahead, which constituted an effective German fire centre. The defense entrusted by Kesselring to these centers of fire risked slowing down the American advance. The opposite side of the hill where the German positions were located was a sheer wall, which prevented an attack by large forces. Bloch and his three volunteers managed to scale the sheer wall and surprised the defenders.

The action took place in the locality "Il Poggio", a hamlet of Piancaldoli, on the border with Emilia Romagna, on the road to Belvedere and Sassoleone. The family members returned to the scene of the action; and there are also some original photos of site of the clash.