Thought it might be nice to have a forum on some of the Outstanding Soldiers of WW2. Please feel free to post any that you know.
Jan 26, 1945 Audie Murphy wounded
On this day, the most decorated man of the war, American Lt. Audie Murphy, is wounded in France.
Born the son of Texas sharecroppers on June 20, 1924, Murphy served three years of active duty, beginning as a private, rising to the rank of staff sergeant, and finally winning a battlefield commission to 2nd lieutenant. He was wounded three times, fought in nine major campaigns across Europe, and was credited with killing 241 Germans. He won 37 medals and decorations, including the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star (with oak leaf cluster), the Legion of Merit, and the Croix de Guerre (with palm).
The battle that won Murphy the Medal of Honor, and which ended his active duty, occurred during the last stages of the Allied victory over the Germans in France. Murphy
acted as cover for infantrymen during a last desperate German tank attack. Climbing atop an abandoned U.S. tank destroyer, he took control of its .50-caliber machine gun and killed 50 Germans, stopping the advance but suffering a leg wound in the process. (Later lead American counter-attack with leg wound!!!)
Upon returning to the States, Murphy was invited to Hollywood by Jimmy Cagney, who saw the war hero’s picture on the cover of Life magazine. By 1950, Murphy won an acting contract with Universal Pictures. In his most famous role, he played himself in the monumentally successful To Hell and Back.
Perhaps as interesting as his film career was his public admission that he suffered severe depression from post traumatic stress syndrome, also called battle fatigue, and became addicted to sleeping pills as a result. This had long been a taboo subject for veterans. Murphy died in a plane crash while on a business trip in 1971. He was 46.
This info comes from: http://www.historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?month=10272953&day=10272991&cat=10272951
Michael Wittman
Perhaps the most famous Tiger battle occurred at Villers Bocage under the command of world war 2 top tank ace, SS-Obersturmführer Michael Wittman. An entire column of 25 tanks, 14 half-tracks and 14 bren-gun carriers were destroyed in a single engagement. Decorated with the prestigious Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, it was the second highest decoration awarded by the German armed forces for valor in combat. Michael Wittman was the most decorated tanker of world war 2 and had destroyed 138 allied tanks and 132 anti-tank guns during his career. Michael Wittman’s death was a bit of a mystery. Some say he was ambushed and shot to pieces by
allied tanks whereas there were indications that his tank was blown up by a rocket fired by an allied aircraft.
This info comes from: http://www.worldwar2aces.com/tiger-tank/
Best pilots:
russia Kozhedub I.N - 62
german Hartman Erich -352
(from http://www.deol.ru/manclub/war/topten.htm)
submarine captains:
russia Marinesko - 42507 tonns
german Krechman - 266629 tonns
(http://www.deol.ru/manclub/war/morrek.htm)
tanks:
russia Lavrinenko (T-34) - 52 (16 of them - in 4 days, 7 - in one fight, died in november 1941 - what do you think 52 tanks - in 5 moths!)
german - you know
(http://www.deol.ru/manclub/war/acestank.htm)
(the sites are in russian)
And what about other countries? Does anyone has any information? I have seen somewhere that best pilots of Finland and Japan had about 90 victories, and best English and US - 30-40. Can anyone tell why?
Hopefully as more people join from other countries they will know more. I just happend to post 2 that i came across but if i find any others I will be sure to post them.
Not sure about your question. I could guess if there was a Finnish pilot that had 90 victories you could explain this …1 he was probably really good… 2 US and UK had much more pilots than Finland so kind of thins out the number of victories. Japan…I really kind of doubt that. The US pilots pretty much “owned” the Japanese later in the war.
The best fighter ace of America and the U.K. was a South African YAY! LOL 
about fins - at the bigining they had better plains - Me -109 and russian - I-16. Impossible to compare. And they were good pilots of couse.
Do you have any info on this person???
Joseph Beyrle is believed to be the only soldier to have fought for both the United States and the former Soviet Union during World War II.
His son, John Beyrle, who is U.S. Deputy Ambassador to Russia, has told the Russian weekly AiF that Mr. Beyrle was among the first paratroopers to land in Normandy, France, as part of the 101st Airborne Division’s 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The Germans captured him shortly after he landed. He escaped from a POW camp in Poland and joined a Soviet tank unit headed for Berlin. He fought alongside the Soviets for three weeks or so, and they called him “Joe.” After the war, he tried to reestablish contact with anyone of his former comrades-in-arms, but to no avail. Neither was he able to find out the number of the tank unit in which he had served. The only thing he knew for certain was that this unit had been part of the Sixth Guards Regiment, fighting on the First Belarus Front.
Mr Beyrle never made it to Berlin. He got wounded in the leg along the way, and had to be hospitalized. Luckily, the wound was not too serious, and doctors decided he could do without amputation. While he was staying in the hospital, Marshal Georgy Zhukov came over for a visit. After the American recounted his Odyssey, the Soviet marshal furnished him with papers so that he could get to Moscow without being detained by security forces on his way.
Officials at the U.S. Embassy met their fellow countryman with circumspection. According to information provided for them by the Pentagon, he was officially registered as killed in action on June 10, 1944. Yet, against all odds, he made it back to New York on May 8, 1945. And in his home town, in the state of Michigan, it took folks some time to believe his return wasn’t just a happy dream.
