Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Aaron on March 05, 2002, 10:31:14 AM
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Who showed showed no fear under fire and was a true hero in the war?
Don't try to pick one because there is probably 2 million, but tell the story of one that sticks in your head.
-Aaron
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Try this:
Congressional Medal of Honor Society (http://www.cmohs.org/)
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Thanks.
I also want to hear some about Canadians, Brits, Germans, Russians, Australians... (the list goes on).
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Capt. Sir Charles Upham, VC and Bar
20th Bat, 2nd NZEF
The only New Zealand soldier, and the sole Combat soldier to win the VC twice ( 2 others have won the VC twice - both being medical officers )
Rumoured to have been recommended for a third.
I had the great pleasure to meet Sir Charles when he visited my high school.
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~vcweb/winners/nz_winners/upham.htm
Sir Edward Weary Dunlop
Java and Burma-Thailand Railway 1942-1945, 2nd AIF
Sir Edward Weary Dunlop was a surgeon in the Australian Army during World War Two. He is legendary for his care of soldiers taken prisoner by the Japanese. His nickname might have been Weary but his nature certainly wasn't. Even in the most horrific conditions Weary found energy to fight for the wellbeing and often, the lives of these men.
When he left school Weary took a job in a pharmacy. But he grew bored with small town life and headed for Melbourne in 1927. Here Weary took a new career path, and began studying medicine at Melbourne University.
He also played with Australia's national rugby team, The Wallabies, and was a champion boxer.
Soon after graduating Weary took a job as a ship's surgeon and sailed to London. The next year World War Two broke out. Weary knew his skills were needed closer to the action.
"I just couldn't get into the army quick enough"
About a year after enlisting in the Australian Army, Weary was sent to Java in Indonesia.
The Japanese had attacked the island, and Weary was needed to help treat the casualties. But just two weeks after his arrival Japanese troops captured the town where Weary was living. The prisoners were taken by ship from Singapore to Burma, and then crammed into train carriages for a five day horror ride into Thailand. The Japanese wanted to build a four hundred and twenty one kilometre long railway from west Thailand into Burma.
The work required physical strength and good tools. The prisoners had neither.
"I'd see these fellas off at the crack of dawn, just carrying their rice for the day, and then they would drag in any time up until midnight, some of them on their hands and knees."
As a commander, Weary had the awful job of deciding who was fit enough to work. As a surgeon, he was also the one who patched the men up after their hours of hard labour. Standing nearly two metres tall, Weary had to stoop as he operated on patients beneath kerosene lamps.
"Weary was never sitting down. He was always on his feet, and his feet were terrible with ulcers. He had all these complaints too, you know. The germs didn't leave him alone."
Weary argued with his captors about making sick men work.
"I'd have all sorts of conspiracies. I'd tell the fellas to start to march, but collapse and I'll grab you."
Former prisoner of War, Bill Griffiths is among the many who owe their lives to Weary. The Japanese planned to kill him. What use is a disabled man, it was argued. Weary stepped in front of the bayonets and refused to move until Bill's life was spared. A habit of keeping track of the war via a hidden wireless also landed Weary in the firing line.
"I got handcuffed around a tree, my tummy exposed to four bayonets and a countdown. Things were pretty grim." Weary ended up being tortured instead ... but the experience only made him more defiant.
After the war Weary continued to work as a surgeon in Australia and parts of Asia.
In 1969 he was knighted in recognition of his contribution to medicine. Weary's compassionate nature enabled him to forgive and even meet, some of his former enemies. In 1993, ten days short of his 86th birthday, Sir Edward Weary Dunlop died. More than ten thousand people lined the streets of Melbourne for the state funeral of the man they called 'The Surgeon of the Railway'.
"I have a conviction that it's only when you are put at full stretch that you can realise your full potential." If` ever anyone lived life at full stretch, it was Weary.
VC winners (http://www.chapter-one.com/vc/default.asp)
Tronsky
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Gunther Rall is one, alongside some of the U-boat captains. Must be one of the most terrible places to be: highest loss rate of any unit during WWII, essentially blind, patiently thinking a way out of danger.
