53 Missing in action of World War II

Samuel Adams was an officer in the United States Navy decorated for action in the Battle of Midway during World War II.

Horst Ademeit (Adomaitis) was a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.

Doyle Clayton Barnes was an American naval aviator during World War II.

Robert-Ludwig Becker was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a night fighter ace credited with 44 aerial victories claimed in 165 combat missions, making him one of the more successful nocturnal fighter pilots in the Luftwaffe. All of his victories were claimed over the Western Front in Defense of the Reich missions against the Royal Air Force's (RAF) Bomber Command.

Hans Beißwenger was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. In 500 combat missions, Beißwenger was credited with 152 victories, making him the 34th highest-scoring Luftwaffe fighter pilot of World War II. He was "ace-in-a-day" twice, shooting down five aircraft on a single day. He claimed all but one of his victories over the Eastern Front. He was reported missing in action in March 1943.

Walter Ernest Brown, was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth forces. He was born in Tasmania and worked as a grocer before enlisting in the Australian Army in 1915, following the outbreak of First World War. Initially he was sent to Egypt where he served in the Australian Service Corps before being transferred to the Western Front where he served in the infantry with the 20th Battalion. In July 1918, during the fighting at Villers-Bretonneux he single-handedly destroyed a German machine-gun post, taking a number of prisoners in the process. For this act he was awarded the Victoria Cross. He was also later awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for a previous act of bravery.

David Moore Crook, DFC was a British fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War.

Jan Kazimierz Daszewski was a fighter pilot in the Polish Air Force in World War II.

Peter Vogelius Deinboll, DSO, MC was a Norwegian engineer, and resistance member during World War II.

Eduard Deisenhofer was a German commander in the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany. He was an early member in the SS, and served with the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and at the Dachau concentration camp in 1930s. During World War II, Deisenhofer served with several combat divisions on both the Eastern and Western fronts, earning the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He held a PhD in political economy.

Captain Lawrence Dickson (1920-1944) from Bronx, New York, was World War II pilot and a member of the famed group of World War II-era African-Americans known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Dickson flew 68 mission in World War II before he was forced to eject from his aircraft over Austria in 1944. Dickson was declared missing in action. On July 27, 2018, Dickson's remains were identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

Raymond Tasman Donoghue GC was an Australian tram driver posthumously awarded the George Cross for the gallantry he displayed in Hobart, Tasmania.

John Charles Dundas, was a Royal Air Force fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War credited with 12 victories.

Nathan Bedford Forrest III was a brigadier general of the United States Army Air Forces, and a great-grandson of Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest. He was killed in action in Germany during World War II. Forrest was the first American general to be killed in action during the war in Europe.

John Everitt "Jack" Frost, was a South African fighter ace during the Second World War. He was the highest-scoring member of a South African Air Force squadron during the war, credited with the destruction of 15 Axis aircraft. South African pilots with higher numbers of kills, such as Pat Pattle and Adolph "Sailor" Malan, were members of the British Royal Air Force.

William Homer Genaust was a United States Marine Corps sergeant who was missing in action during the battle of Iwo Jima while serving as a war photographer in World War II. He is best known for filming the second U.S. flag-raising on top of Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945. Genaust operated a then-modern and lightweight 16 millimeter motion picture camera which used 50-foot color film cassettes. His motion picture of the flag-raising became one of the best-known film clips of the war, and documents the event famously depicted in the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. Genaust was reportedly killed in action nine days later, and his remains have not been recovered.

Robert Hampton "Hammy" Gray,, RCNVR was a Canadian naval officer, pilot, and recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC) during World War II, one of only two members of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm to have been thus decorated in that war. Gray is the last Canadian to be awarded the Victoria Cross.

Ingvar Fredrik Håkansson was a Swedish volunteer fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. Since Sweden was neutral in the war, Håkansson was one of few Swedes that served in RAF.

