Re: Medal of Honor recipients'
Vito Bertoldo - WW2, France, 1945 - episode 4
This episode and the one above is my favourite just due to the pure skill and heroism it took. I think this one takes the biscuit though.
'Once you have crossed that line, where you have expected not to survive, you are enabled to perform terrific acts of heroism.' - narrator
The German's have saved some of their best men for the last stand and brought a number of divisions down into France in their last attempt to gain some ground and break the Allied line. Their aim is to strike one strong decisive blow at the American army. The US army is not expecting it - their i no tank division to call upon.
Vito and his men arrive in in Hatten, France, where fighting had been going on for around a month. A lot of the houses and buildings were already destroyed and damaged. Vito and his squad were given the mission to defend Hatten and delay the German advance to buy time so the rest of the battalion can withdraw from the city.
January 9th 1945 - Vito and his men are on the lookout for German's approaching.
'This is a level of warfare that very few living people have seen. The violence, the danger, the risk, the sound. Large armies coming down the main street. Aircraft overhead with mortars and artillery. The buildings are destroyed but they are made of stone and brick which provides a great place to go and hide for some protection from bullets or shrapnel or even being seen.' - narrator
The German's have tanks and infantry men behind them, Vito and his men have only rifles and automatic weapons. The orders were for the men to hold this position at all cost with no retreat. Delaying the enemy is the mission nobody wants.
Vito's story is even more amazing because he was considered '4F,' which means he was not allowed to join the army due to being underweight and having bad eyesight.
Particularly before Pearly Harbour, the US army was very strict but then they started to let people through.
Growing up, Vito's Mother, who was the glue of the family, died, and he and his 3 siblings, went to an orphanage, as his Dad was a coalminer and could not look after them himself. This helped toughen Vito up.
Finally, he was commissioned for 'limited service' and he became a cook. He was taught basic training as part of this role. Once he was in, he asked to be transferred into the infantry. First, he starts with guard duty and works his way up before finally he is assigned to this role.
Now in Hatten, 1945, some German's are spotted by Vito and his men. They ask them to drop their weapons and the German's surrender. Vito continues to point his gun at the German soldiers while his men go to pick up the Germans' weapons, when the Germans unexpectedly shoot his men - breaking the Geneva convention.
Vertoldo was enraged. He breaks cover and shoots all the German's dead. He is now the only person alive. Even though the mission was for him and his men not to retreat, at this point, it would have been reasonable of him to say the mission was lost and for him to re-join the withdrawal force.
Vito makes the choice to hold his position and to defend the line at all costs. In order to engage the German's, he had to find a place to shoot them. The geography was - if he can't see the German's, he can't shoot them but the catch 22 was - if he can see them, they would be able to see him.
He makes a makeshift cover in the middle of the road in the entrance to the town - he lies out in an open street for hours and waits for the enemy to come to him.
By the 8th hour, it is now morning. A couple of German soldier's approach the village, then followed by a squad more. He shoots them all dead with a combination of his automatic weapon and rifle. He killed 20 and none of them made it past the middle of the road.
By the 18th hour, the German's throw some grenades and Vito covers his head with his hands during the chaos.
'The stress created by that is absolutely exhausting.' - the narrator
The German's withdraw and it goes quiet again.
By the 28th hour, it is now dark again. It is cold - he has had a combination of sweating a lot during the times of attack, and the cold sweat freezing him during the quiet times.
By the 36th hour, the German's attack again. He kills the men with his rifle despite being exhausted.
By the 45th hour, the German's bring in the big guns. He has created a major problem for the German attacking force because they can't infiltrate the line. They now bring all of their weapon systems.
'It is mind-boggling that he was able to continue for that length of time. That is 2 days of fighting - when do you stop to eat or do anything - you don't. It is amazing the stamina it required to do that.' - narrator
A tank with infantry men approaches. Vito has the presence of mind to wait for the infantry men to approach first. The roads were heavily mines so the tanks had to be very careful. Vito knew the infantry would have to dismount. Just as the men are almost right on top of him, he exposes himself and shoots them dead with his rifle. The rest of the men by the tank start shooting at him now his cover is blown. He gets them with his automatic.
The infantry men and tanks are all attacking this one point in the middle of the street, right at Vito. He runs for cover into a building. The German tank has 88mm shells, with enough explosive power to kill anybody within a 100m radius. Vito again has the patience and the calm and deliberate ability to hold his fire until the German infantry expose themselves again. He shoots them dead.
Now, the tank aims its shells at him. He is blown away and loses his glasses but he is still alive. The tank commander comes into the building to look for who is alive. Vito hides behind a pillar - he can hardly see. He manages to wait and sneak up behind the commander as he walks past his point and shoot him with his pistol.
This is a story of skill, calm and determination. Even the German's recognised it. One of the captured German's said he had fought for 3 year's on the Russian front but the defence at Hatten was the most fierce he had ever encountered - and it was all by one man.
Vito did not expect to survive but decided to fight courageously. His actions allowed the first battalion 242 infantry to regroup, reorganise. Had the battalion been over-run, thousand's of soldiers would have been captured or killed.
The astrology -
We have our 2nd Mars-Pluto aspect out of our 3 examples - this one is an opposition.
WE have our 3rd Venus-Saturn aspect - this one is a square. It shows his tough upbringing at an orphanage and the death of his mother, trained up for the unbareable conditions he faced for 2 days relentlessly.
Given this is now our 3rd example of a Venus-Saturn in a Medal of Honor recipient, it is safe to say Venus-Saturn gives a love and obligation towards duty.
Vito also has a lovely Moon-Venus trine plus transit Venus was conjunct his Moon in Pisces also. So let's say - Vito's heroism was a gift from God. Transit Sun was conjunct his Natal North Node - God was on his shoulder's.
birth chart without time --