This is a list of
Navy Cross recipients for actions of valor carried out during
World War II, awarded by the
United States Department of the Navy.
World War II was a
global military
conflict, the joining of what had initially been two separate conflicts. The first began in
Asia in July 1937 as the
Second Sino-Japanese War; the other began in
Europe in September 1939 with the German and Soviet
invasion of Poland.
[Official military histories in Commonwealth nations refer to the conflict as the Second World War, while the United States' official histories refer to the conflict as World War II. English translations of the official histories of other nations tend to resolve into English as Second World War also, for example ''zweite weltkrieg'' in German. See ]C.P. Stacey
Colonel Charles Perry Stacey (30 July 1906 – 17 November 1989) was a Canadian historian and university professor. He served as the official historian of the Canadian Army in the Second World War and published extensively on military and pol ...
''Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War'', for example. "Official" usage of these terms is giving way to popular usage and the two terms are becoming interchangeable even in formal military history. This global conflict split the
majority of the world's nations into two opposing military alliances: the
Allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
and the
Axis powers.
The United States was drawn into World War II on December 8, 1941, a day after the Axis-member Japan launched a surprise
attack on Pearl Harbor in
Honolulu.
While the
U.S. Department of Defense website of Military Awards for Valor states that "
Army Air Corps/
Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
/
U.S. Air Force members recognized for actions prior to 1 July 1948 are listed as
Army members",
[ the list here attempts to give the specific detail for members of the Army Air Forces, which existed during World War II.
, this list is incomplete, showing 1,485 Navy Crosses awarded in all service branches for actions of valor during World War II: 489 to U.S. Navy recipients; 1,029 ]U.S. Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through comb ...
recipients; 11 U.S. Army Air Forces recipients; 6 U.S. Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi ...
recipients; 3 U.S. Army recipients; and 1 civilian recipient. By partial comparison, , the U.S. Department of Defense shows 3,008 awarded to Navy recipients
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y
Z
See also
* List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
This is a list of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II. The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recip ...
* List of Navy Cross recipients for the Korean War
This is a list of Navy Cross recipients for actions of valor carried out during the Korean War, awarded by the United States Department of the Navy.
The Korean War was an escalation of border clashes between two rival Korean regimes, created at t ...
* List of Navy Cross recipients for the Vietnam War
References
External links
*
** Top 3 are: Medal of Honor; Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
*Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
*Distinguished Service Cross (U ...
/ Navy Cross / Air Force Cross; Silver Star
The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...
** this US DOD source only reports US Navy and US Marine Corps recipients of the Navy Cross
* {{cite web , url=https://homeofheroes.com/distinguished-service-cross/ , title=Service Cross , website=homeofheroes.com , access-date=June 28, 2022
** this long standing private source believes it is "99.9% complete" for all military, civilian and allied recipients of the Top 2 (above Silver Star)
Navy Cross recipients