Registered
 | Starting from the top left moving clockwise: Dakota Louis Meyer: United States Marine Corps Sergent who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Battle of Ganjgal in 2009. Meyer defied cautionary orders not to relieve ambushed US forces and helped extract both dead and wounded comrades in the heat of battle. Captain Larry L. Taylor: US Army Officer and helicopter pilot who performed a dramatic rescue of a recon patrol, in 1968 during the Vietnam War. The recon patrol was engaged with the Vietcong in Binh Duong province and had become surrounded. After providing fire support from his AH-1G Cobra and strafing the Vietcong, Taylor defied orders to return to base. Instead, he landed the Cobra and rescued the entire patrol, who clung to the skids and rocket pods of the helicopter in an extraordinary Hollywood-style rescue. Taylor was originally awarded the Silver Star for his gallantry, but the award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2023. He passed away less than 6 months later. Birger Kristian Eriksen: The commander of Norway's Oscarsborg Fortress in 1940. He was instrumental in repelling a German invasion force and sinking the heavy cruiser Blücher, at the Battle of Drøbak Sound. The battle also affected the government of Norway's successful escape and the defense of the capital Oslo. Eriksen defied orders to fire warning shots before engaging the enemy (per Norway's rules of engagement at the time), and surprised the task force. The course of battle would have likely been very different had he not given his order, especially considering the quality of the crew manning the fortress guns and the time needed to reload them. The large coastal defense guns disabled the Blücher's main battery, and the fortress torpedo battery finished the cruiser. The Norwegians suffered no casualties. Fritz Klingenberg:
Nazi Waffen SS officer known for his capture of Belgrade (capital of Yugoslavia), in 1941. Klingenberg commanded units that were far ahead of the main German force converging on Belgrade. He disobeyed orders and entered Belgrade with just him and his men alone, and through bluff and cunning deceived the city authorities into surrendering to a small handful of soldiers. A drawn-out siege of the city would have undoubtedly caused many casualties and could have even altered the course of the German's entire Yugoslavia campaign. All these men provide examples of extraordinary success in battle, which can even arise from disobeying orders. submitted by /u/Zealot-Wolf [link] [comments] |
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