Frederick William Fiedler Jr.
Rank: 2nd Lieutenant
Branch: Army
UT Major/Affiliation: Medicine, Student at Medical School when enlisted
Hometown: Memphis, TN
- January 29, 1921 – August 24, 1944
- Memphis, TN
- Medicine, Student at Medical School when enlisted
- 2nd LT Army
- Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia
- 2nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Group (Mechanized)
- 3rd Platoon
- Landed in France with Patton’s 3rd Army in July
- In movement towards Lorraine in late August, pushing the German Retreat, Les Ormes is South of Tours
- On August 24, took a shortcut through the town of Les Ormes to deliver supplies for their Troop Command Post to his platoon when they encountered an entire German column by surprise. Estimated killing of 30 Germans before their armored car was hit. Pvt. Chatterton was able to escape the burning vehicle, return to the platoon, and returned in the afternoon. They took 153 prisoners, captured 18 vehicles, and estimated 80 killed.
- https://dragoonshistory.com/2008/03/10/action-at-les-ormes/
- Bronze Star
- https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/fiedler%3Dfrederick
- https://dragoonshistory.com/2008/01/04/killed-in-action-2d-cavalry-group-mecz/
- https://dragoonshistory.com/2008/03/10/action-at-les-ormes/
Frederick William Fiedler Jr. (Jan. 29, 1921 – Aug. 24, 1944) was from Memphis, Tennessee. He was attending the University of Tennessee’s Medical School when he enlisted at the start of the war in 1942. He attended training at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia before he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army. He was assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron as the commanding officer of Company C’s 3rd Platoon. Originally, the 2nd Cavalry operated on horse-back, but were turned into a mechanized unit with armored cars when it was attached to General George S. Patton’s 3rd Army prior to the invasion of Normandy, France. 2nd Lt. Fiedler Jr. landed with the 2nd Cavalry in France in July 1944. By the middle of August, Company C was screening the 3rd Army’s advance into France as the German Army retreated. On August 24th, Company C was south of Tours, France. 2nd Lt. Fiedler took an armored car back to their Command Post for resupply that morning. On the return trip, he took the car through Les Ormes as a shortcut, but encountered an entire German column by surprise in the village. He and his crew opened fire after the Germans refused to surrender. An estimated 30 Germans were killed before their armored car was hit and caught on fire. 2nd Lt. Fiedler was killed in action during the engagement, but a member of his crew, Pvt. Chatterton, was able to escape the burning vehicle and report back to Company C. The company returned to surround the village that afternoon and took an estimated 153 prisoners and captured 18 vehicles. 2nd Lt. Frederick W. Fiedler was awarded the Bronze Star for his actions in France and is buried at the Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint-James, France.


