Lt. Col. Samuel E. Spitzer, hero of World War 11 who single-handed captured 508 Germans, died in Seoul, Korea, of a heart attack, it was reported here last night. The Jewish officer, who made his home here, was 39. He was in Korea as a representative of the Judge Advocate General’s office. For his feat in 1944 he was awarded the Silver Star and the Croix de Guerre of the French Government.
Known as “the Sgt. York of World War II,” he won the awards while serving as a lieutenant in France in July, 1944. “Lt. Spitzer,” his citation read, “laid aside his personal weapons and walked openly down the center of the town street, calling loudly in German for the enemy to surrender. The fact that the lieutenant was unarmed impressed and induced the enemy to surrender virtually on masse.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
