May 24, 1944, the second day of the advance from the Anzio beachhead toward Cisterna. In the waterlogged wheat fields southeast of the town, Company B of the 15th Infantry Regiment was pinned down by fire from two German MG42 machine-gun positions—one roughly 200 meters away and another about 100 meters beyond that. The ground was a flat, exposed plain with almost no natural cover: reclaimed land from the former Pontine Marshes, turned into farmland and cut by drainage canals. Any movement drew immediate fire.
At that moment, Sergeant Sylvester Antelac, 27, assessed the situation. A veteran of North Africa, Sicily, and the Italian campaign, he had already been wounded in combat more than once. He understood that if the first position was not neutralized, the company could not move forward and would remain vulnerable to worsening losses from automatic weapons and artillery.
Anzio had been a grinding fight for months. After the Allied landing on January 22, 1944, the operation meant to open a route to Rome became a prolonged siege. German forces built deep defenses around the beachhead, supported by effective observation, fortified positions, and pre-registered artillery. In the Cisterna sector, the memory of the late-January disaster—when a Ranger force suffered catastrophic losses during an attack—had already shown how difficult it was to operate in that area.
Antelac, the son of Polish immigrants raised in Belmont County, Ohio, enlisted in 1941 and served with the 3rd Infantry Division, a unit with a long history. Like many front-line NCOs, he carried a Thompson M1A1 submachine gun—an effective weapon at close range, but poorly suited to crossing open ground against machine guns with longer reach and a very high rate of fire.
Even so, he chose to act. He moved ahead and advanced toward the first position, determined to create an opening for his unit. During the run he was hit and knocked down multiple times, but each time he got back up and pressed on. Once close enough, he was able to use his weapon more effectively, applying enough pressure to silence the first position and compel the remaining defenders there to surrender. His action allowed his squad and the rest of the company to regain momentum and prepare to continue the advance.
Despite his wounds, Antelac insisted on leading the movement toward the second position, which still blocked the route forward. When the advance resumed, he came under intense fire again and fell before completing the assault. Even so, the momentum created by his leadership helped Company B continue the action and reduce the immediate resistance, enabling the attack to push ahead in that sector.
The Allied offensive from Anzio moved forward in the following days, contributing to the breaking of the encirclement around the beachhead and the subsequent drive on Rome, which was captured on June 4, 1944. Antelac's conduct was later recognized with a posthumous Medal of Honor, reflecting his decision to assume the greatest risk to protect his unit and accomplish the mission.
Today, his memory is preserved through various tributes, including his grave at the Sicily–Rome American Cemetery and Memorial in Nettuno, and commemorations in his home state, where his name remains tied to the remembrance of those who served in that campaign.
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