Captain Allen's Bravo Company, 14th Assault Battalion, suffered heavy casualties during the first phase of Operation Southpaw, when forward-deployed units of the 14th came under heavy attack by Eurofed ground attack planes during the landings at Lisbon. Allen earned the first of his Purple Hearts during the weeklong engagement, providing AA fire in support of his battalion from his immobilized fastback, which had been disabled by enemy artillery fire. Upon returning from Europe, Allen's company was given the more advanced M-118Z Hotrod, equipped with the slingshot over-the-horizon tracking and targeting system.