Millard Fillmore Harmon Jr. was a lieutenant general in the United States Army Air Forces during the Pacific campaign in World War II. He was presumed to have perished in February 1945 on a flight when the plane carrying him disappeared in transit. Harmon, Frank Maxwell Andrews, Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. and Lesley J. McNair, all lieutenant generals at the time of their deaths, were the highest-ranking Americans to die in World War II.

Zdzisław Karol Henneberg VM, DFC, KZ***, CdeG was a Polish airman who flew with the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain and a flying ace of the Second World War.

Heinrich Hoffmann was a German fighter ace in the Luftwaffe during World War II. Hoffmann was credited with 63 aerial victories in 261 combat missions and was the first non-commissioned officer and first posthumous Wehrmacht recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was "ace-in-a-day" twice, shooting down five aircraft on a single day.

Josef Jennewein was a German alpine skier and world champion. During World War II, he served first in the Wehrmacht and then in the Luftwaffe, and was credited with 86 air victories. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.

John Louis "Jack" Jerstad was a United States Army Air Forces officer who was posthumously awarded the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. He received the medal for his actions as a B-24 pilot during a raid on Ploieşti, Romania, in World War II.

Theodore Ernst Kara was an American featherweight boxer who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.

Pilot Officer Vernon Charles "Shorty" Keough was an American pilot who flew with the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain in World War II. He was one of 11 American pilots who flew with RAF Fighter Command between 10 July and 31 October 1940, thereby qualifying for the Battle of Britain clasp to the 1939–45 campaign star.

Berthold Korts was a World War II Luftwaffe fighter ace and was credited with 113 aerial victories—that is, 113 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.

Toshio Kuroiwa was a warrant officer and ace fighter pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the January 28 Incident and the Second Sino-Japanese War. During the January 28 Incident on 22 February 1932, while assigned to the aircraft carrier Kaga's fighter group, Kuroiwa participated in the IJN's first official shootdown of an enemy aircraft in combat. In the shootdown, Kuroiwa and two other fighters from his unit destroyed a Chinese fighter aircraft piloted by American contract Pilot {Reserve} Lt Robert M. Short.

August Landmesser was a worker at the Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany. He is known as the possible identity of a man appearing in a 1936 photograph, conspicuously refusing to perform the Nazi salute with the other workers. Landmesser had run afoul of the Nazi Party over his unlawful relationship with Irma Eckler, a Jewish woman. Later, he was imprisoned and eventually, he was drafted into penal military service, where he was killed in action.

Brian John Edward "Sandy" Lane was a fighter pilot and flying ace of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was also an author.

Darrell Robins Lindsey was a bomber pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II and a posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor.

Eric Stanley Lock, was a Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War.

Günther Lützow was a German Luftwaffe aviator and fighter ace credited with 110 enemy aircraft shot down in over 300 combat missions. Apart from five victories during the Spanish Civil War, most of his claimed victories were over the Eastern Front in World War II. He also claimed 20 victories over the Western Front, including two victories—one of which was a four-engined bomber—flying the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter.

Ernest Russell Lyon was a flying officer in 234 Squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was known as Russell. On 27 July 1944, Russell piloted a Supermarine Spitfire, flying with seven other Spitfires, on a mission over Lorient in southern Brittany. His Spitfire was hit by flak over the Lorient area and was seen to crash in flames near Ploemeur. Lyon was reported as missing in action and later he was reported as presumed dead.

Doris "Dorie" Miller was an American Sailor in the United States Navy. He manned anti-aircraft guns during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, for which he had no training, and tended to the wounded. He was recognized by the Navy for his actions and awarded the Navy Cross.

Alton Glenn Miller was an American big-band trombonist, arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was the best-selling recording artist from 1939 to 1942, leading one of the best-known big bands. Miller's recordings include "In the Mood", "Moonlight Serenade", "Pennsylvania 6-5000", "Chattanooga Choo Choo", "A String of Pearls", "At Last", "(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo", "American Patrol", "Tuxedo Junction", "Elmer's Tune", and "Little Brown Jug". In just four years Glenn Miller scored 16 number-one records and 69 top ten hits—more than Elvis Presley and the Beatles did in their careers.

