Världskrigspersonligheter fortfarande i livet

Tredje gången gillt? Den 21 oktober avled 99-årige Michael Smuss, som också blivit kallad den siste kvarlevande från upproret i Warszawas ghetto.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgkzg5zmmp8o
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/michael-smuss-fought-nazis-molotov-cocktails-warsaw-ghetto-126799975
https://www.timesofisrael.com/last-surviving-warsaw-ghetto-uprising-fighter-michael-smuss-dies-at-99/
https://notesfrompoland.com/2025/10/24/last-surviving-warsaw-ghetto-uprising-fighter-dies/
https://www.gedenkstaette-flossenbuerg.de/en/news/obituary-michael-smuss

Den 7 november dog 102-årige överstelöjtnant Zbigniew Wiesław Rylski, veteran från striderna 1939 (då han bara var 16 år) och från Warszawauppropret 1944 - han var tydligen den siste kvarlevande av dem som försvarade Michler-palatset, jämte den siste medlemmen av Parasol-bataljonen. Hans alias var för övrigt Andrzej, Brzoza (Björken) och Andrzej Kaczor (Anders Anka).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zbigniew_Rylski
https://tvpworld.com/89920827/zbigniew-rylski-last-soldier-of-polands-elite-wwii-unit-dies-at-102
https://fullmeasure.news/newest-videos/warsaw-uprising
https://um.warszawa.pl/waw/radawarszawy/-/zbigniew-rylski-honorary-citizen-of-warsaw

As a participant in the Boy Scouts' and Girl Scouts' War Emergency, he participated in the Defensive War, and after the Soviet aggression of 17 September 1939, while still in the Borderlands, disregarding his own safety, he helped rescue Polish soldiers from the NKVD camps in Dubno. To protect himself against arrest and deportation deep into the USSR, he moved to Warsaw with his mother, brothers, and sister. In 1940 he joined the Grey Ranks, where he was quickly promoted and held important positions. During the Warsaw Uprising he was assigned to the 3rd Wola District. He distinguished himself by his bravery and determination and walked the entire combat route with the "Parasol" battalion. He participated in the defence of the Michler Palace and the Wola cemeteries, becoming a symbol of steadfastness and heroism. On 8 August 1944, during intense fighting in the Protestant cemetery near the Halpert chapel, he rescued the seriously wounded commander, Janusz Brochwicz-Lewiński pseud. "Gryf". He moved him to a paramedic, and then transported him to the St. John of God Church at Bonifraterska Street. During the insurgent fighting, was wounded twice.

He was imprisoned and under surveillance after the war. He was released from prison under an amnesty in March 1947. Despite persecution and repression by the communist regime, he never gave up his fight for truth and dignity.

I dag har man firat Remembrance Sunday vid Cenotaph i London, och minsann hade inte ett 20-tal sega jävlar från WWII-åren infunnit sig. Lägg namnen på minnet.

https://news.sky.com/story/king-princess-of-wales-and-prince-george-attend-festival-of-remembrance-with-sir-rod-stewart-among-p erformers-13466869

Three D-Day veterans were among those attending the ceremony.

In total, about 20 veterans who served in the Second World War were there, receiving applause as they took their positions close to the monument in London's Whitehall.

About a dozen people wearing military uniforms and poppies were pushed in wheelchairs.

Henry Rice, a former signalman who landed via Juno Beach five days after D-Day, and Mervyn Kersh who arrived in Normandy aged 19, three days after the start of the D-Day invasion, were two who took part.

Sid Machin, one of six 101-year-olds registered to march was also present and is one of the last surviving "Chindit" soldiers from the Second World War Burma campaign.

As a young man of about 19, Mr Machin landed behind enemy lines in a glider at night in the jungle, as part of a special forces unit in Burma (now Myanmar), which wreaked havoc on Japanese supply lines and infrastructure.

He was serving in India in 1945 when the surrender of Japan was announced.

"It is a great honour to be able to pay tribute to the poor souls who have died in all conflicts and I know how lucky I am to still be here thanks to all those who have fought and served, past and present," he said.

"I also want to pay tribute to the civilian services who suffered during the Second World War, particularly the fire service, who saved so many lives during the Blitz, many of whom lost their own."

