Who was the coolest person in World War II?

[radiator]

The baddest motherf**ker of the Second World War (technically the Winter War but whatever!) is undoubtedly this dude:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simo_H%C3%A4yh%C3%A4

In temperatures between −40 and −20 degrees Celsius, dressed completely in white camouflage, Häyhä was credited with 505 confirmed kills of Soviet soldiers, 542 if unconfirmed deaths are included. The unofficial Finnish front line figure from the battlefield of Kollaa places the number of Häyhä's sniper kills over 800.

Besides his sniper kills, Häyhä was also credited with over two hundred kills with a Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun, thus bringing his credited kills to at least 705. Remarkably, all of Häyhä's kills were accomplished in fewer than 100 days with a very limited amount of daylight per day.

[Michaelvk]

Although, I think it's fair to say that every single one of them is a hero.

This is true.. But they'd never admit to it, flat-out deny even.

[Richmond Clements]

Although, I think it's fair to say that every single one of them is a hero.

This is true.. But they'd never admit to it, flat-out deny even.

And that's what makes them heroes.

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

Donald Sutherland in Kelly's Heroes

[Tiplodocus]

Oh yeah. I read The War Magician about ten years back. For a while, there was talk of a film with Tom Cruise circling Maskelyn.  And he has a mental name.

[Dunk!]

Don't know about World War 2 but for what he did in World War 1 I like this guy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_von_Luckner

[Mikey]

Some of the Polish pilots were absolute legends and it was a Polish Sqn that had the highest number of kills in the Battle of Britain IIRC. Names you want...erm...Urbanowicz (sp?) was one of the Commanders...(checks wiki)...yes, he was.

M.

[TordelBack]

Eamonn DeValera. He bravely defended the rights of small nations to self-determination by allowing other people to fight and die for them, and then ignored the tens of thousands of his own people who volunteered to do just that.  And then when they succeeded in saving our arses, he bravely sent his condolences to the German Embassy on the sad death of that nice Herr Hitler. 

That's 'coolest' as in 'most cold and calculating', BTW.

[Spaceghost]

Wars not make one cool.

[Beeks]

The Germans were far cooler...their tailors knew how to make a uniform

[Mikey]

[Goaty]

My grandfathers, one was at Dunkirk, other was commando.

[Hoagy]

Its Patton vs Montgomery again.

[davethomson]

My favourite WW2 chappie has to be Sir Percy 'Hobo' Hobart, the daddy of the 7th (Desert Rats),11th (Black Bull) and 79th (Hobarts Funnies) Armoured Divisions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Hobart

I like tanks. Tanks are cool.

[Tiplodocus]

Lots of good pointers and stories there - I think I want to focus on someone that saved lives rather than took them though.

I do recall reading about Major Cain in A BRIDGE TOO FAR and, from my lttle war gaming experience wondering how on earth anybody could take out half a dozen tanks (including Tigers) aremed with only a PIAT.

I was more than suprised when none of the VC heroics ended up in the rather fine Dicky Attenborough film but later read William Goldman explaining that once they'd decided that the story of the film was to be "the cavalry coming to the rescue and teh paratroopers were the settlers surrounded by indians", he realised that all of these fine stories of individual heroism would have to be removed from the screenplay.  Harsh. (Still reckon there's scope for a film that tells these tales).