Most Decorated Soldier of All-Time

[Volyn]

This topic thread is dedicated to soldiers from any nation, combat era or service who were awarded above and beyond their wartime peers:

Who is arguably the most decorated soldier ever (Officer and Enlisted) - has anyone ever put such a list of combatants together before?

[Plain Old Dave]

Army-2d Lt.Audie Murphy
Navy- BM1 James Williams
Marines- GySgt Dan Daly
Air Force- CMsgt Duane Hackney

Honorable mention for ADM Eugene "Lucky" Fluckey. WW2 sub commander, Medal of honor and four Navy Crosses.

[Sid Guttridge]

Emperor Bokassa?

Seriously, though, some countries are more liberal with their decorations than others, so direct comparisons cannot be made.

My father, who was in the British Army, served in Korea. There the Brits got US rations.

When British junior officers were eating with their US equivalents they would play a little game:

First British officer, looking into his US ration back, "I haven't got one this time!".

Second British officer, rifling through the contents of his US ration pack, "Blimey, neither have I!"

Third British officer, "Nor I! This has never happened before".

Sooner or later one of the US officers, in defence of his national ration pack, was bound to ask, "What's missing?"

Fourth British officer, "The usual Purple Heart!"

It may be apocryphal, but rumour also had it that US servicemen got a different medal for being posted across the Mississippi, because they were passing from the Pacific to European Theatres, or vice versa! Is this true?

Sid.

[Plain Old Dave]

Emperor Bokassa?

Seriously, though, some countries are more liberal with their decorations than others, so direct comparisons cannot be made.

My father, who was in the British Army, served in Korea. There the Brits got US rations.

When British junior officers were eating with their US equivalents they would play a little game:

First British officer, looking into his US ration back, "I haven't got one this time!".

Second British officer, rifling through the contents of his US ration pack, "Blimey, neither have I!"

Third British officer, "Nor I! This has never happened before".

Sooner or later one of the US officers, in defence of his national ration pack, was bound to ask, "What's missing?"

Fourth British officer, "The usual Purple Heart!"

It may be apocryphal, but rumour also had it that US servicemen got a different medal for being posted across the Mississippi, because they were passing from the Pacific to European Theatres, or vice versa! Is this true?

Sid.

In a word, no. campaign decorations are not awarded for service INCONUS (IN the CONtinental UNited States.

As for significant (i.e. personal) awards,

2d Lt. Audie Murphy was a Medal of Honor recipient. Got a Distinguished Service Cross (second highest award in the Army), Silver and Bronze Stars, and a number of foreign awards.

Boatswain's Mate Petty Officer First Class James Williams, Medal of Honor, Silver and Bronze Stars. US Navy Veterans will appreciate that he was later made an honorary Chief Petty Officer. In the United States Navy, and only in the United States Navy, is a differentiation made between lower paygrades and the Chief. "Ask the Chief" is a byword both in the Navy and out. Any Chief will tell you the most important award they ever received was the Chief Petty Officer Anchors on the collars of their Khaki uniform, and any honest retired First Class Petty Officer will tell you one of their most searing disappointments was retiring as a First Class.

Admiral Fluckey's awards, specially the four Navy Crosses, make him the most decorated Sailor in US History. He actually tried to "horse trade" his Medal of Honor down and refuse it to get more recognition through decorations for the crew of the USS BARB, (the submarine he commanded) for actions during her 11th war patrol.

Marines- Gunnery Sergeant Dan Daly's two Medals of Honor, Army Distinguished Service Cross and Navy Cross are legendary; the 1901 Medal of Honor should be understood to have been awarded in an era when the MoH was the ONLY US award for heroism. Many non-combat Medals of Honor were rescinded or retrograded to lower awards in 1917.

Chesty Puller's five Navy Crosses are arguably a broader recognition of his heroism in combat than Daly's awards, and there has been an effort made to upgrade one of his Navy Crosses to a Medal of Honor.