Den 6 november dog Paul Ignatius, född 1920, bara fem dagar innan han skulle fylla 105 år. Han tjänstgjorde under kriget som aviation ordnance officer ombord på eskorthangarfartyget USS Manila Bay, deltog i slaget i Leytebukten och var med om två kamikazeanfall. Senare verkade han vid Pentagon, och var marinminister (Secretary of the Navy) 1967-69.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Ignatius
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/us/politics/paul-ignatius-dead.html
https://massispost.com/2025/11/paul-ignatius-former-u-s-navy-secretary-and-glendale-native-dies-at-104/

Här berättar han sina minnen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URvJU8eKwTk

Ignatius bör ha varit en av de sista kvarlevande ministrar / regeringsmedlemmar som tjänstgjort i WWII, och det vore kul att veta hur många sådana som återstår globalt sett. Finländske Taisto Tähkämaa lever åtminstone alltjämt.

Jag antecknar i all hastighet de här herrarna, som ännu lever.

Generallöjtnant John F. Gonge (1931-)
Under kriget pilot i Air Transport Command, flög The Hump, eller luftbron mellan Indien och Kina över östra Himalaya.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Gonge

Generalmajor John C. Raaen Jr. (1922-)
Tjänstgjorde i specialförbandet Army Rangers, deltog i landstigningen på Omaha Beach samt i striderna i Bretagne. Tilldelad Silver Star.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Raaen_Jr.

Det drar ihop sig till 83-årsdagen av Pearl Harbor. Bara en enda veteran har meddelat om sin närvaro vid ceremonin, nu 105-årige Ira "Ike" Schab, som tjänstgjorde som militärmusiker och befann sig ombord på jagaren USS Dobbin när bomberna började regna. Det finns en lång rad artiklar om honom.

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2024/12/04/104-respected-pearl-harbor-veteran-returns-hawaii-somber-anniversary/
https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/12/08/for-decades-i-couldnt-speak-about-the-horrors-i-witnessed-at-pearl-harbor/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T84OJPkVBA

I övrigt har Pearl Harbor-veteranerna nu nästan mangrant nått den sista hamnen. Den 27 oktober ljöd tapto för 102-årige Ivan Wilson Atkins Jr., som upplevde attacken ombord på slagskeppet USS West Virginia, tillsammans med två av sina bröder.

https://www.mcadamsmortuary.com/obituaries/ivan-atkins?fbclid=IwY2xjawOLNg1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBm FwcF9pZA80MDk5NjI2MjMwODU2MDkAAR7zMPM7_IQ3cTe Dn9n1WfnZaS1u0VXx2s43H__2bXC0XuKC87eYT5Ix9vs-1A_aem_HGmTgWqprJKf46InJsCCtg
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/asia_pacific/2025-11-20/ivan-atkins-pearl-harbor-survivor-obituary-19825580.html
https://www.in.gov/dva/media/newsroom/the-indiana-vet-view/posts/surviving-pearl-harbor/
https://www.wave3.com/2023/12/30/101-year-old-pearl-harbor-veteran-honored-by-state-indiana/?fbclid=IwY2xjawOMXBtleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9p ZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeolYA_2vTTOZ1amx-MSC2LI jVenlpTx3gywSbt34RXXv6tzfSTbad1CCjZ9M_aem_G0VOBGPQ VBLLz5OnakRkMg
https://www.karakavensky.com/stories-that-hit-hard/

Gonge f ö född 21 - var tvungen att kolla, "teens in space"...

Tack ånyo för "din" tråd!

Oops, vilken blunder. När jag läser vad de här åldringarna varit med om, fuktas mina ögon av rörelse. Då sker stundom sådana där stavfel. Tack själv för din korrekturläsarinsats!

Den 22 november avled Robert Birenbaum, 99 år, fransk-judisk motståndsveteran, deltagare i befrielsen av Paris. Hans memoarbok 16 ans, résistant kom ut i fjol. Han berättar där hur det var hans faster / moster som övertalade honom att gå med i kampen som 16-åring: Hon fick med ytterst få fraser mig att förstå, att det alltid var bättre att slåss och att leva stående, i värdighet, och att att inte kasta sig på marken framför fienden.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Birenbaum
https://www.elysee.fr/emmanuel-macron/2025/11/23/disparition-de-robert-birenbaum
https://www.humanite.fr/en-debat/disparition/mort-de-robert-birenbaum-juif-communiste-et-resistant
https://france3-regions.franceinfo.fr/paris-ile-de-france/paris/un-exemple-pour-tous-le-resistant-parisien-robert-birenbaum-est-mort-a-99-ans-3254182.html
https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/podcasts/des-vies-francaises/des-vies-francaises-du-samedi-27-avril-2024-6768280

Dan Tolkowsky / Tolkovsky, mellan 1953 och 1958 chef för Israels flygvapen, avled i dag, den 28 november. Han var 104 år. Från 1942 till 1946 tjänstgjorde han i RAF, och flög bland annat Spitfire.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Tolkowsky
https://www.timesofisrael.com/dan-tolkowsky-former-air-force-commander-and-israeli-tech-pioneer-dies-at-104/

In 1942 Tolkowsky volunteered for the Royal Air Force. He was part of a group of Palestinian-Jewish RAF pilots sent to train at a flight school in Southern Rhodesia (present day Zimbabwe). He earned his wings in 1943, being the first in his group to complete the course, and went on to serve as a fighter pilot and later in reconnaissance aircraft. He saw action in the Mediterranean theater, France, and Germany. At the end of World War II, he served as a transport pilot, and was later stationed in Palestine at RAF Lydda (now Lod). He was discharged from the RAF in June 1946 with the rank of flight lieutenant.

