In an age of modern warfare, who’d fight an enemy with a sword? One of these WWII badasses, that’s who. In fact, the courage of each of these 20 heroes will blow you away.

Image: via Imperial War Museums — Image: via Military Education / Imperial War Museums

These 20 Allied heroes from World War II were total badasses. From driving flaming ammunition trucks away from comrades to leading bayonet charges against armed enemies, they each risked, and some lost, their lives dramatically in the name of duty. As a result, they’ve each earned a reputation for heroism, toughness and good old-fashioned patriotism. Prepare to be amazed by their actions.

Douglas_Bader — Image: Devon S A (F/O), Royal Air Force via Imperial War Museums

20. Douglas Bader

Douglas Bader was one of the most successful RAF fighter pilots of the Second World War. In fact, by the middle of 1941 he had personally shot down 23 German aircraft and had been presented with the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). That August, however, things took a turn for the worse when he crashed into another aircraft over the French coast. The Germans subsequently captured and imprisoned the British pilot at Colditz, where he remained until the Allies secured victory in 1945.

David_Currie — Image: Library and Archives Canada

19. David Currie

In August 1944 Major David Currie of the Canadian Army led an advance on the German-held commune of St. Lambert-sur-Dives in northern France. After securing a particularly strategic position, Currie spent 36 long hours defending it and subsequently destroyed 40 enemy vehicles, seven tanks and killed 300 Nazis. A further 500 more were wounded, while 2,100 more were taken hostage. As a result, Currier with the sole Canadian to be given the Victoria Cross.

Vasily_Zaytsev — Image: via LiveJournal/Aloban75

18. Vasily Zaytsev

Soviet sniper Vasily Zaytsev was hugely prolific during the Second World War. In fact, during the first few months of the Battle of Stalingrad he had shot dead 214 enemy soldiers and 11 of the Axis’ own marksmen. The secret to Zaytsev’s success was in the choosing of his hiding locations, such as inside water pipes and amid rubble. Then after firing a few hits, he would quickly change to an another concealed location. In January 1943, however, a mortar attack left him blind – though a talented eye surgeon was able to later restore Zaytsev’s sight. Zaytsev earned the Hero of the Soviet Union award for his actions.

Walter_Ehlers — Image: via Walter Ehlers via PBS

17. Walter D. Ehlers

Walter D. Ehlers arrived in northern France on June 6, 1944: D-Day. After three days of fighting, the U.S. staff sergeant and his unit had progressed eight miles inland. Next, they had to initiate an attack against a position that the retreating Germans did not want to lose. So Ehlers bravely led the charge by single-handedly taking out a number of Nazi machine-gun posts. He was wounded the following day, but the soldier still managed to lift a comrade to safety and dash through German fire to pick up his dropped rifle. After his injuries were treated, Ehlers chose to fight on rather than be evacuated. He was, of course, awarded the Medal of Honor.

Jack_Churchill_sword — Image: via Wikimedia Commons / Imperial War Museums

16. Jack Churchill

When Lieutenant-Colonel Jack Churchill, or “Mad Jack” to his comrades, landed at Norway’s Nazi-occupied Vågsøy Island in December 1941, his enemies probably didn’t expect him to throw a hand grenade in their direction, pull out a sword and start charging at them. But that’s exactly what Churchill did, because he knew that it would work. In fact, Churchill helped capture over 40 Germans during the war with his sword. But that wasn’t the only trick up his sleeve. No, the DSO recipient also escaped prisoner-of-war camps, survived bomb blasts and killed an enemy combatant with a longbow.

Simo-Hayha — Image: via Military Education

15. Simo Häyhä

During the Winter War – which arose when the Soviet Union invaded Finland in 1939, following the outbreak of World War II – Finnish sniper Simo “White Death” Häyhä reportedly shot dead 505 enemy combatants. This is the biggest documented number of marksman kills in any major conflict. Even more impressive is the fact that Häyhä, who donned white camouflage on the field, fought in −40 °F temperatures.

Thomas_Baker — Image: John Weeks / United States Army

14. Thomas Baker

While fighting in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Islands in 1944, 27th Infantry Division soldier Thomas Baker, who had already initiated his own bazooka advances and killed numerous enemy troops, got wounded. He refused to be evacuated, however, and continued fighting until he ran out of ammunition. Still not wanting to be a burden, Baker asked his company to leave him leaning against a tree with a loaded pistol. When his body was later found, leaning against the same tree, around his feet were eight dead Japanese soldiers. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

13. Virginia Hall

U.S. special agent Virginia Hall was regarded by her Gestapo enemies as “the most dangerous of all Allied spies.” Utilized by both the United States and Britain, Hall made her name as an operative in France, though she was later forced to escape to Spain over the Pyrenees – not easy given her artificial leg. When she later returned, she clandestinely linked up with the French Resistance to locate safe houses, map drop zones and initiate guerilla-warfare training. The Germans, despite their best efforts, never captured her. She is pictured here receiving the DSO.

12. Lewis Millett

Lewis Millett was so desperate to fight the forces of evil that, with U.S. participation in World War II still in doubt, Millett deserted the Army Air Corps to join the Canadian military. He later linked up with his U.S. comrades when they joined the conflict, whereupon he was dispatched to Tunisia. There, he drove a flaming ammunition truck away from his fellow troops and, before it exploded, leaped out. He also used a machine gun to down a Nazi fighter plane. Later, Millett won a Medal of Honor in the Korean War and participated in Vietnam.

