I don't usually break up my takes into parts but for this topic, it will be exception. Part 1 was focused on the axis figures with some allied allied figures https://www.girlsaskguys.com/social-relationships/a31996-11-notable-figures-from-world-war-ii but on this one, the focus will be on the allied figures with some axis figures. The sources of this info are from documentaries, books and reliable websites. There are some figures from the Third Reich in this take but I'm not praising the Third Reich. Most gas figures here are from the allies.
1.) Barney F. Hajiro
A Japanese-American U.S. Soldier, he was part of the 442nd RCT He participated in the rescue of the lost battalion.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Battalion_(Europe,_World_War_II)
He effortlessly destroyed two German machine gun nests. He was shot in his left shoulder and wrist which left his left arm partially paralyzed. He won mulitple medals including the Medal of Honor, British military medal, French Liberation medal and many more. He survived the war and lived to the age of 94. He passed away in 2011.
2.) Desmond Doss
A U.S. Medic in WWII that saved the lives of many of his comrades.
Since he was a seventh day Adventist, he refused to kill enemy soldiers or even carry a weapon into battle. This is why he became a medic. He was wounded three times which earned him three Purple Hearts. He also earned 2 bronze stars, a Medal of Honor and many citations. He survived the war and lived to the age of 86, he passed away in 2006.
3.) George Lincoln Rockwell
A U.S. Soldier in WWII that would become infamous.
He served in the navy although he never engaged in combat. He would become a bigot after WWII, ironically he founded the "American Nazi party". He confronted Martin Luther King(pictured below) and planned to have a debate with him but was barred from meeting MLK after King was assaulted. Rockwell would get assassinated by one of his former followers(John Patler) in 1969. The gun that John used to assassinate Rockwell was a Mauser C-96 which is a pistol of German origin. So many U.S. Soldiers sacrificed their lives to defeat the Nazis. Yet George decided to establish a Nazi party here in the U.S. Shame on George Lincoln Rockwell. Rockwell was 49 years old when he got killed.
4.) Audie Murphy
This man was in the U.S. Army, he was short 5'5" but his size didn't mattter, he won a lot of medals for his amazing feats in the war. He captured a lot of enemy soldiers and was wounded on some occasions. He was able to hold a position by himself for a hour against German infantry. Before he enlisted in the army he was rejected for being underweight and under age. His sister helped him falsify his age which allowed him to enlist. He survived the war but suffered PTSD, he ended up getting killed in a plane crash in 1971, he was only 46 years old.
5) Lachhiman Gurung
A short Nepalese man 4'11" in the British Indian army. At one point in 1945 he was by himself when 200 Imperial Japanese soldiers advanced on his position. Three grenades were thrown at him, he threw two of those grenades at the enemy but the third grenade blew up in his right hand. The grenade blew off his fingers on his right hand, shattered his arm and injured his face. For four hours he continued to shoot at the enemy with only his left hand. He even reloaded his rifle only using his left land. He ended up killing 31 imperial Japanese soldiers with his rifle using only his left arm. Eventually reinforcements arrived to help him. He ended up surviving the war. He was awarded the Victoria cross. He passed away in 2010 at 92 years old.
6.)Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI
The former pope was a member of the HitlerJugend(Hitler youth) however he was a unenthusiastic member of the Hitler jugend. The reason why he was in the Hitler youth was because he was conscripted. All 14 year old German boys were required by law to join the Hitler youth. His whole family didn't support the nazis. During the war he was drafted into the anti aircraft Corps and then trained in infantry. In 1945 he deserted the military and went to his family's home. Since he was a German soldier he had to stay in a POW camp but was released a few months later. After the war he had a academic career.
7.)Jack Tueller
An air force pilot that would carry a trumpet with him. He would play his trumpet when he was stressed and to calm his fellow pilots when they felt nervous. He played Lili Marleen (German love song) because he felt compassion for the German sniper. The German sniper didn't fire, the next day the German sniper surrendered and met with Jack to shake his hand. Jack passed away this year.
8.) Donn Draeger
A U.S. soldier that practiced Japanese martial arts, he served in the United States Marine corps from 1943-1956 and participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima. He was promoted to lieutenant. In 1945, he went to Northern China to accept the surrender of Inperial Japanese soldiers. After the war he wrote books about martial arts and became the martial arts coordinator for the James Bond film "You only live twice". Donn and James Takemori(a 442nd RCT veteran and Judoka) founded a Judo club. Donn passed away in 1982 at the age of 60 from cancer.
9.) Heinz Hitler
The nephew of Adolf Hitler, he fought on the Eastern front and participated in the battle of Moscow.In 1942 Heinz was captured by soviet forces and he was tortured to death. He was only 21 years old when he died.
10.) William Patrick Houston/Hitler
Another nephew of Adolf Hitler. He was of German and Irish ancestry. Adolf Hitler wanted William to relinquish his British citizenship for a "high ranking job" William suspected a trap and fled Nazi Germany. William even threatened to tell the press that Adolf Hitler's paternal grandfather was allegedly Jewish. He briefly returned to Germany but nobody knows what he did in that period. He then emigrated to the United States. He joined the U.S. navy during WWII as a pharmacist's mate. He won a Purple Heart due to a wound he received in the war. After the war he got married and had four sons. He passed away in 1987 at 76 years old. He is known for writing the article titled "Why I hate my uncle".
11.) Fritz Christen
A very decorated Waffen SS soldier. In 1941, he was operating a anti-tank battery. All of his fellow soldiers had been killed. He continued to operate the 50mm cannon by himself for three days without sleep, food or supplies. In those three days, he destroyed 13 soviet tanks and killed almost 100 Soviet soldiers by himself. He ended up surviving the war and passed away in 1995 at the age of 74.
12.) James Hill
A British army officer, he fought three Italian tanks by himself. He only had a revolver, he charged at the three tanks while dodging bullets. He put his revolver in the observation holes and force the crews to surrender. He was shot three times though. He managed survive and lived to the age of 95. He passed away in 2006.
13.) Yang Kyounjong
A Korean man that was conscripted into the Imperial Japanese army. He fought the Soviets but he was captured by them. The Soviets sent him to forced lab our but then he was forced into the Soviet red army. He would then fight the Germans but he was captured by the Germans, the Germans forced him into the Wehrmacht. During D-day he was captured by U.S. Paratroopers, he was held in a POW camp but was released after the war ended. He lived for the rest of his life in Illinois for the rest of his life, he passed away in 1992 at the age of 72. He is survived by his three children(two sons and one daughter). A movie based on his story was made, it's called "My Way".
14.) Mad Jack Churchill
A British soldier that fought in WWII with a longbow and Scottish broadsword, he also carried around bagpipes. He killed enemy soldiers with his weapons of choice. He was captured by the Germans but was released by Wehrmacht officer Wichard Von Alvensleben (the W is not a typo). He survived the war and lived to the age of 89. He passed away in 1996.
MIS (military intelligence service): While most Japanese-Americans(Nisei) fought in Europe as members of the 442nd RCT, some Japanese-Americans did serve as translators and interrogators in the pacific. They were able to find out Yamamoto's activities, through broadcasts. As a result of these broadcasts, Admiral Yamamoto was shot down in his plane. According to Douglas MacArthur "The Nisei shortened the war in the Pacific by two years and saved possibly a million Americans and saved probably billions of dollars." These Nisei also played a major role in the occupation of Japan and are credited with helping establish the friendly relations between the U.S. and Japan that exist to this day.
Now you know even more famous WWII figures. Of course there are even more famous WWII soldiers, such as the Tuskegee airmen etc but it's up to you to look up other famous WWII soldiers.
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