Rank Colonel Battles and wars World War II | Name Welborn Griffith | |
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Birth name Welborn Barton Griffith, Jr. Born November 1, 1901
Quanah, Texas ( 1901-11-01 ) Buried at Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint-James, Normandy, France Battles/wars Battle of Chartres, World War II † Memorials Commemorative plaque at Leves Died August 16, 1944, Leves, France Awards Silver Star, Distinguished Service Cross, Croix de Guerre, Purple Heart, Legion of Honour, Legion of Merit | ||
Place of burial Lower Normandy, France Service/branch United States Army Allegiance United States of America | ||
Welborn Barton Griffith, Jr. (November 19, 1901 – August 16, 1944) was an American officer who served during World War II in the United States Army. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in the Class of 1925.
Colonel Griffith is best remembered for being instrumental in saving France's Chartres Cathedral, one of the most important monuments of medieval civilization, during the battle of Chartres (16–18 August 1944) in World War II. As Operations Officer (G-3) with Headquarters, for XX Corps, Griffith and his driver searched the cathedral, and climbed to the top of its bell tower. Finding no Germans there, he was able to rescind the order to shell the monument. Later that day, he was killed in the neighboring town of Lèves, 3.5 kilometer north of Chartres. The people of Lèves set up a plaque on a building next to the spot where Griffith was killed.
On 21 October 1944, Welborn Barton Griffith, Jr., was awarded, posthumously, the Distinguished Service Cross.
Welborn Griffith was also awarded the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, the Legion of Merit, the French Croix de Guerre and the Légion d'Honneur