Air Force- CMsgt Duane Hackney, a combat search and rescue aircrewman, flew 200 missions in Vietnam, being awarded the Air Force Cross, four Distinguished Flying Crosses as part of his total 28 awards for heroism in combat.

[John Hilly]

IIRC Israel's most decorated soldoier is former prime minister, LG Ehud Barak.

With best, J-P

[Volyn]

Army-2d Lt.Audie Murphy
Navy- BM1 James Williams
Marines- GySgt Dan Daly
Air Force- CMsgt Duane Hackney

Honorable mention for ADM Eugene "Lucky" Fluckey. WW2 sub commander, Medal of honor and four Navy Crosses.

This is a good list of US awardees, especially for WW1 & WW2 -

I would add Vietnam era Army Colonel Robert L. Howard as deserving to be considered alongside Major Audie Murphy.

Col. Howard: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, (4) Legion of Merit, (4) Bronze Stars with "V", (8) Purple Hearts, (3) Air Medals with "V" and (54) months in combat.

Who are the most combat decorated German and Soviet soldiers? Oberst Hans Rudel would be one, whom else can be considered?

[Volyn]

IIRC Israel's most decorated soldier is former prime minister, LG Ehud Barak.

With best, J-P

Great addition!

[Plain Old Dave]

I would add Vietnam era Army Colonel Robert L. Howard as deserving to be considered alongside Major Audie Murphy.

Col. Howard: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, (4) Legion of Merit, (4) Bronze Stars with "V", (8) Purple Hearts, (3) Air Medals with "V" and (54) months in combat.

The Legion of Merit can be a noncombat award; the citations would help...

[Sid Guttridge]

Another problem arises within countries over time.

An Italian soldier was several dozen times more likely to get Italy's highest award against Ethiopia in 1935-36 than he was against Austria-Hungary in WWI.

A list of a award winners is fine of itself, but it serves no useful comparitive purpose because of differences in national cultures at various times.

Sid.

[Volyn]

Another problem arises within countries over time.

An Italian soldier was several dozen times more likely to get Italy's highest award against Ethiopia in 1935-36 than he was against Austria-Hungary in WWI.

A list of a award winners is fine of itself, but it serves no useful comparitive purpose because of differences in national cultures at various times.

Sid.

Sid - All of this is true, however, the thread is not to compare soldiers of nations against each other, but to highlight those soldiers who were the most decorated representatives of their combat peers in any given era. Of course several nations use their awards as political frivolities, yet there are nations whose soldiers fought with heroic dignity and they were duly recognized for it.

[Volyn]

I would add Vietnam era Army Colonel Robert L. Howard as deserving to be considered alongside Major Audie Murphy.

Col. Howard: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, (4) Legion of Merit, (4) Bronze Stars with "V", (8) Purple Hearts, (3) Air Medals with "V" and (54) months in combat.

The Legion of Merit can be a noncombat award; the citations would help...

You are correct that the LOM can be award for non-combat, however, they could also be issued based on command of a unit in wartime as well. Even if you do not count his LOM's he still ranks alongside Maj. Murphy based on his other awards and 8 Purple Hearts (although he was officially wounded 14 times). Anyone know why he was only awarded 8?

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Volyn,

All that is true, but any listing of the most decorated is pretty meaningless without context.

Anyway, I will let the listing continue without further interruption.

Cheers,

Sid.

[Plain Old Dave]

Solid point. That's why I restricted to individual citations for heroism in combat, like the bronze and silver stars, AF Cross, Navy Cross, Distinguished Service Cross, and Medal of Honor (in order of US precedence).