Robert_G_Cole — Image: via YouTube/DDay-Overlord

11. Robert G. Cole

When Lieutenant Colonel Robert G. Cole was leading his battalion in France in 1944, it suddenly came under heavy German fire. After an hour, with no let-up in sight, Cole launched a bayonet assault on the enemy positions with himself at the front. The counterattack, which was later christened “Cole’s Charge,” was successful in forcing the Nazis to retreat – but of the 265 soldiers who joined Cole, nearly half died in the assault. Cole himself was killed by sniper fire just two weeks before he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

10. Nadezhda Popova

Fearless Nadezhda Popova was famous for being one of the Soviet Union’s first female combat pilots, and she was a total badass in the cockpit. She earned the nickname “Night Witch” after successfully completing 852 missions, most of them at night as commander of the 2nd Women’s Regiment. Not only was she one of the best pilots, but she was also one of the luckiest, having been shot down, and emerging unscathed, on numerous occasions. Her many decorations included the Hero of the Soviet Union award.

Tommy_Macpherson — Image: via Daily Mail

9. Tommy Macpherson

To his enemies he was known as the “Kilted Killer,” a nickname that Scottish soldier Tommy Macpherson certainly earned. In fact, the highly decorated colonel went about his work wearing a kilt, even if his guerilla-fighting missions demanded inconspicuousness. Otherwise, Macpherson, who operated mostly from secluded forests and caves in France, was known by his pseudonym Agent Quinine. Whatever he was called, however, there’s no denying Macpherson’s adeptness at neutralizing German-controlled bridges and Nazi threats.

Daniel_Inouye — Image: United States Army / via Wikimedia Commons

8. Daniel Inouye

Daniel Inouye survived a gunshot wound to the chest and the loss of his right arm on the way to earning the Medal of Honor. In fact, during a particularly fierce battle near Terenzo, Italy, in 1945, Inouye had just pulled the pin on a grenade when enemy fire tore through his right arm. However, he deftly retrieved the grenade and threw it at the enemy with his left hand and then continued using his only remaining useful hand to fire his machine gun. Field surgeons later amputated Inouye’s right arm without administering any anesthetic. And not only did Inouye survive, but he also enjoyed a successful political career after the war.

Kaoru_Moto — Image: U.S. Dept of Defense / United States Army

7. Kaoru Moto

Born to a Japanese mom and dad in Hawaii, Kaoru Moto joined the U.S. Army not long before Pearl Harbor. Then, while serving with the 100th Infantry Battalion in Italy, Moto, alone on a reconnaissance mission, calmly eliminated a pair of hostile gun positions. The private fought on until he had even dispatched a third position despite sustaining serious injuries. He was later awarded the Medal of Honor.

6. Agansing Rai

In June 1944 Gurkha corporal Agansing Rai of the Indian Army led an assault against the Japanese in Manipur, India. Despite being on the receiving end of fire, Rai and his company charged ahead and took out one post after another. In fact, Victoria Cross-winning Rai alone killed four enemy soldiers holding out in one of the bunkers. What was left of the Japanese unit subsequently fled in fear.

Ganju_Lama — Image: via Wikimedia Commons / National Army Museum

5. Ganju Lama

Ganju Lama may have been born in the Indian state of Sikkim, but he was nevertheless permitted to serve with the Nepali Gurkhas in 1944. The Victoria Cross recipient certainly possessed the characteristics of the fearless Gurkhas – something he so ably demonstrated while fighting the Japanese in Burma. In fact, when his unit found itself under heavy fire, Lama stayed on to fight while his comrades withdrew. He survived and, though wounded, took part in the subsequent counter-attack and destroyed two Japanese tanks. He refused to be evacuated until he had killed the vehicles’ fleeing crew members.

Image: Horace Abrahams/Keystone/Getty Images

4. Audie L. Murphy

After landing in southern France in August 1944, U.S. First Lieutenant Audie L. Murphy entered a German-occupied house alone before killing six enemy troops, injuring two and taking a further 11 prisoner. During a later battle, Murphy climbed aboard a flaming Allied tank destroyer before firing its gun at the advancing enemy for an hour – only stopping when it ran out of ammo. He sustained a leg injury during his act of heroism, though he insisted on staying with his unit while medics saw to his wounds. Understandably, Murphy was decorated with valor awards from the U.S., Belgium and France.

John_Basilone — Image: ERcheck / C.C. Beall via Marine God Puller

3. John Basilone

While fighting in the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Pacific, John Basilone found his unit under attack from a 3,000-strong Japanese regiment. The U.S. Marine Corps gunnery sergeant fought solidly for two days until just he and two comrades were left standing. After repositioning one machine gun and fixing two others, Basilone somehow managed to keep up the resistance and, when his ammo ran out, he continued firing with his pistol. The Japanese section was, eventually, all but destroyed. His actions earned him a Medal of Honor.

John Finn — Image: U.S. Navy via Tributes.com

2. John William Finn

Early on December 7, 1941, John William Finn, a U.S. aviation ordnance-man stationed a mile from Pearl Harbor, sprung to action. Japanese aircraft had been spotted overhead and, unfortunately for the Americans, they were about to launch a surprise attack on the Hawaiian base. Finn, realizing the gravity of the situation, placed a machine gun on a make-do mount and, in a position in full view of the enemy, began shooting. He reportedly sustained more than 20 wounds over the next two hours, but these didn’t stop his heroic, makeshift, and Medal of Honor-winning resistance.

1. Van T. Barfoot

As part of the Allied invasion of Italy, Colonel Van T. Barfoot was charged with leading an attack on a German stronghold in May 1944. He began his tactic by crawling just a few yards away from an enemy bunker, then tossing in a grenade to kill the two soldiers inside. Using his submachine gun, he then made his way to another bunker and killed two more soldiers. Later, he captured another three. After witnessing the attack, a nearby enemy machine-gun post surrendered to the American there and then. Though the Germans later retaliated, Barfoot repelled their attack using a bazooka to destroy a tank and kill its three crew. Barfoot was, naturally, awarded a Medal of Honor.