No amount of war medals makes amends for the bravery and sacrifice of the men and women
who fight for our freedom in war — but recognition is no less important. In this video, we're
going to turn the spotlight on five of the most decorated units which served in the Second
World War.
The 588th Night Bomber Regiment, known by their most unfortunate enemies as the Night
Witches, was an all-female unit of the Soviet Air Forces, active from 1942 until the end
of the war in Europe. While the Night Witches were initially treated as inferior — provided
second-hand uniforms and equipment — they quickly proved to be terrors in the night
skies of the Second World War. All in all, the Witches flew in over 23,600 sorties, including
in the Battle of the Caucuses, the Crimean Offensive, and the Vistula–Oder Offensive,
among many more. Night Witch Nadezhda Popova survived the war and went on to say, "Almost
every time we, had to sail through a wall of enemy fire. [...] "We bombed, we killed;
it was all a part of war. [...] We had an enemy in front of us, and we had to prove
that we were stronger and more prepared." In total, 261 women served in the 588th, with
32 of them losing their lives. For their bravery and skill in battle, they became the most
decorated all-female unit in the Soviet Air Force, claiming the Guards designation, the
Order of the Red Banner, the Order of the Suvorov, and many individual awards, including
23 Heroes of the Soviet Union, two Heroes of the Russian Federation, and one Hero of
Kazakhstan.
The joint American-Canadian special forces unit, literally called the 1st Special Service
Force or, better, the Black Devils or Devil's Brigade, was active between July 1942 and
December 1944. The unit paved the way for special forces as we know them today, waging
unconventional warfare in Italy and France, mostly. Of particular note were the Devils'
involvement in the Battle of Anzio, where they replaced the 1st and 3rd US Ranger Battalions
and scared the hell out of the Germans. After the battle, a Wehrmacht HQ message was found
on one of the captured German soldiers; it read, "You are fighting an elite Canadian-American
force. They are treacherous, unmerciful, and clever. You cannot afford to relax. The first
soldier or group of soldiers capturing one of these black-hearted men will be given a
10-day furlough" (meaning leave of absence). By the time the Devils were disbanded — an
event which they celebrated with a military parade in southern France — they had received
a plethora of decorations, such as the Distinguished Unit Citation and Croix de Guerre with Silver-Gilt
Star. Soldiers within the unit also received a great many individual military honours,
with the legendary Tommy Prince becoming the most decorated First Nations Canadian soldier
of the war.
The 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" was one of the more effective Waffen-SS units
of World War II, serving from the beginning to just about the very end. Of note, Das Reich
fought in the invasion of France, in a number of battles under Operation Barbarossa, on
the defence in Operation Overlord, in the Battle of the Bulge, and in Nazi Germany's
last major offensive, Operation Spring Awakening. As French military historian Yves Buffetaut
put it "[...] 'Das Reich' was a battlefront mainstay for Nazi Germany throughout World
War II — from the invasion of Poland in 1939 to the final surrender in May 1945."
The unit was also neck-deep in war crimes, carrying out the Tulle and Oradour-sur-Glane
massacres, among other such atrocities. In the village of Oradour-sur-Glane, for instance,
Das Reich massacred 642 French civilians, women and children included. In the words
of Robert Hébras, one of just six of the massacre's survivors, "The SS were walking
around and shooting anything that moved. They poured petrol on bodies and then set them
alight." Despite this, the division became one of Germany's most decorated, holding as
many as 90 Knight's Crosses, 28 Close Combat Clasps in Gold, and 156 German Crosses in
Gold, among many other military awards, and the title "Das Reich" was in itself a battle
honour.
