On May 22, 1941, during the Battle of Crete, Charles Upham, a second lieutenant at the time, led his platoon against deeply entrenched German forces.

Again and again, he advanced alone under heavy fire—destroying machine-gun positions with grenades and a pistol, rescuing wounded soldiers, and crossing 600 yards of enemy-held ground to bring an isolated company back to safety.

Wounded multiple times, he refused evacuation.

Days later, shot through the foot and later fighting with only one usable arm, Upham continued leading attacks—killing enemy soldiers at close range and breaking assaults with a light machine gun.

For his actions in Crete, he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

But he wasn’t finished.

In July 1942 in North Africa, now a Captain, he was twice wounded yet continued assaulting enemy positions, destroying a German tank and multiple gun emplacements—even after his arm was shattered by a bullet.

Captured only after being severely wounded again, Charles Upham became one of only three men ever awarded the Victoria Cross twice and the only combat soldier among them.

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