Ulitzer95 10,928 Posted March 29, 2022 On 07/04/2021 at 21:40, arghton said: I was wondering how many recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross are alive or could be alive... What I found: WIKIPEDIA: Hugo Broch (born 1922) Luftwaffe ace. Still looked great at 95. Most likely won't die off radar. Heinz Rafoth (born 1923) According to warrelics.eu, was alive in 2020 Johann Hans Trummer (born 1920) According to the same site, was alive in 2020 Lorenz Neumayr (born 1926) Mentioned possibly alive on the same site. However in a later post it is mentioned that he is probably dead. Helmut Wieselhuber (born 1922, could have died in 2007) Mentioned alive by the axishistory forum in 2010 and by warrelics.eu in 2020 Ones that have died since January 2020: Jakob Kuchar (1923-2020) Mentioned alive in 2020, but I can't find any other source confirming this Died on 1st of January 2020. Paul-Georg Kleffel (1920-2020) Died on 19th of February 2020. Ludwig Bauer (1923-2020) Died on 20th of May 2020. WIKIPEDIA: Karl-Günther von Hase (born 1917-2021) German Ambassador to the United Kingdom 1970-1977. Died on 9th of May 2021. Gerhard Zoppoth (1923-2021) Mentioned alive by warrelics eu in 2020. Died on 13th of September 2021. Hans Trummer dead at 101. Either 2 or 4 left now. 3 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thatcher 2,123 Posted April 5, 2022 On 03/06/2021 at 12:04, YoungWillz said: BBC Breakfast favourite and DDP Pick Harry Billinge on hoping to see a memorial built in his lifetime and stating he "may not have much longer" (yeah, right): https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/adored-st-austell-veteran-harry-5484121 Harry Billinge dead aged 96. 1 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Creep 7,011 Posted April 5, 2022 11 minutes ago, Thatcher said: Harry Billinge dead aged 96. Obit says he was “a tireless fundraiser for the British memorial in Normandy”. I disagree. It wore him the fuck out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Creep 7,011 Posted April 7, 2022 Bill Judd, a war veteran who survived his ship being sunk by a U-boat, has died just short of his 102nd birthday. In a 2019 interview Bill had told how his ship had been called Clan Macarthur and 53 men had died in the sinking. "We got in the three lifeboats and the submarine came up alongside the boat I was in. He said he was sorry for sinking the ship but he said 'it's my job'. He was a very nice chap really. Bill's lifeboat had contained himself and 29 others. After rescue he was taken to Mauritius, arriving there with nothing but a set of pyjamas and an oilskin mac. Despite being from Cardiff, he was a countryman at heart, knowing the names of trees and plants, and loving things like fishing. SC 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arghton 6,114 Posted April 26, 2022 https://www.instagram.com/p/Cczw18INCpP/ Sakari Sarola, last WWII veteran from the Eno municipality in Finland and the last soldier of Kevyt osasto 15 (1941-1942) that biked to Voznesenye in October 1941 dead at 100. He served in the 1939-1940 Winter War and the Continuation War 1941-1944. I'm not sure how many Winter War veterans are still alive, but there were 1300 in December 2019. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Creep 7,011 Posted May 4, 2022 Robert E. Passanisi, who as a 17-year-old doctored his birth certificate in 1942 so that he could join the Army and ended up in Burma as one of Merrill’s Marauders, died on Tuesday at his home in Lindenhurst, N.Y. He was 97. His death comes just days after that of fellow Marauder Raleigh Nayes, who died April 21 in Chippewa Falls, Wis., at age 99. Only three of the roughly 3,000 original Merrill’s Marauders now remain living. SC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Creep 7,011 Posted May 4, 2022 6 minutes ago, Sir Creep said: Robert E. Passanisi, who as a 17-year-old doctored his birth certificate in 1942 so that he could join the Army and ended up in Burma as one of Merrill’s Marauders, died on Tuesday at his home in Lindenhurst, N.Y. He was 97. His death comes just days after that of fellow Marauder Raleigh Nayes, who died April 21 in Chippewa Falls, Wis., at age 99. Only three of the roughly 3,000 original Merrill’s Marauders now remain living. SC https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2022-04-26/merrills-marauders-obituary-raleigh-nayes-us-army-world-war-ii-5811964.html Obit for Raleigh Nayes. “Three of the other remaining Marauders were presented their Congressional Gold Medals this month: Bob Passanisi, 97, in New York; Gilbert Howland, 99, in New Jersey; and Russell Hamler, 97, in Pennsylvania.” So there’s TWO of the three names who remain. The other is current oldest Army Ranger Gabriel Kinney, 101, from Alabama. SC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alt obits guy 3,090 Posted May 16, 2022 (Also posted in the '100 Club' thread): James 'Stocky' Edwards, a Canadian World War II fighter ace with 19 confirmed kills, has died. He was 100. https://globalnews.ca/news/8836872/stocky-edwards-ace-dies/ 2015 Government of Canada information sheet on James 'Stocky' Edwards: https://www.canada.ca/en/air-force/corporate/reports-publications/on-windswept-heights-2/31-history-1939-1945.html 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Luca@1996 47 Posted May 20, 2022 Felice Manzinello was born in 1917, now he's 104 years old. He was an officer and fighter in the Second World War in the Libyan desert, captured by the British and interned for 5 years in a prison camp in India. https://www.ladige.it/cronaca/2021/04/04/le-mille-vite-di-felice-vaccinato-a-103-anni-piu-che-speranza-bisogna-avere-certezza-nel-domani-1.2879941 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Watcher 294 Posted May 20, 2022 John Alexander Cruickshank is 102 today. He is the last surviving person to be awarded the Victorian Cross in WW2. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gisooo 2,526 Posted May 21, 2022 Ismet Elezi (Wiki) at 102 is the last surviving World War II veteran of National Liberation in Albania 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
