Anders Lassen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 22 September 1920 Høvdingsgård, Mern |
| Died | 9 April 1945 (aged 24) Comacchio, Italy |
| Buried | |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1940–1945 |
| Rank | Major |
| Service number | 234907 |
| Commands | No. 62 Commando Special Boat Service, Special Air Service |
| Battles / wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Victoria Cross Military Cross & Two Bars |
| Relations | Frederik Raben-Levetzau (maternal grandfather) Axel Freiherr von dem Bussche-Streithorst (cousin) |
Major Anders Frederik Emil Victor Schau Lassen, VC, MC & Two Bars (22 September 1920 – 9 April 1945) was a Danish military officer who was the only non-Commonwealth recipient of the Victoria Cross during the Second World War. Serving in the British Army, he was posthumously awarded the award for his actions during Operation Roast on 8 April 1945 at Lake Comacchio in Italy in the final weeks of the Italian campaign.[1][2]
Lassen was ordered to lead a raid that would give the impression that a major landing was being undertaken. Lassen fulfilled his mission by destroying three enemy positions before being mortally wounded. As his men's lives would be endangered in the withdrawal, he refused to be evacuated from the area.
- ^ Lassen, p.4
- ^ Combined Ops website