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Arndt Pekurinen, possibly amongst the bravest men ever to have dwelled on the face of this planet. If only all were like him, we'd be better off.
The following links are in Finnish only and I'm too lazy to translate them in their entirety right now. Maybe later.
I'll summarize very briefly: Pekurinen was a sworn pacifist who had to endure imprisonment, abuse and torture until he was executed several years later. The whole story is very tragic reading.
http://www.helsinginsanomat.fi/uutisarkisto/19981114/kult/981114ku03.html (http://www.helsinginsanomat.fi/uutisarkisto/19981114/kult/981114ku03.html)
http://www.cc.jyu.fi/~jukpelto/askeleet.htm (http://www.cc.jyu.fi/~jukpelto/askeleet.htm)
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This is 1 mile from my home. I tear up every time I see it.
CMOH Memorial (http://www.cmohmemorial.org/index.htm)
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One of the most fascinating stories I read was the one of Oberleutnant Rudolf Witzig (ironic comment: "Witzig" is also the german term for "funny").
He was the leader of stormtroop "Granit" a special force of 84 men who landed on May 10th 1940 on the so called "little brother of the Maginot line" the belgium fortress Eben Emael with a troop strenght of 1200 belgium soldiers!
Eben Emael was a brand new fortress - it was built in 1935 and was called an invincible stronghold in case of a german invasion.
The special force landed with 11 DFS-230-sailing planes on the fortress and disabled in a very short time the 10 huge and heavy armored gun-turrets with special explosive devices and the outer communication systems of the fortress.
They caused such a chaos that the belgium CO, Major Jottrand (who comitted later suicide) never was aware that only such a small number german soldiers were on top of his mighty fortress.
Totally blinded and isolated and assuming that a strong german invading army had surrounded them the garrison and the fortress surrendered.
The germans only lost 5 soldiers and had 20 wounded.
And with the fall of Eben Emael the german invading forces could fullfill its blitzkrieg operation against France and the Benelux-countries.
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I nominate Guy Gabaldon.
I can’t understand how he was able to sneak around so well considering the loud clanging sound his huge balls must have been making. :)
http://www.wtj.com/articles/gabaldon/
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On 1st February, 1944 his swarm had a fierce dogfight against 5 GvIAP’s La-5’s, led by Witalii Popkov over the Korssun kettle. One La-5 hit his plane, and the Messer’s engine failed. Debrõdy had to make his second belly-landing behind the enemy lines! His best friend, 2nd Lt. Miklós Kenyeres with 19 air victories, downed Debrõdy’s attacker, and landed near the dead Messer on the snowy and icy unknown field. Some Soviet soldiers were running towards the Messers, but Kenyeres managed to take off with some PPS machine-pistol hits in his plane. Unfortunately, two days later the Soviet AA fire downed Kenyeres’ plane behind the enemy lines and this brave pilot had to bail out over a forest. Debrõdy was desperately circling around his parachute, but he was not able to help his friend, Kenyeres taken POW.
more on this here (http://www.elknet.pl/acestory/debrody/debrody.htm)
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Shame on me for not knowing this lady's name, but here what she did:
She volunteered to be a spy in Nazi germany, she spoke fluent german (even with a peasant like accent).
She was sent into germany, was hired as the nanny of one of the nazi high officials... and she was the one that got the information about Penemunde.
If memory serves me right, she made a mad dash to the swiss border, concealing her microfilm in her gloves.. and was almost killed crossing the swiss border (where the man who was helping her escape, another allied agent, took several bullets for her as they crossed the border. She married the man after the war).
That takes a toejamload of guts to do.
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Hans Ulrich Rudel
any number of german u boat crews
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Desmond T. Doss - Conscientious Objector
Sorry this is from memory but I'm sure this is available online. Doss was a medical corpsman because he refused to carry a weapon. He repeatedly braved enemy fire to rescue 75 men from a battle zone that his company had retreated from. He was eventually wounded in the legs by a grenade, but instead of calling for another to enter a dangerous area, he treated his own wounds and waited 5 hours for a stretcher. The men carrying him either were ambushed or came across another wounded soldier. Doss crawled from the stretcher and assisted this man when they were attacked again. Doss' arm was fractured in this attack. He splinted his own arm with a rifle butt, and crawled alone to the base for assistance.
