A column of American M-4 Sherman medium tanks moved through Dison, Belgium, in late summer 1944, near the city of Liege. The tankers belonged to Company I, 32nd Armored Regiment of the 3rd Armored Division, known by its moniker “Spearhead.” Leading the column, Staff Sergeant Lafayette Pool acted as platoon leader despite his rank as a non-commissioned officer.
It didn’t matter; Pool was trusted, and his leadership made him as good as any lieutenant in the regiment. His skill as a tanker was unquestioned by his peers; he and his crew were about to prove that again.
As the column advanced, they took fire from their left flank. Telling the column to continue, Pool ordered his own tank, the moniker “In the Mood” painted on the side of its hull, to turn and deal with the threat. Soon they located an enemy unit, no tanks but a number of other armored vehicles such as halftracks and armored cars. The Americans opened fire, destroying a half-dozen German vehicles. Their brief rampage was cut short when Pool learned a German PzKpfw V Panther medium tank had appeared ahead and fired on his column. He ordered his driver, Corporal Wilbert Richards of Cumberland, Maryland, to get back to the column. The M-4 roared ahead as the gunner, Corporal Willis Oller of Morrisonville, Illinois, prepared to engage the enemy tank.