Ernst Pistulla was a German boxer who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics. Pistulla was the Amateur German lightheavyweight champion in 1928. He won the silver medal in the light heavyweight class after losing the final against Víctor Avendaño.

Esmond Marcus David Romilly was a British socialist, anti-fascist and journalist, who was in turn a schoolboy rebel, a veteran with the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War and, following the outbreak of the Second World War, an observer with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He is perhaps best remembered for his teenage elopement with his distant cousin Jessica Mitford, the second youngest of the Mitford sisters.

Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupéry, simply known as de Saint-Exupéry, was a French writer, poet, aristocrat, journalist and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of several of France's highest literary awards and also won the United States National Book Award. He is best remembered for his novella The Little Prince and for his lyrical aviation writings, including Wind, Sand and Stars and Night Flight.

Günther Scheel was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. He is credited with 71 enemy aircraft shot down in 70 combat missions, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.

Wolfgang Schellmann was a German pilot during World War II. He commanded JG 2 and JG 27. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Schellmann was credited with 25 victories in over 150 combat missions. He recorded 12 victories during the Spanish Civil War. Of his 13 victories recorded during World War II, 12 were claimed over the Western Front and one over the Eastern Front.

Heinz Schmidt was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a fighter ace credited with 173 enemy aircraft shot down in 712 combat missions. All of his victories were claimed over the Eastern Front.

Günther Specht was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II.

Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt was a German fighter pilot during World War II. A flying ace, he was credited with 59 victories against the Western Allies in North Africa. Stahlschmidt was a close friend of the prominent ace Hans-Joachim Marseille.

Max Stotz was an Austrian Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a fighter ace credited with shooting down 189 enemy aircraft claimed in more than 700 combat missions.

Hans Strelow was a Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II. He received the award two days before his 20th birthday making him the youngest recipient of the Oak Leaves.

Lieutenant Colonel Boyd David "Buzz" Wagner was an American aviator and the first United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) fighter ace of World War II.

Brigadier General Kenneth Newton Walker was a United States Army aviator and a United States Army Air Forces general who exerted a significant influence on the development of airpower doctrine. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor in World War II.

Spencer Walklate (1918-1945) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and a special operations serviceman who fell in the 2nd World War.

Hector Macdonald Laws (Hec) Waller, was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). His career spanned almost thirty years, including service in both world wars. At the helm of the flotilla leader HMAS Stuart in the Mediterranean from 1939 to 1941, he won recognition as a skilful ship's captain and flotilla commander. He then transferred to the South West Pacific as captain of the light cruiser HMAS Perth, and went down with his ship against heavy odds during the Battle of Sunda Strait in early 1942.

Lieutenant Commander Malcolm David Wanklyn VC, DSO & Two Bars was a Second World War British Royal Navy submarine ace and one of the most successful submariners in the Western Allied navies. Wanklyn and his crew sank 16 enemy vessels.

Raymond Carson Watts was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Helmut Paul Emil Wick was a German flying ace of World War II. He was a wing commander in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany, and the fourth recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, the nation's highest military decoration at the time.

Louis Silvie Zamperini was an American World War II veteran, a Christian catholic, and an Olympic distance runner. He took up running in high school and qualified for the US in the 5,000 m race for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, finishing 8th, but not without setting a new lap record. In 1941, he was commissioned into the United States Army Air Forces as a lieutenant. He served as a bombardier in B-24 Liberators in the Pacific. On a search and rescue mission, Zamperini's plane experienced mechanical difficulties and crashed into the ocean. After drifting at sea for 47 days, he landed on the Japanese occupied Marshall Islands and was captured. He was taken to a prison camp in Japan where he was tortured. Following the war he initially struggled to overcome his ordeal.