Here is the whole story (http://www.armymedicine.army.mil/history/MOH/dossd.htm)
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Not sure if we can determine who's the bravest, but here is one that was certainly up there.
Sgt. Major John Robert Osborn
Hong Kong
December 19th, 1941
1st Battalion - The Winnipeg Grenadiers
Citation
‘At Hong Kong on the morning of the 19th of December, 1941, a company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers to which Company Sergeant-Major Osborn belonged, became divided during an attack on Mount Butler, a hill rising steeply above sea level. A part of the company led by Company Sergeant-Major Osborn captured the hill at the point of the bayonet and held it for three hours when, owing to the superior numbers of the enemy and to fire from an unprotected flank, the position became untenable. Company Sergeant-Major Osborn and a small group covered the withdrawal, and when their turn came to fall back Osborn, single-handed, engaged the enemy while the remainder successfully joined the company. Company Sergeant-Major Osborn had to run the gauntlet of heavy rifle and machine-gun fire. With no consideration for his own safety he assisted and directed stragglers to the new company position, exposing himself to heavy enemy fire to cover their retirement. Wherever danger threatened he was there to encourage his men.
During the afternoon the company was cut off from the battalion and completely surrounded by the enemy, who were able to approach to within grenade throwing distance of the slight depression which the company was holding. Several enemy grenades were thrown which Company Sergeant-Major Osborn picked up and threw back. The enemy threw a grenade which landed in a position where it was impossible to pick it up and return it in time. Shouting a warning to his comrades this gallant Warrant Officer threw himself on the grenade which exploded, killing him instantly. His self-sacrifice undoubtedly saved the lives of many others.
Company Sergeant-Major Osborn was an inspiring example to all throughout the defence which he assisted so magnificently in maintaining against an overwhelming enemy force for over eight and a half hours, and in his death he displayed the highest quality of heroism and self-sacrifice.’
Other Canadian VC recipients from WW2.
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/Canada2/victoricr
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Sherman crews.
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I'll nominate my great-uncle, Lt. John Heard.
After training with Gen Patton's 7th Army near Gila Bend, Arizona for the Torch Landings, he was shipped to New Guinnea (typical Army :)).
In NG, he was given command of a heavy weapons platoon. After two weeks in combat, he was shot in the shoulder attacking a Japanese pillbox. Even with the wound he still managed to get close enough to the pillbox to destory it with grenades.
He then spent almost a year in Army hospitals trying to repair his right arm. Even later in life he only had about 70% use of it. He was discharged from the Army with a Combat Infantry Man's medal, Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.
- Honorable mention goes to my grandfather (dad's side) who flew C-46's over the Hump in 1945 and my other grandfather who flew P-38's and P-51's with the 8th AF.
:D
The bravest non-family member is too hard to decide. There are too many stories from all sides to mention. One that does stick out is:
GORDON, NATHAN GREEN
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy, commander of Catalina patrol plane. Place and date: Bismarck Sea, 15 February 1944. Entered service at: Arkansas. Born: 4 September 1916, Morrilton, Ark. Citation: For extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty as commander of a Catalina patrol plane in rescuing personnel of the U.S. Army 5th Air Force shot down in combat over Kavieng Harbor in the Bismarck Sea, 15 February 1944. On air alert in the vicinity of Vitu Islands, Lt. (then Lt. j.g.) Gordon unhesitatingly responded to a report of the crash and flew boldly into the harbor, defying close-range fire from enemy shore guns to make 3 separate landings in full view of the Japanese and pick up 9 men, several of them injured. With his cumbersome flying boat dangerously overloaded, he made a brilliant takeoff despite heavy swells and almost total absence of wind and set a course for base, only to receive the report of another group stranded in a rubber life raft 600 yards from the enemy shore. Promptly turning back, he again risked his life to set his plane down under direct fire of the heaviest defenses of Kavieng and take aboard 6 more survivors, coolly making his fourth dexterous takeoff with 15 rescued officers and men. By his exceptional daring, personal valor, and incomparable airmanship under most perilous conditions, Lt. Gordon prevented certain death or capture of our airmen by the Japanese.
