How Lt. Eric Fisher Wood Jr. Fought the Nazis Behind Enemy Lines

Son of an American Legion founder, Lt. Eric Fisher Wood Jr., developed into a legend during World War II when he led a guerilla fight against the Nazis following his escape from captivity.

Serving in the Ardennes Forest with the 106th Infantry Division, he discovered he was cut off from friendly forces during the Battle of the Bulge. Wood collected other trapped troops and started ambushes against Nazi supply lines, communications, and patrols instead of trying to flee or submit.

His rag-through army harassed opposing forces for weeks, killing more than 200 German men. Furious by the strikes, Nazi SS Gen. Josef "Sepp" Dietrich gave top Waffen-SS forces orders to find them. They at last nabbed Wood close to Meyerode, Belgium, in January 1945. He battled right up until the very last. His body was found among seven dead German troops.

Wood was posthumously given the Distinguished Service Cross instead of the Medal of Honor since no surviving eyewitnesses could be found. His bravery is still evidence of the attitude of American opposition throughout one of the most bloody conflicts of the war.

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