Olympic Gold Medalists Who Lost Their Lives in World War II

U.S. Olympians Who Died In World War II: The most famous was General George S. Patton, Jr., who led American troops to victory in African and European campaigns, earned his gold in the 1912 Pentathlon Equestrian event in Stockholm. --- The Japanese Gold Medalist Who Died On Iwo Jima: Takeichi Nishi won an equestrian gold medal at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. Japanese Army Colonel Nishi was killed in combat on Iwo Jima in World War II. --- Gold Medalists Who Perished In WWII Prisons: Four Hungarians who won Olympic gold in fencing died in World War II German concentration camps in 1944. ​

Olympic Gold Medalists Who Lost Their Lives in World War II - Yahoo! Sports

 

Interesting article. Not to nit-pick, but does anyone see a problem with this statement about Patton: "However, in 1945, he was killed in a Heidelberg automobile accident several months after Germany's surrender (but before Japan's surrender ended the war)"?

Patton died on December 21st 1945 (the accident was on Dec 9th) -- well after Japan surrendered and formally ended WWII.

Does anyone know of other German athletes killed in WWII? There has to be more than just Carl Long.

 

Finnish Olympic Gold medallists who died in WW2

Gunnar Höckert- gold in 5,000 meters in Berlin

Kalle Jalkanen- gold in men´s relay 4x10 kms in skiing Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936

Lauri Koskela- wrestling gold in Berlin

Also some 30 other Finnish Olympic medallists died in WW2

 

Here is a more complete list:

Hans Woellke, Shot Putt Gold Medallist at Berlin. A particular favourite of Hitler, Woellke was a war-time captain in the Waffen SS. His murder by partisans on 22 March 1943 led to the massacre at the nearby village of Khatyn under a direct order from the Fuehrer.

Herbert Adamski, Coxed-Pair Rowing Golf Medallist at Berlin. Adamski was killed on August 30 1941 during the early days of Operation Barbarossa in Russia.

Paul Wevers, Sprint Canoe Gold Medallist at Berlin. Flew with the Luftwaffe fighter command and was killed in an air accident on March 6, 1941 near Braunschweig.

Toni Merkens, 1000m match sprint gold medallist at Berlin. Fought with the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front and was killed by a Russian artillery shell in 1942.

Ludwig Stubbendorf, won two Equestrian Gold Medals at Berlin: individual eventing and the team competition. He was killed on the 17 July 1941 in Byelorussia while fighting with the Wehrmacht in Operation Barbarossa.

Rudolf Lippert, Gold Medallist in Equestrian Team Eventing at Berlin. Lippert fought with the Panzers throughout the war. He won the Knight's Cross and reached the rank of Generalmajor. Killed making a last stand against over-whelming odds outside the city of Bielefeld in April 1, 1945.

Konrad Freiherr von Wangenheim, Gold Medallist in Equestrian Team Eventing at Berlin. A Captain in the Kavallerie-Regiment 8 on the Eastern Front, he was captured in July 1944 and held in the Gulags for years after the war, dying in "mysterious circumstances" in Stalingrad in 1953.

Kurt Hasse, won two Equestrian Show Jumping Gold Medals at Berlin: individual and team event. He was killed in action on the Eastern Front in January 9, 1944.

Heinz Brandt, Gold Medallist in Show Jumping Team Event at Berlin. Spent the early years of the war fighting with various infantry divisions. Finally promoted Colonel in May 1943 and joined the general staff of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht. On 20 July 1944 he was the officer who inadvertently moved Stauffenberg's briefcase bomb at the Wolf's Lair in Rastenburg and saved Hitler's life. Brandt died the next day of his wounds.

Georg Dascher, Gold Medallist with German hand ball team at Berlin. He served as a lieutenant in the Wehrmacht. In November 25, 1944 he was killed on the Western Front in Belgium.

Hermann Hansen, Gold Medallist with German handball team at Berlin. He fought with Wehrmacht infantry divisions in various fronts. Finally killed on the Eastern Front in June 28, 1944,

Arthur Knautz, Gold Medallist with German handball team at Berlin. He fought with Wehrmacht infantry divisions on the Eastern Front and was killed in August 6, 1943.

Heinz Körvers, Gold Medallist with German hand ball team at Berlin. He fought with Wehrmacht infantry divisions on the Eastern Front where he was killed in December 29, 1942.

Hugo Strauß, Rowing Gold Medallist in the Coxless Pairs at Berlin. He fought with the Wehrmacht in the Barbarossa Operation and was killed in November 1, 1941.

Martin Karl, Rowing Gold Medallist in the Coxless Fours at Berlin. He fought with the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front where he was killed in March 1, 1942.

Willi Menne, Rowing Gold Medallist in the Coxless Fours at Berlin. He fought in Poland, Norway, France, North Africa and Italy with the Wehrmacht. Finally killed in the last days of the war at Trenčín, Slovakia on March 27, 1945.

Hans Maier, Rowing Gold Medallist in the Coxed Fours at Berlin. He was killed in March 6, 1943, fighting with the Afrika Korps under Rommel.