The British Commandos, one of the most influential spec ops forces of all time, were put into
action in 1940 and served until the end of the Second World War, in which they fought
in every theatre. As such, the 30-plus units fielded by the Commandos earned the force
38 British Army battle honours — with each award as recognition for their involvement
in a distinct campaign or engagement. Such included the North African Campaign, the Italian
campaign, the Dieppe Raid, and the Normandy Landings. Additionally, individual soldiers
within the British Commandos earned a total of 479 decorations for themselves, including
eight Victoria Crosses, 37 Distinguished Service Orders, 162 Military Crosses, 32 Distinguished
Conduct Medals, and 218 Military Medals, among others. As written by British brigadier and
historian Peter Young, "Look at the list [of the Commandos' 38 Battle Honours] and you
will see that they were not the most peaceable operations [...] but [...] only the most famous
of countless fights in which these units played their part." On the individual awards, such
as the Victoria Cross, Young also wrote, "[...] Only [...] the most outstanding [...] won these
distinctions, chosen from a host whose devotion and bravery was not less marked for being
unrewarded." Also, Hitler wasn't too happy about the hurt the Commandos were inflicting
on his Reich, so he issued an order on the 18th of October 1942 which read, "From now
on, all men operating against German troops in so-called Commando raids [...] are to be
annihilated to the last man."
Raised in 1918, the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division has been in the business
of war for over 100 years. During World War II, the 101st played a critical role in Operation
Overlord, Operation Market Garden (despite it being a failure), the Battle of the Bulge,
and other operations under the Western Allies' final push through Western Europe into Germany.
As commander of the 101st, Major General William C. Lee, put it, [...] We shall be called upon
to carry out operations of far-reaching military importance and we shall [...] go into action
when the need is immediate and extreme. [...] Our badge is the great American eagle. This is
a fitting emblem for a division that will crush its enemies by falling upon them like
a thunderbolt from the skies." Such was the case in Operation Overlord. The 101st's paratroopers
were dropped behind German lines at Utah Beach, where they destroyed German escape routes
and communications and established bridgeheads and defensive lines — though not without
cost. The unit encountered heavy resistance, especially flak, and suffered from a range
of navigational errors too, missing some of its drop zones by over 30 kilometres. This
led the 101st to take some 1,120 casualties on D-Day alone. For its bravery and sacrifice
in Operation Overlord and beyond, the 101st — or as many know the unit, the Screaming
Eagles — received thousands of military awards, including but not limited to 13 Distinguished
Unit Citations, three Medals of Honour, 456 Silver Stars, and 9,488 Bronze Stars.
All right, that's it. There totally weren't any units nicknamed the Purple Heart Battalion
or anything that got bucket-loads more war medals than any of the units we've mentioned
in this video. Naht! We lied when we said we'd be turning the spotlight on just five
of the most decorated units of the Second World War, and we've saved the sixth (and
best) for last.
The US 442nd Infantry Regiment, a unit composed mostly of second-generation American volunteer
soldiers with Japanese ancestry — known in the Japanese language as Nisei — remains
the most decorated unit for its size in US history. The 442nd was active from 1944 until
the end of the war and a little beyond it, serving all throughout Western and Central
Europe, most notably in Italy, France, and Germany. In their first engagement, in the
Italian village of Belvedere, three companies of the 442nd flanked a German position and
ruined them as they tried to flee. As per the Presidential Unit Citation they received
for this action, "All three companies went into action boldly facing murderous fire from
all types of weapons and tanks [...] The stubborn desire of the men to close with a numerically
superior enemy [...] enabled [them] to destroy completely the right flank positions of a
German Army [...]. The fortitude and intrepidity [they] displayed [...] reflects the finest
traditions of the [US Army]. In the less-than-two years that the 442nd was active, it received
18,143 military awards, which included 9,486 Purple Hearts, 560 Silver Stars, 4,000 Bronze
Stars, 52 Distinguished Service Crosses, 21 Medals of Honour, and eight Presidential Unit
Citations, among others.
Well, the US 442nd Infantry Regiment blew this thing out of the water. But can you think
of any other units that earned an exceptional amount of medals in the Second World War?
How about some heroic tales regarding the units in this video? Please share your thoughts
in the comments.