Mr. Beyrle lived to an advanced age. He died last December.
Even in the murkiest years of the Cold War era, the man thought of the Soviet Union with warm feelings only. He said he would never forget the kindness and compassion with which people down there had treated him.
This info comes from http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=89241
Axis pilots were required in most cases to ‘fly until you die’, instead of
being rotated back home after a certain number of missions, like the Americans and British. American aces then trained new pilots, while upcoming Axis pilots were lucky if they got any more than a few familiarisation flights in their fighters. A few survived being ‘thrown to the wolves’, but 95% didn’t. Wrong system for developing a large force of good pilots.
Axis pilots were required in most cases to ‘fly until you die’, instead of
being rotated back home after a certain number of missions, like the Americans and British. American aces then trained new pilots, while upcoming Axis pilots were lucky if they got any more than a few familiarisation flights in their fighters. A few survived being ‘thrown to the wolves’, but 95% didn’t. Wrong system for developing a large force of good pilots.[/quote]
No wonder why the Germans have such a high number of enemy planes down per person.
As I know, german pilots, who had “Iron cross” (All best pilots) could count a victory if he and an other pilot with “Cross” would report of it, and russian pilots words had to be proved by foto or information from land. And if the plain was taken down by a group - germans “wrote” it to all members of the group, and russian - only to one, or to noone at all.
Ah, so you are saying that the German statistics might not be 100% correct.
Yes. I’ve read that SOME of German statisticks are incorrect, but NOT ALL. All depends on how to count, and what to understnd as an air victory.
Charles Upham. One of only three men ever to win the VC and bar, and the only combatant to achieve this feat. Nothing more to add, is there!
SIMO HAYHA - Finnish sniper known as the “White Death”
called up to fight in the winter war, from his profession as a farmer and woodsman,
Fought for only 90 days, due to being shot in the face with an exploding bullet - takes the will out of you, I should imagine.
In 90 days using only IRON sights, Mosin nagant rifles and a selective fire machine gun.
He killed an estimated 542 men at a range of up to over 500 yards.
90 days 542 men comes out at over 6 men a day for 3 months non stop.
Yea what did he do to recieve it? Sailor, Solider, Pilot…Batman maybe??? Nice it you could post a bit more info.
Lt. Col. Robert Blair (Paddy) Mayne, DSO (and 3 bars), Croix de Guerre, Legion d’honneur.
An outstanding soldier, served in the SAS during the desert campaign and then into Europe. He is reputed to have knifed 17 German sentries to death in one night during a raid on an airfield. Read “Rogue Warrior of the SAS” by Martin Dillon for an insight into his life and career.
This amazing soldier assulted numerous enemies and made the day:
DUNHAM, RUSSELL E. - Medal of Honor Recipient
Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company I, 30th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Kayserberg, France, 8 January 1945. Entered service at: Brighton Ill. Born: 23 February 1920, East Carondelet, Ill. G.O. No.: 37, 11 May 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.
At about 1430 hours on 8 January 1945, during an attack on Hill 616, near Kayserberg, France, T/Sgt. Dunham single-handedly assaulted 3 enemy machineguns. Wearing a white robe made of a mattress cover, carrying 12 carbine magazines and with a dozen hand grenades snagged in his belt, suspenders, and buttonholes, T/Sgt. Dunham advanced in the attack up a snow-covered hill under fire from 2 machineguns and supporting riflemen. His platoon 35 yards behind him, T/Sgt. Dunham crawled 75 yards under heavy direct fire toward the timbered emplacement shielding the left machinegun. As he jumped to his feet 10 yards from the gun and charged forward, machinegun fire tore through his camouflage robe and a rifle bullet seared a 10-inch gash across his back sending him spinning 15 yards down hill into the snow. When the indomitable sergeant sprang to his feet to renew his 1-man assault, a German egg grenade landed beside him. He kicked it aside, and as it exploded 5 yards away, shot and killed the German machinegunner and assistant gunner. His carbine empty, he jumped into the emplacement and hauled out the third member of the gun crew by the collar. Although his back wound was causing him excruciating pain and blood was seeping through his white coat, T/Sgt. Dunham proceeded 50 yards through a storm of automatic and rifle fire to attack the second machinegun. Twenty-five yards from the emplacement he hurled 2 grenades, destroying the gun and its crew; then fired down into the supporting foxholes with his carbine dispatching and dispersing the enemy riflemen. Although his coat was so thoroughly blood-soaked that he was a conspicuous target against the white landscape, T/Sgt. Dunham again advanced ahead of his platoon in an assault on enemy positions farther up the hill. Coming under machinegun fire from 65 yards to his front, while rifle grenades exploded 10 yards from his position, he hit the ground and crawled forward. At 15 yards range, he jumped to his feet, staggered a few paces toward the timbered machinegun emplacement and killed the crew with hand grenades. An enemy rifleman fired at pointblank range, but missed him. After killing the rifleman, T/Sgt. Dunham drove others from their foxholes with grenades and carbine fire. Killing 9 Germans–wounding 7 and capturing 2–firing about 175 rounds of carbine ammunition, and expending 11 grenades, T/Sgt. Dunham, despite a painful wound, spearheaded a spectacular and successful diversionary attack.