5, 1945, Evans wrote The Pentagon about Urban actions after Evans was released from a German prisoner-of-war camp, saying in part: "Urban move forward, and damned if the U.S. Army didn't move forward also. He bellied up to the tank and amid heavy gunfire scrambled aboard and manned the machine gun. The driver took heart with Urban aboard. The tank roared forward, and Urban tore the hillside apart with that gun. The men, once again with 'Urban-itis' scrambled up the rise and gained the objective." On August 2, Urban was wounded in the chest by a shell fragment that narrowly missed his heart. He again refused to be evacuated to a hospital. On August 6, Wolf was killed in action near Cherbourg, France, and Urban, only 24 years old, assumed command of the battalion. Urban was wounded again by shrapnel on August 15, but remained with his unit. The 60th Infantry was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with palm for the period of June 11–18, 1944. Belgium On September 2, 1944, the 2nd Battalion was assigned to a regiment of another infantry division. After Urban and his battalion dug in one mile from Philippeville, Belgium, Urban met with the division's commanding officer, a brigadier general, who ordered Urban and his 2nd Battalion to attack Philippeville the next morning. Urban and two others scouted the village and found at least a regiment-sized German force there which was well defended with machine guns, tanks, and antiaircraft guns aimed down the one road leading to the village. On September 3, Urban and his battalion attacked Philippeville after getting the artillery cover he requested from the general. While charging at a forward enemy machinegun emplacement with two grenades, he was shot through the neck, permanently disabling his larynx. One of Urban's men got to him and immediately plugged and bandaged his two neck wounds. Another soldier arrived and both soldiers dragged Urban one hundred yards to a muddy ditch while under fire from another German machinegun as the battle raged. The 2nd Battalion doctor and chaplain arrived. The doctor gave Urban plasma and performed a tracheotomy on him. The chaplain gave Urban last rites after the doctor nodded to him that Urban would not live. On September 4, Urban was carried off the battlefield to a field hospital tent. Urban spent a few weeks in a field hospital in France before being sent