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Michael Wittman, Hans Wind, Ilmari Juutilainen are my choices thought also these (http://hem.passagen.se/wehrwolf/sfk/index.htm) and these (http://www.sci.fi/~fta/f19-1.htm)guys did something unbelievable: Volunteered to fight against a ten times bigger enemy with planes like Hawker Hart and Gloster Gladiator.
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most are posting single acts of bravery.........
as comendable as they are they fail to meet, atleast imho, the burden of "bravest man" (i assume this to include all folks men women children)
Since this thread seems to be focussing on individual acts lets stick with it......
What was the single bravest act by an individual in ww2?
But still answer the question who was the bravest individual of ww2?
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I would say the bravest person is anybody who faced almost certain painful death and acted alone to help their comrades. Probably a million or so of them, but you'll never know the story because most of them died and most of the people around them died.
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The bravest man has to be the guy who cleaned the Latrine after all those troops eating Army food:)
NUTTZ
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For bravest Individual I nominate that Japanese Officer? who surrendered in 1975 or thereabouts. Man!, fighting on for 30 years after the war ended, I'm impressed!
In second place I would put Schindler.
I would bet the single bravest act was by some unknown individual, "just doing his job", in a spot so hot that the survivors were to numb to even think about anything other than making it out alive.
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I remember watching a history series and they interviewed this guys and showed a photo a ground observer took of the action. He had run out of ammo, and although the bomber had been damaged (and possibly abandoned) it was heading for the Palace (or somewhere like that), so he rammed it :) - cut its tail off with his prop.
"Aircraft History: The Hawker Hurricane MkI was part of the first production batch of 500 built by Gloster Aircraft Co. Ltd, Brockworth during 1939/140 under contract number 962371/38/C.23A/ Delivered to 504 squadron, P2725 brought down the first enemy aircraft over London on 15th September 1940, piloted by Flight Sergeant R. T. Holmes. Ammunition exhausted he deliberately rammed a Dornier causing it to crash on Victoria Station, P2725 was badly damaged as a result of this action and Flight Sergeant Holmes had to leave the stricken aircraft by parachute. The Hurricane crashed in the vicinity of Victoria Station."
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Rudel!
The greatest "Pure Warrior" of WW2.
Like him or not he certainly was brave.
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Any one who flew a Sword fish
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My grandfather, Qunitin Walls.
He was a West Virginia coal miner, a quiet, pragmatic guy with little formal education but a lot of common sense. He joined the Navy right after Pearl Harbor, where he served on a communications command ship, and was present at all the major Atlantic invasion (N. Africa on ) and the later Pacific invasions. He left home a few month's after my mother was born and didn't see her or my grandmother again until the end of the war. My mother still talks about the strange man who was suddenly competing for her mother's attention when he returned. Eventually, they became the closest of "buddies", closer than her relationship with my grandmother I believe.
He encountered a lot of the great allied leaders of the time, and said Bradley and Halsey were the most down to earth. They would stop as ask the enlisted men how things were going from time to time.
His shipboard job wasn't glamorous, he worked in the laundry. At battle stations he manned a 5" gun.
He endured U-boat attacks, German bombers, and Kamikaze attacks. He was afraid constantly, drank every chance he got, but when the time came to hoist those 5" shell into the breech of a gun (and it came fairly often) he was there doing what he had to do.
He wasn't a great warrior living out a great warrior destiny. No one would ever have considered writing a book about his exploits, and he would have been too embarrassed to go along with it anyway -- he just did his job. He was a typical American sailor/soldier/airman of the period cleaning up a mess he would have rather not been involved in if only "people had more sense."
As an interesting story, one thanksgiving after he returned he was tasked with killing the turkey they had been raising for the event. No big deal for anyone raised in a rural environment, particularly in those days just a chop and its done.