Gilbert "Choc" Charleston, den siste choctaw-veteranen, stridsvagnsförare och deltagare i striderna i Ardennerna, dog på Thanksgiving Day. Han skulle ha fyllt 102 på julafton.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/investigations-and-features/2025/12/02/native-american-world-war-ii-veteran-final-member-of-unit-dies-101.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/native-american-wwii-veteran-gilbert-choc-charleston-last-member-of-his-unit-dies-at-101-on-thanksgi ving-day/

Military service has long held deep significance for Native Americans, especially within the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Assistant Chief Jack Austin said.

"They served before they were considered a U.S. citizen. They were proud to be fighting for something, and we've always stood by our country," Austin said.

An estimated 25,000 Native Americans served during World War II.

https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/101-year-old-choctaw-wwii-veteran-shares-his-story-of-service-and-dedication/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqQN3Uh7AVQ

Shay gick till de sälla jaktmarkerna den 3 december 2025, 101 år fyllda.

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/12/03/us-d-day-veteran-charles-shay-who-lived-in-france-dies-aged-101_6748119_4.html
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/native-american-d-day-veteran-charles-shay-dies-101-normandy-2025-12-03/
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/day-veteran-charles-shay-saved-lives-omaha-beach-128073805

Tolv Pearl Harbor-veteraner är alltjämt i livet i dag, då 84 år (ber ånyo om ursäkt för kassa räknekunskaper ) förflutit sedan attacken. För första gången nånsin hålls hela minnesceremonin utan att en enda veteran medverkar - också Schab har på grund av sjukdom tvingats avboka.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/12/07/us/pearl-harbour-bombing-anniversary-hnk?iid=cnn_buildContentRecirc_end_recirc&recs_exp =most-read-article-end&tenant_id=popular.en

But today only 12 are still alive — all centenarians — and this year none is able to make the pilgrimage to Hawaii to mark the event, scheduled for Sunday.

That means no one attending will have firsthand memories of serving during the attack, which killed more than 2,300 troops and catapulted the US into World War 2. The development is not a surprise and is an evolution of an ongoing trend. As survivors fade, their descendants and the public are increasingly turning to other ways of learning about the bombing.

“The idea of not having a survivor there for the first time — I just, I don’t know — it hurt my heart in a way I can’t describe,” said Kimberlee Heinrichs, whose 105-year-old father Ira “Ike” Schab had to cancel plans to fly in from Oregon after falling ill.

Survivors have been present every year in recent memory except for 2020, when the Navy and the National Park Service closed the observance to the general public because of coronavirus pandemic health risks.

En liknande utveckling märks naturligtvis också i andra länder. I Finland upphörde i fjol traditionen att bjuda in ett antal krigsveteraner som hedersgäster till presidentens mottagning på självständighetsdagen den 6 december. Det hålls i stället en separat, småskalig, stillsam tillställning för frontkämparna och lottorna.

The last of Finland's never-forgotten generation
https://yle.fi/a/74-20198151

Finnish President Alexander Stubb made the decision last year to not invite the veterans to the Independence Day gala — but instead to a separate, quieter event designed specifically for Finland's oldest surviving soldiers.

Although a controversial decision at the time, Sakari Martimo of the Tammenlehvän Perinneliitto veterans' heritage organisation notes that the change reflects practical considerations.

"These are 100-year-old people who have to travel even from the northern part of Finland," he told the podcast All Points North, adding that the new arrangement allows the president to devote his "full attention to the veterans for two whole hours".

Around 20 veterans were able to attend the ceremony this year. By 2035, the last of Finland's wartime veterans will likely have passed away.

Finland's last remaining war veterans
https://areena.yle.fi/1-76000032

Ireland hade avlidit redan i januari 2020.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Ireland


Bourne gick bort den 17 december, som 99-åring.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgj0gjpxvro
https://news.sky.com/story/wwii-bletchley-park-enigma-codebreaker-ruth-bourne-dies-aged-98-13485185
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/birmingham-ww2-codebreaking-hero-ruth-33085935