The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Private First Class Alton W. Knappenberger, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action involving actual conflict with the enemy, on 1 February 1944 near Cisterna di Littoria, Italy, while serving with Company C, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. When a heavy German counterattack was launched against his battalion, Private First Class Knappenberger crawled to an exposed knoll and went into position with his automatic rifle. An enemy machinegun 85 yards away opened fire, and bullets struck within six inches of him. Rising to a kneeling position, Private First Class Knappenberger opened fire on the hostile crew, knocked out the gun, killed two members of the crew, and wounded the third. While he fired at this hostile position, two Germans crawled to a point within 20 yards of the knoll and threw potato-masher grenades at him, but Private First Class Knappenberger killed them both with one burst from his automatic rifle. Later, a second machinegun opened fire upon his exposed position from a distance of 100 yards, and this weapon also was silenced by his well-aimed shots. Shortly thereafter, an enemy 20-mm. anti-aircraft gun directed fire at him, and again Private First Class Knappenberger returned fire to wound one member of the hostile crew. Under tank and artillery shellfire, with shells bursting within 15 yards of him, he held his precarious position and fired at all enemy infantrymen armed with machine pistols and machineguns which he could locate. When his ammunition supply became exhausted, he crawled 15 yards forward through steady machinegun fire, removed rifle clips from the belt of a casualty, returned to his position and resumed firing to repel an assaulting German platoon armed with automatic weapons. Finally, his ammunition supply being completely exhausted, he rejoined his company. Private First Class Knappenberger’s intrepid action disrupted the enemy attack for over two hours.