[Volyn]

I think Captain Eddie Rickenbacker is the most decorated American soldier in history for his actions in WW1:

(1) Medal of Honor
(7) Distinguished Service Crosses
(6) Battle Clasps - WW1 Victory Medal
(26) Ariel Victories

Some of the Soviets to be considered:

Marshal Ivan Kozhedub - WW2 and Korea (only counted combat related awards below)
(3) Heroes of the Soviet Union
(3) Orders of Lenin
(5) Orders of the Red Banner
(1) Order of Alexander Nevsky
(64) Ariel Victories

Marshal Semyon Budyonny - WW1, Russian Civil War, WW2 (only counted combat related awards below)
(All 4 Degrees) Chevalier St. George Medal for Bravery
(All 4 Degrees) Chevalier St. George's Cross
(2) Orders of Lenin
(4) Orders of the Red Banner
(1) Order of Suvorov, 1st Class
(2) Honorary Revolutionary Weapons (Sword and Pistol)
(4) WW2 Campaign Medals (Moscow, Caucasus, Odessa, Sevastopol)

Sergeant-Major Nikolai Kuznetsov - WW2 (only counted combat related awards below)
(1) Hero of the Soviet Union
(1) Order of Lenin
(1) Order of the Great Patriotic War, 1st Class
(All 3 Degrees) Chevalier Order of Glory
(2) Medals for Courage
(2) Campaign Medals (Sevastopol, Königsberg)

Sergeant Pavel Dubinda - WW2 (only counted combat related awards below)
(1) Hero of the Soviet Union
(1) Order of Lenin
(1) Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 3rd Class
(All 3 Degrees) Chevalier Order of Glory
(3) Campaign Medals (Odessa, Sevastopol, Königsberg)

[Volyn]

A couple of Germans for consideration:

Oberst Hans-Ulrich Rudel - WW2 (only counted combat related awards below)

(1) Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds
(1) Wound Bade in Gold
(1) Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant "2000"
(1) Pilot/Observers Badge in Gold with Diamonds
(1) Iron Cross, 1st Class
(1) Iron Cross, 2nd Class
(1) German Cross in Gold
(1) Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe
(1) Hungarian Gold Medal of Bravery
(1) Italian Medal of Military Valor (Gold or Silver?)
(9) Ariel Victories
(519) Tanks Destroyed
(2530) Combat Sorties

Major Erich Hartmann "Black Devil" - WW2 (only counted combat related awards below)

(1) Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds
(1) Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant "1300"
(1) Pilot/Observer Badge in Gold with Diamonds
(1) Iron Cross, 1st Class
(1) Iron Cross, 2nd Class
(1) German Cross in Gold
(1) Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe
(352) Ariel Victories
(1404) Combat Sorties

Hauptmann Hans-Joachim Marseille "Star of Africa" - WW2 (only counted combat related awards below)

(1) Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
(1) Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant "300"
(1) Pilot/Observer Badge in Gold with Diamonds
(1) Iron Cross, 1st Class
(1) Iron Cross, 2nd Class
(1) German Cross in Gold
(1) Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe
(1) Italian Gold Medal of Military Valor
(1) Italian Silver Medal of Military Valor
(158) Ariel Victories

Hauptmann Günther Viezenz - WW2 (only counted combat related awards below)

(1) Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
(21) Tank Destruction Badges (4 Gold + 1 Silver)
(1) Iron Cross, 1st Class
(1) Iron Cross, 2nd Class
(1) Infantry Assault Badge in Silver

SS-Untersturmführer Hermann Maringgele - WW2 (only counted combat related awards below)

(1) Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
(1) Close Combat Clasp in Gold
(1) Iron Cross, 1st Class
(1) Iron Cross, 2nd Class
(1) German Cross in Gold
(1) General Assault Badge in Silver
(84) Days Close Combat

SS-Standartenfuhrer Léon Degrelle - WW2 (only counted combat related awards below)

(1) Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
(1) Close Combat Clasp in Gold
(1) Wound Badge in Gold
(1) Iron Cross, 1st Class
(1) Iron Cross, 2nd Class
(1) German Cross in Gold
(1) War Merit Cross, 2nd Class
(1) Infantry Assault Badge in Silver
(1) Eastern Front Medal

Kapitän zur See Wolfgang Lüth - WW2 (only counted combat related awards below)

(1) Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
(1) U-boat War Badge with Diamonds
(1) U-boat Front Clasp in Silver
(1) Iron Cross, 1st Class
(1) Iron Cross, 2nd Class
(47) Ships Sunk