List of Second World War Victoria Cross recipients The Victoria Cross ( VC ) is a military decoration awarded for valour " in the face of the enemy " to members of armed forces of some Commonwealth countries and previous British Empire territories . It takes precedence over all other Orders , decorations and medals ; it may be awarded to a person of any rank in any service and to civilians under military command . The award was officially constituted when Queen Victoria issued a warrant under the Royal sign - manual on 29 January 1856 that was gazetted on 5 February 1856 . The order was backdated to 1854 to recognise acts of valour during the Crimean War . The first awards ceremony was held on 26 June 1857 , where Queen Victoria invested 62 of the 111 Crimean recipients in a ceremony in Hyde Park . The Victoria Cross was awarded 182 times to 181 recipients for action in the Second World War . The war , also known as World War II ( WWII ) , was a global military conflict that involved a majority of the world ' s nations , including all of the great power s , organised into two opposing military alliances : the Allies and the Axis . The war involved the mobilisation of more than 100 million military personnel , making it the most widespread war in history . In a state of " total war " , the major participants placed their entire economic , industrial , and scientific capabilities at the service of the war effort , erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources . Throughout the six - year duration of the war , weapons and technology improved rapidly , including the use of jet aircraft , radar and nuclear weapons . More than 70 million people , the majority of whom were civilians , were killed , making it the deadliest conflict in human history . The start of the war is generally held to be 1 September 1939 , with the German invasion of Poland and subsequent declarations of war on Germany by most of the Crown Colonies of the British Empire and Commonwealth , and by France . The first Victoria Cross of the war was awarded to Gerard Roope for action whilst in command of HMS " Glowworm " . The war at sea began immediately after war was declared with the Battle of the Atlantic , in which German U - boats attempted to disrupt and destroy allied convoys . Throughout the war the Royal Navy was tasked with guarding vital shipping lanes and enabling amphibious operations across the globe ; the St Nazaire Raid saw five Victoria Crosses awarded . The Battle of the Mediterranean was fought throughout the war and included the Battle of Taranto and Battle of Matapan , as well as protecting convoys including the Malta convoys . In total , 23 servicemen from the Royal Navy were awarded the Victoria Cross including one Royal Marine . Aerial warfare came into its own in World War II with several distinct roles emerging . The role of fighter planes developed during the Battle of Britain , where the Royal Air Force fought for air superiority against the " Luftwaffe . " The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air force s . It was the largest and most sustained bombing campaign up until that date . Initially , RAF airfields were attacked , however as the battle progressed , operations were extended to the strategic level with The Blitz . Britain also conducted controversial strategic bombing campaigns in Europe and Asia ; they involved hundreds of aircraft dropping tens of thousands of tons of munitions over a single city . Tactical strikes were also carried out by the RAF including Operation Chastise , where No . 617 Squadron RAF attacked German dams in the Ruhr valley using " bouncing bomb s " ; Guy Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross for this action . The war on the land did not begin until May 1940 , as Britain and France were involved in a so - called Phoney War between Germany and the Franco - British alliance . The phoney war ended with the Battle of France where Germany invaded Benelux and subsequently France , which forced British troops to escape from Dunkirk . In 1941 , war spread to the Middle East and North Africa as well as the East African Campaign . The United States officially joined the war in December 1941 after the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor . In 1942 , British forces under Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomery defeated the Axis forces of General Erwin Rommel in the Second Battle of El Alamein , which marked a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign and the North African Campaign . It ended Axis hopes of occupying Egypt , taking control of the Suez Canal , and gaining access to the Middle Eastern oil fields . Nine VCs were awarded for action in the Western Desert Campaign . By 1943 , the war was being fought in several theatres , including the Pacific , North Africa and Southeast Asia . The Burma Campaign of the Pacific War took place from 1942 to 1945 , and saw 29 Victoria Crosses awarded . By 1944 and the Allied invasion of Normandy , the Allies were making ground in several theatres including advances in the Burma Campaign . In Europe , the unsuccessful raid on Arnhem saw five soldiers awarded the Victoria Cross , four posthumously . In May 1945 , the Allies accepted the unconditional surrender of German forces , celebrated with Victory in Europe Day . The war in the Pacific was ended with the surrender of Japan onboard USS " Missouri " on 2 September 1945 . Charles Upham received the Victoria Cross and Bar ; two awards for two acts . Upham was only the third recipient of the Victoria Cross and Bar , and the first for combatant actions ; the previous two recipients were medical officers of the Royal Army Medical Corps .