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Contact Info
Home Town Hibbing, Minnesota
Last Address Duluth, Minnesota
Date of Passing Dec 30, 2011
Location of Interment Forest Hill Cemetery - Duluth, Minnesota
World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. One of nine children born to Italian immigrants, he enlisted in the US Army at Fort Snelling, Minnesota on February 2, 1944. Assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 398th Infantry Regiment, 100th Infantry Division, his company was pinned downed by heavy artillery, mortar, and machinegun fire in the vicinity of Untergriesheim, Germany on April 7, 1945. Colalillo used a supporting tank to run forward, inspiring his comrades to do the same. His machine pistol was destroyed by shrapnel so he climbed a friendly tank and manned the exposed machinegun on the turret, destroying two enemy machineguns and killing, wounding or scattering four enemy positions. When his machinegun jammed, he used a submachine gun from the tank crew and continued to attack on foot. "By his intrepidity and inspiring courage (he) gave tremendous impetus to his company's attack, killed or wounded 25 of the enemy in bitter fighting, and assisted a wounded soldier in reaching the American lines at great risk of his own life." He received his medal from President Harry Truman on December 18, 1945. After the war, he worked as a coal dump laborer and longshoreman, retiring in 1987. At his death he was Minnesota's last living CMOH recipient.
WWII - European Theater of Operations/Ardennes Alsace Campaign (1944-45)
From Month/Year
December / 1944
To Month/Year
February / 1945
Description (Ardennes Alsace Campaign 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945) During their offensive in the Ardennes the Germans drove into Belgium and Luxembourg, creating a great bulge in the line. For some time the weather was bad, but when it cleared the Allies could send their planes to assist their ground forces by bombing and strafing the enemy’s columns, dropping paratroops and supplies, and interdicting the enemy’s lines of communications. By the end of January 1945 the lost ground had been regained and the Battle of the Bulge, the last great German offensive, was over.
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