I.R.Baboon 206 Posted May 28, 2022 André Hissink (102), the last surving member of the No. 320 Netherlands Squadron RAF, has his heartwish fulfilled and has his dutch citizenship back after 69 years: https://nos.nl/artikel/2430484-hartewens-van-102-jarige-veteraan-vervuld-hij-is-weer-nederlander . (story in English: ctvnews.ca/canada/102-year-old-veteran-wins-campaign-for-dutch-citizenship-after-a-70-year-wait-1.5921867) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chel 316 Posted June 5, 2022 In St. Petersburg, a front-line tanker Filipp Zharkoy died. In three days he would have turned 101 years old. (at the birth of Fayvish Mendeleevich, born on June 6, 1921 in the village of Zhibotitsy, Pskov province - died on June 3, 2022 in St. Petersburg) Philip Zharkoy was born near Pskov. On June 22, 1941, he turned 20 years old. He commanded a tank platoon in Lvov. He received his first order for participating in the battles that would later be called the Kharkov disaster. Then there was the Battle of Stalingrad, the breaking of the blockade of Leningrad, the liberation of Warsaw, the storming of the Reichstag. Three times wounded. Three Orders of the Red Banner, three Orders of the Patriotic War, one Order of the Red Star. After the war, Filipp Mikhailovich continued his military career, resigning from the Armed Forces in 1972 with the rank of colonel. He described his memories of the war in the book "Tank March". https://www.fontanka.ru/2022/06/04/71386094/ https://heroesxxcentury.ru/veteran/zharkoj-filipp-mihajlovich Demo version of the book TANK MARCH http://tankm.ru/?page_id=672 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arghton 6,114 Posted June 21, 2022 On 26/10/2021 at 15:57, Ulitzer95 said: ... Wieselhuber is rumoured to have died on 19.07.2007. ... On 07/04/2021 at 23:40, arghton said: I was wondering how many recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross are alive or could be alive... What I found: WIKIPEDIA: Hugo Broch (born 1922) Luftwaffe ace. Still looked great at 95. Most likely won't die off radar. Heinz Rafoth (born 1923) According to warrelics.eu, was alive in 2020 Lorenz Neumayr (born 1926) Mentioned possibly alive on the same site. However in a later post it is mentioned that he is probably dead. Helmut Wieselhuber (born 1922, could have died in 2007) Mentioned alive by the axishistory forum in 2010 and by warrelics.eu in 2020 Helmut Wieselhuber died on the 20th of May 2022 at 99 according to tracesofwar.. Pretty sure he's dead. Either died on that day or it's a placeholder date and he died sometime in the past 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ulitzer95 10,928 Posted June 23, 2022 On 21/06/2022 at 13:22, arghton said: Helmut Wieselhuber died on the 20th of May 2022 at 99 according to tracesofwar.. Pretty sure he's dead. Either died on that day or it's a placeholder date and he died sometime in the past Family have issued a death notice here, so he really was still alive until last month. Just goes to show... don't believe everything you read on autograph hunting forums! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drol 10,027 Posted June 29, 2022 Woody Williams hospitalised and it seems there is not much time left for him. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
time 7,936 Posted June 29, 2022 On 04/05/2021 at 18:52, arghton said: Current WWII "lasts" and detailed mentions of what they are the last of: /snip Hershel W. WIlliams (b. 1923) Last WWII Medal of Honour recipient. 464 were awarded, 266 posthumously. Hershel 'Woody' Williams reportedly dead. 3 3 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spade_Cooley 9,001 Posted June 29, 2022 As indicated by that tweet, Williams died at the Hershel "Woody" Williams Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Which leads to the obvious question: who else has died at a medical facility named after them? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungWillz 18,941 Posted July 4, 2022 On 04/12/2021 at 10:48, Ulitzer95 said: Sad news, this one. Edward Shames (wiki), dead at 99. As you stated, he was the last living officer of Easy Company ("Band of Brothers"). PFC Bradford Freeman (b. 1924) is now the last surviving member. Bradford Freeman now being reported dead: 2 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Summer in Transylvania 1,606 Posted July 5, 2022 On 05/06/2022 at 07:54, chel said: In St. Petersburg, a front-line tanker Filipp Zharkoy died. In three days he would have turned 101 years old. born on June 6, 1921 On June 22, 1941, he turned 20 years old. That was somewhat delayed. 2 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chel 316 Posted July 5, 2022 12 hours ago, Summer in Transylvania said: That was somewhat delayed. Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. My English is bad. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
En Passant 2,930 Posted July 5, 2022 Your Latin is above average though. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arghton 6,114 Posted July 6, 2022 James Jeremiah, apparently the last WWII veteran from Malaysia, dead at 97. Corporal Albert Kunyuku, last living WWII vet of the Force Publique and last living vet of Belgian Congo (now DR Congo) was decorated by the king of Belgium last month. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alt obits guy 3,090 Posted July 7, 2022 On 04/07/2022 at 17:33, YoungWillz said: Bradford Freeman now being reported dead: Bradford Freeman obit: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/06/us/bradford-freeman-dead.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alt obits guy 3,090 Posted July 7, 2022 Eric Douglas Wilson, believed to be one of two known New Zealand veterans who fought in the Battle of Crete, has died. He was 103. https://greekherald.com.au/obituaries/one-of-the-last-nz-survivors-from-battle-of-crete-passes-away-aged-103/ 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