He goes off and comes back later with no turkey. After much questioning he admitted to "leaving it in a box to suffocate." My grandmother was not pleased. She goes out and finds the turkey in the box, which he had propped up with a rock so that it could get plenty of air. Yes, not a great warrior but he did what his country asked him to do.
Charon
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This is one of my favorite stories from WW2.
On the night of July 12/13 1944 after a raid on Cambrai by RCAF No419,a Lancaster was attacked and mortally wounded.The crew bailed out except for the upper turret gunner(Andrew Mynardski..I believe he was Polish) and the tail gunner(George Brophy) who was trapped in his seat...He tried in vain to free his comrad and when his clothes cought on fire,he ran to the cockpit put the plane on auto pilot,tried again to free Brophy but it was no use.His uniform now ablaze and suffering severe burns,he wished his comrad luck and bailed.He survived the jump but died shortly afterwards because of severe burns.
The Lancaster on auto pilot,crash landed in England and Brophy was thrown clear of the crash in his turret and survived with minor injuries.
Flying Officer Andrew Mynardski was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross in 1946.
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Charon, looks like my grandfather and yours have two things in common, service in WW2, and the same last name.
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I would have to nominate my father. He was a Wake Isl. defender. Part of a very small force of US marines who held that island for about a month at the start of the war with no hope of supplies or reinforcements, and inflicting huge losses to the Japanese.
After that he spent the rest of the war in various POW camps in China and Japan. Enduring torture, beatings, starvation, spur of the moment executions, and all around horrible treatment.
I don't have the exact location or date (he only talks about the war very occasionally and POW time even less) but apparently there was some involvement in an act of sabotage while a POW in china resulting in the loss of a jap destroyer while it was in dry dock at the shipyard he was being used as a slave at.
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My Father,,,,and I mean it.
He sacrified himself and his health,for freedom and democrati.
Fought the Russians 39-40,together with the finn`s.
Was caught by the germans in 43`,when he participated in a raid
on a Weaponfactory(riffelsyndikatet)(he was in the DK resistent)
The Germans(my mother told me)gave him a very hard beating
(torture),he didn`t want to give up his friends.And then They sent
him to first Neungamme,buchenwald and at last Bergen Belsen.
He returned in 45`,just to find out that his best friend,had been
executed ,just 2 month´S before the war ended.
I remember I once pointed at with a toypistol,that really gave him the shiver,,,his nerves were totally worn out,,poor guy.
he has peace in his soul now (1915-1988)
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While one can think of a million stories of those heroic in the field of battle, I can never forget those who faced death in the face every second of their lives.
I speak of those in the camps. I speak of those who had no weapons to defend themselves. I speak of those who knew their fate and those who lost loved ones for no reason.
Sometimes you do not need a gun or a plane to be a hero.
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If I had to pick one person, my Grandpa. B-17 Navigator. Shot down over Germany, busted up his face on the bail out. Walked through Germany for 2 weeks before being captured. Spent a while in POW camp until war ended. He does not like to talk about it.
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Originally posted by Karaya One
While one can think of a million stories of those heroic in the field of battle, I can never forget those who faced death in the face every second of their lives.
I speak of those in the camps. I speak of those who had no weapons to defend themselves. I speak of those who knew their fate and those who lost loved ones for no reason.
Sometimes you do not need a gun or a plane to be a hero.
+++++++++++++++
If I had to pick one person, my Grandpa. B-17 Navigator. Shot down over Germany, busted up his face on the bail out. Walked through Germany for 2 weeks before being captured. Spent a while in POW camp until war ended. He does not like to talk about it.
To wake up my father,,was pretty risky,you had to back off a few
feet,untill he knew where he was.
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My grandfather, Gereral H Seller
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Anne Frank....a young girl being perfectly quiet for 2 YEARS!! Incredible.
OK, not "technically" a man. But she had big brass ones if you ask me.
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Charon, looks like my grandfather and yours have two things in common, service in WW2, and the same last name.
Thawn
It's a small world. I'm sure they're not related, but I don't run across too many Walls out there.
Charon