Isadore S. Jachman: Running Toward the Tanks

When a young Jewish family fled Berlin in the 1930s, they could not have known that their son would one day return to Europe in an American uniform and stand alone against German tanks in a frozen Belgian village. This week’s Beyond the Call feature in Dispatch: U.S. Military History Magazine follows Staff Sergeant Isadore “Izzy” Jachman from refugee child in Baltimore to paratrooper in the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment at the height of the Battle of the Bulge.We walk through the bitter winter around Flamierge on January fourth, nineteen forty five, when Jachman sprinted across open ground under heavy fire, seized a rocket launcher from a fallen comrade, and knocked out the lead tank threatening to crush his company. His action broke the attack and saved lives, but cost him his own. It is a powerful story of courage, identity, and what responsibility for others can look like in war.If you’re interested in the human side of military history—how one decision in the snow can change the fate of an entire unit—spend some time with this new Beyond the Call story from Dispatch, developed by Trackpads.com, and catch the companion podcast episode as well.