Charles Upham, a true warrior in every sense of the word. A Captain in the 20th BN, 2nd New Zealand Exped. Force who saw action in Europe and North Africa during WWII, he is considered the highest decorated Commonwealth soldier of the war.
He is one of only 3 people to receive the Victoria Cross twice.
The only one to receive the VC twice in WWII.
The first VC was awarded in 1941 during the Battle of Crete. During the attack on Maleme, his platoon encountered heavily defended positions. Under intense machinegun fire, Capt. Upham single handedly cleared 3 enemy positions with his pistol and grenades, carried his wounded soldiers to safety, killed and captured 60+ enemy soldiers despite being wounded by shrapnel, shot in the foot, and suffering from dysentery.
The second VC was awarded in Egypt, during the Battle of El Alamein. During the attack, he was wounded once again. Despite the injuries, he managed to destroy an entire truckload of Germans with hand grenades. He then moved on and destroyed a tank, several gun emplacements and vehicles; even though he was shot through the elbow and his arm was broken. The enemy launched a massive counter attack. His company held its position till it was reduced to only 6 survivors. Upham was eventually taken prisoner.
As a POW, Capt. Upham attempted several escapes to include jumping off a moving truck, jumping off of a moving train, and on one occasion, he tried to escape in broad daylight by climbing the fence. When a prison guard threatened to shoot him, Upham calmly ignored him and lit a cigarette. He was later transferred to Colditz Castle and remained there till the end of the war.
After the war, Capt. Upham moved back to NZ and became a farmer. It is said that for the remainder of his life, Upham would allow no German manufactured machinery or car onto his property.
When the recommendation was made for a second VC, the King remarked to Major-General Howard Kippenberger that a bar to the cross would be "very unusual indeed" and enquired firmly, "Does he deserve it?" Kippenberger replied, "In my respectful opinion, sir, Upham won it several times over" #Hardfuck